Bentley Establishes Bridge-Modeling Business Unit
1 Apr, 2008New division will offer access to bridge information modeling technology for the entire bridge lifecycle.
Bentley Systems announced a strategic initiative to deliver bridge information modeling (BrIM) technology for the entire bridge lifecycle. A new business unit, Bentley BrIM, will drive the initiative under the leadership of Bentley senior vice-president Gabe Norona.
The new business unit will provide access to newly acquired bridge products in Bentley's software portfolio. In addition, it will integrate these and other related Bentley products to provide an interoperable, data-managed bridge solution for planning, design, engineering, analysis, fabrication, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation. The company states that this end-to-end solution will enable the transportation industry to address the challenges of new and aging bridges and deliver sustainable, long-lasting infrastructure.
"Growing demand for new bridges in developing economies and aging bridges in developed economies are behind burgeoning workloads and mounting backlogs for bridge engineers around the world," said Greg Bentley, Bentley's CEO. "According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in the United States alone, more than a quarter of the nation's almost 600,000 bridges are deficient, and more than $65 billion could be invested immediately in a cost-beneficial way to replace or otherwise address existing bridge deficiencies."
Norona added, "Bentley's BrIM initiative will focus on new approaches to bridge project delivery and bridge sustainability. By closing the gaps in traditional bridge lifecycle processes and facilitating the flow of digital information between the various stages, BrIM will enable bridge designers, builders, and owner-operators to easily share a common bridge information model. This will help optimize design decisions and lead to process innovation, largely through information reuse."
Throughout the past year, Bentley has acquired TDV GmbH, LEAP Software, and C.W. Beilfuss & Associates, all bridge engineering and operations technology providers. These additions to Bentley's portfolio reportedly result in a comprehensive offering of bridge software for the infrastructure community. Offerings now include the following:
- Bentley Bridge RM, structural engineering, design, and analysis software used for large- and medium-span bridges, including cable-stayed bridges
- Bentley LEAP Bridge, a parametric, integrated design and analysis solution for precast, cast-in-place, reinforced, and post-tensioned concrete
- Bentley BridgeModeler and Bentley LARS, companion products for bridge load-rating, analysis, and analytical modeling for existing and planned bridges offering conformance with the latest AASHTO bridge-design specifications and interface to the AASHTO BRIDGEWare database
- Bentley SUPERLOAD, for advanced oversize/overweight vehicle permitting and routing that takes account of bridge load-rating and analysis data
Bentley BrIM will establish interoperability among these products as well as other Bentley products relevant to bridge projects, including Bentley Rebar, GEOPAK Bridge, InRoads Bridge, and ProjectWise.
