NDE Roadmap Working Groups

Two NDE Roadmap working groups were established in March 2020 under the auspices of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures (AKC70) and the Standing Committee on Testing and Evaluation of Transportation Structures (AKB40). The purpose of the working groups is to collaborate on research statements that meet the needs of members, and build on the research discussions in TRB, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and past Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) workshops and meetings. The working groups transform the discussions into ongoing initiatives to better reduce duplication of effort while pooling knowledge and funds to prioritize research for meeting national challenges.

Participation in the NDE Roadmap working groups is voluntary and includes members from TRB, State departments of transportation (DOTs), FHWA, academic institutions, consultants, industry, and other subject matter experts. The Roadmap working groups have been meeting nearly monthly since March 2020. Depending on the topic of discussion each month, additional subject matter experts or highway infrastructure owners are invited to participate.  

The meetings have consisted of general discussion of research needs followed by refinement and preparation of short research needs statements and abstracts. The abstracts are developed by the volunteers and peer reviewed by other members. Review the NDE research need statements for concrete and steel bridges below:

The working groups invite feedback from the bridge community regarding research needs. Comments about published research need statements are also welcome. To provide feedback, send an email to hoda.azari@dot.gov.