#30 Transportation Research Board 2025

NEXCO exhibited and presented at the 2025 Transportation Research Board (TRB) this week. For those of you who stopped by our booth or listened to our president Mr. Matsumoto's lecture on the development of multi-IRT camera stacking technology, thank you! This year, we are offering several new, significant developments in our data acquisition approaches! As our TRB presentation this week detailed, NEXCO is actively developing a dual IRT camera collection method to enable the assessment of asphalt-covered bridge decks. The method further increases analysis confidence levels for bare decks as well! So far, we have found that time-lapse IRT collection, active heating, or collection during very narrow time windows are the only successful ways to obtain accurate data for asphalt-covered bridges. However, none of these methods were practical to apply on large scales (ie. corridor or network-level projects), and cannot be easily collected from a mobile vehicle. To overcome this issue, layered imagery collected at two different angles has already produced highly accurate results in real-world case studies. During these case studies, asphalt covers were removed, and the condition of the bare concrete deck was confirmed by hammer sounding and GPR collection. Bridge owners can look forward to this exciting new technology being implemented soon. Reach out to our team to schedule a time to demo this approach in your region!

#29 Our website renewed!

We're excited to share that our company's newly updated website will go live on January 2, 2025! It has a fresh new look and updated content that better reflects who we are and what we do. We'd love for you to check it out once it's up and let us know what you think!

#28 NEXCO Exhibits and Presents at the National Bridge Preservation Conference in Salt Lake City, UT

NEXCO had the pleasure of exhibiting and presenting at the NBPC, which occurs every four years. The presentation topic centered on calling to attention the need for standardization of 3D NDT/E datasets.

#27 NEXCO Scans Historic 100+ Year Old Arch Bridge

NEXCO was tasked with the evaluation of a new deck replacement on a historic bridge in Washington, DC this month. The results were submitted to the construction contractor, who could use the report to home in on problem areas before wrapping up their construction efforts.

#26 NEXCO Analyzes Bascule Bridge in Green Bay, WI

Partnering with Venera, NEXCO analyzed a movable bridge. The investigation showed the extent of surface and subsurface cracking, allowing the owner to quantify the overall health of each span within the structure.

#25 City Road Inspection in Maryland

NEXCO partnered with iSee to scan and identify problematic areas in a mile-long stretch of roadway within a Maryland city. The road featured three distinctly different designs, as well as recent versus older pavement. Subsurface reflections suggested several areas featuring debonding of bituminous pavement layers with underlying subgrade material. Utilities spanning the scanned area were identified and mapped. From the total area coverage of debonded pavement area, the client was able to determine which areas of the roadway should be slated for repaving, with a possible subgrade rehabilitation.

#24 Happy Holidays from NEXCO!

To all of our valued clients, partners, and friends, Happy Holidays! This has been a busy year for us, and marks a big milestone of analyzing over 20 million square feet of structures! We are looking forward to reaching new milestones in the years to come.

#23 NEXCO Exhibits at the 13th Annual AMOTIA Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Our team got to visit the “Venice of the Americas” this month during this year’s AMOTIA conference. DOTs and private firms alike participate in this asset maintenance conference to discuss trends, share stories, and brainstorm about the industry.

#22 Intensive GPR Validation Study Performed on Large Bridge in Southern Japan

This project featured a unique opportunity to directly validate infrared and ground-penetrating radar data taken by a mobile system. The raw data was sent from Japan to the US, and served as an example of how our analysis team can receive and process large datasets from anywhere. The target bridge deck had an asphalt overlay, but the condition of the concrete slab was of concern. A hands-on inspection could not be performed without milling the overlay. So, the owner decided to test the effectiveness of an IRT and GPR scan by collecting data prior to milling, then they validated results post milling. Detections within the upper concrete layer (to the top rebar mat) proved highly synonymous with hands-on inspection findings.

#21 NEXCO Exhibits at Northeast Bridge Preservation Partnership in Wilmington, DE

NEXCO participated in this year’s NEBPP event in Wilmington, DE. We learned a significant deal about recently completed and ongoing projects within the state of Delaware. It was good to reconnect with colleagues and meet new attendees!

#20 NEXCO and iSee Present for Western Bridge Preservation Partnership

NEXCO and iSee presented on recently scanned bridges in the VA and MD area. The presentation featured examples of bridge deck underside scanning, as well as three small bridges located in a rural VA town. The examples showed how a combination of infrared and GPR scanning complimented each other to locate both shallow and deeper findings. It also showed how we can address both urgent requests and plans for inspection far off in the future.

#19 Post-Construction Cover Depth Mapping by GPR

NEXCO can apply accurate mapping of structural layer depths using 3D GPR datasets. With known information about the structure (as-builts or destructive coring), exact depths can be determined, but regardless of whether this information is available or not, differentials in height within singular layers or multiple layers can be calculated. In the case of newly constructed bridges, such as the one our team scanning last week, cover maps provide insight into how much concrete cover was poured, and whether it was poured evenly. Knowing of any errors from under/over pouring early on in the bridge’s life is critical.

#18 NEXCO Scans Signature Bridge in Montreal, CN

NEXCO was selected to demonstrate its deck top scanning system on a newly constructed and prominent bridge structure in the city of Montreal. Our team was able to produce a detailed report of findings within a week’s time using automation to stitch both visual and infrared imagery. NEXCO will continue to correspond with the client to aid their decision-making process for the bridge’s first year of maintenance.

#17 NEXCO Exhibits at the 2023 Southeastern Bridge Preservation Partnership in Atlanta, GA

A rainy week in Atlanta led to many great conversations indoors at the SEBPP! Thanks to many great project experiences over the past year, we were able to share several new stories through our project experience pamphlets and updated technology specification sheets at our booth.

#16 Fieldwork for more than 50 Bridge Completed!

Our team drove many miles around the DC, Northern VA, and MD area this month collecting visual, IRT, and GPR data for over 50 bridges. This effort is one of our largest operations yet, and we are proud to say that it was accomplished with no delays to the project or the traveling public. Thanks team!

#15 NEXCO Assists Partner Startup iProbe in Initiating First Large Scale Project for State DOT

iProbe collects pavement condition data using two models: individual vehicle collection or crowdsourcing collection. By installing specialized units in consumer vehicles, the company can receive and process big data to determine the location of bumps, potholes, and other deficiencies that can be captured by basic visual or accelerometer measurements.

#14 Prestigious Research Project Awarded to NEXCO for Tolling Rate Determination

A client in Japan awarded NEXCO a research project entailing the summarization of international tolling practices, namely tolling rate setting.

#13 NEXCO Exhibits at the Midwest Bridge Preservation Partnership Event in Lexington, KY

Alongside bolstering our knowledge of bridge preservation activities, we studied up on the art of bourbon making while in Lexington this Fall! This was a special opportunity in many respects, including getting to know more about KYTC’s preservation activities and taking part in a special tour to Vector Corrosion’s headquarters (VCS), where guests could observe their impressive production and material demonstration facility.

#12 NEXCO Exhibits at Northeast Bridge Preservation Partnership Meeting in Harrisburg, PA

NEXCO participated in this year’s NEBPP event in Harrisburg, PA. We met many new practitioners in the northeast region this year, and it was an extremely rewarding experience. Our GPR partner, iSee, also exhibited and gave a presentation on collaborative works performed by iSee and NEXCO.

#11 High Definition Scanning of Subway Tunnel Liner

NEXCO provided underground tunnel scanning services during off hours this month. The system implemented features a rack of PC towers and a camera mount that can be secured to a rail cart and pushed/propelled. The target area, a few miles of circular and horseshoe-shaped tunnel running in two directions, was captured over the course of two nights.

#10 GPR Analysis of Sister Bridges in WV

Two bridges up for deck replacement were selected as subjects for a pilot project. NEXCO and partner company iSee collected data on one sister bridge whose deck was already replaced, and one bridge whose deck had not yet been replaced. As expected, the GPR data showed numerous findings with high severity levels in the older bridge, and a mostly clean dataset in the newer bridge, with a few findings attributed to construction inconsistencies. The sample reports impressed the owner agency and supplemented the inspection work of their on-call engineering contractor.

#9 NASA Causeway Evaluation

NEXCO and the University of Central Florida (UCF) collaboratively evaluated two target bridge structures managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The bridges carry NASA Causeway over the Indian River. With the implementation of rapid scanning NDE technology, the total surface area of deficient findings was mapped and quantified. Our deck scanning system, DTSS, was used to scan the deck top surface, while our universal scanning system, U3S, was used to scan the soffit, girders, and bents.

#8 NEXCO Exhibits at TRB 2022

NEXCO celebrated its 10th time exhibiting at the TRB in Washington, DC this year. Visitors and partners from all parts of the world came to ask about our scanning technology at our booth! As usual, we enjoyed the experience and were grateful to converse with so many knowledgeable and talented professionals. Thank you for stopping by and saying hello!

#7 NEXCO Attends the 12th Annual AMOTIA Conference in Tampa, FL

As a proud member of this group, NEXCO participated in the annual AMOTIA conference. Our team members took this opportunity to catch up with friends and acquaint ourselves with new colleagues in the asset maintenance field. We furthered our knowledge about the industry by listening to sessions, panels, and roundtable discussions.

#6 Field Collection for Signature Bridge

Rapid NDE collection by vehicle is a great solution for structures that feature massive surface areas, such as river-spanning bridges like the one our team captured this month. Even though the deck top amounts to several hundred square feet, our vehicle can obtain precise visual and thermal data over the structure at traffic speeds.

#5 NEXCO Attends the Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership Meeting in Hot Springs, AR

As an ongoing partner of the TSP2 group, NEXCO participated in this year’s SEBPP event held in Hot Springs, AR. It was a privilege to attend the informative sessions and meet with our partners, clients, and future clients!

#4 CALTRANS, UC Davis Adopts IrSUITE for State Bridge Deck Scanning Vehicle

This month, our staff trained CALTRANS employees on the integration of NEXCO’s infrared scanning and analysis software, IrSUITE. The training provided the means to integrate raw infrared data into a comprehensible report, using a few real-world examples and learning datasets.

#3 Pilot Bridges Analyzed Thoroughly in Maryland

Teaming with Other NDE Providers, NEXCO participated in a pilot study of 5 bridges located in the state of Maryland. This study incorporated the detailed study of multiple visual, infrared, and GPR datasets and a comparison to previous/current hands-on inspection results. The effort demonstrated how the combination of these NDT methods can be used to summarize the condition of bridge elements, including deck top, deck underside, and piers.

#2 10 Bridges Scanned in Single Day around Richmond, VA

Our team collected bridge deck data for 10 bridges which carry I-95 in VA. The field operation only took a single day, passing back and forth over the target bridges by U-turning on I-95 with no disruption to normal traffic. Both a late morning and late evening scan were collected to compare results during two different time windows and increase detection accuracy.

#1 NEXCO Exhibits at the 2021 IRF Conference

On 7/8, our president, Masato, presented on innovations in pavement scanning. Our SmartEagle system is equipped with three types of profiling/scanning sensors that fit can be mounted on any SUV/truck-sized vehicle. The data can be used to measure PCI, IRI, and other visual metrics. Following successful applications in Colorado, Masato showed representative examples of how the data can be made useful for maintenance planning.