Building Information Modeling

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Building Information Modeling for Bridges & Structures

What is the TPF-5(523) BIM for Bridges and Structures Pooled Fund?

The AASHTO Committee on Bridges and Structures has been working on a comprehensive plan to advance the use of BIM specific to bridges and structures. In 2017, TPF-5(372) BIM for Bridges and Structures project provided the primary funding mechanism for developing the foundational elements to implement openBIM data standards to support BIM for Bridges and Structures in the U.S. This multi-year effort focused on developing the openBIM data standards for enabling digital exchange from design to construction for workhorse bridges using the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema. A significant amount of progress was accomplished  through this effort, which resulted in an implementable AASHTO guide specification to exchange 3D model-based information for workhorse bridges to execute construction. Specifically, the resulting standard was adopted by AASHTO COBS on June 22, 2022, as the AASHTO Information Delivery Manual: Guide Specification for Design to Construction Data Exchange for Highway Bridges. 

Additional products from this effort included foundational elements necessary for implementing openBIM standards at the project level, including 

  1. U.S. Bridge Data Dictionary,
  2. Model View Definition Extension and Documentation for Software Providers,
  3. Unit Test Suite Documentation and Testing Criteria for Software Certification,
  4. Educational Kit and Implementation Guide for AASHTO Members, and
  5. Updated Bridge Lifecycle Map and Prioritization of Data Exchanges. 

While the progress was significant, there are many other needs that still need to be addressed to facilitate the use of model-based data exchanges to support the bridge asset lifecycle.

This pooled fund project will provide the primary mechanism for AASHTO COBS T-19 to expand and refine the outcomes of TPF-5(372) and developing additional guide specifications for openBIM national data standards to support model-based exchanges of workhorse bridges.

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Register for the TPF-5(372) Collboration Site

If you have not already become a registered user of the TPF-5(372) Collaboration Site, please join today. As we continue efforts, this site will become a portal of knowledge sharing, resources, and dialogue for education and awareness of BIM for Bridges and Structures standards in the United States. Register today.

Check Out the Roadmap!

To help our stakeholders understand the progress to date and initiatives forthcoming, this one-page Roadmap PDF on BIMforBridgesUS.com describes the scope of the project and other details, including information about sponsors and a general timeline with a list of the activities to be completed to achieve the desired outcomes.

BIM roadmap
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Does Your State Want to Join?

If your state is not already a sponsor of this important initiative, you are encouraged to consider joining the pooled fund. More information about joining the pooled fund can be obtained by contacting Khyle Clute of Iowa DOT. States that participate in the pooled fund receive the following benefits:

  • An active voice in setting the future standard
  • An active voice in setting priorities for implementation support tasks
  • Early access to data dictionaries to support agency data governance planning
  • An ability to influence the prioritization of future standardization efforts
  • Early access to information about national and international standardization initiatives
  • An ability to engage with software vendors to communicate priorities
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