The Rideau River Railway Bridge is a railway plate girder bridge that spans the Rideau River in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada. Currently owned by the Canadian National Railway (the successor to the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway), the bridge supports various rail services, including the Via Rail Toronto–Ottawa Corridor passenger trains.
Niricson conducted the first of two concrete condition assessments on the Rideau River Railway Bridge in May 2024. This initial survey aimed to provide a baseline analysis of the bridge’s condition, focusing on the identification and quantification of visual defects and delamination. The data collection process involved capturing high-resolution RGB/optical images and acoustic soundings which were both collected by a robotic system. The data was subsequently processed using a defect detection and quantification software. A second survey was completed in October of 2024 to identify any changes and validate change detection capabilities. An additional software was used on the dataset to identify any geometrical deficiencies to the rail track.
The purpose of the project was to demonstrate the capabilities of a digital condition assessment, validate the capability of the acoustic sensor, and validate the repeatability for a digital assessment.