Sector 05 / 18

BIM for bridges and viaducts

Bridges and viaducts modelled by span and construction phase, from design to the as-built model from survey data.

At a glance

B1P Group models road and rail bridges and viaducts: deck, piers, abutments, bearings, joints, safety barriers and services, organised by span and linked to the alignment. With the model we simulate the construction phases, derive quantities by span and, at the end of the works, model the as-built on the laser scan and drone survey of the appointed surveyor, with the data the asset operator needs for inspections and maintenance.

The sector

What do we do on a bridge?

We model the deck span by span, with piers, abutments, bearings and joints as separate objects, so quantities, phases and maintenance data can be read by element. The Civil 3D alignment drives geometry and chainages; the structure goes into Revit with families built on the design cross-section.

The simulation of the construction phases (4D) shows launching, pours and sequences; the bill of quantities linked to the model (5D) gives quantities by span and by interim valuation. On existing structures we start from the survey point cloud, captured by the appointed surveyor with terrestrial laser scanning and drone survey for piers and soffit.

Typical projects

Road and motorway viaducts
Railway bridges and viaducts
Overpasses and underpasses
Upgrading and strengthening of existing structures
Civil structures along transport lines

Rules and formats

Which rules apply to bridges?

For existing bridges, the Ministry guidelines on risk classification and management, safety assessment and monitoring of existing bridges (2020, updated in 2022) require an inventory, inspections and records: a model with data by element is the natural support for those records and for monitoring.

For public projects, Legislative Decree 36/2023 and Annex I.9 apply; for exchange, IFC 4.3 introduced entities for bridges and linear placement along the alignment.

Typical deliverables

What do we deliver?

Deliverables vary with the stage and the information requirements; these are the most common.

Phase	Handover	Who it is for
Design	Model by span linked to the alignment, federated model, quantities by element, IFC	Designers
Construction	Phase simulation (4D), quantities by span and by interim valuation (5D), construction-level models	Contractors
Completion	BIM modelling from laser scan and drone surveys, as-built model, report comparing design and as-built	Contractors and asset operators
Operation	Model with data for inspections, records and monitoring	Asset operators

References

Why are there no project names here?

Projects in this sector belong to the clients: we do not publish names, locations or images of the assets. In our offers we list projects of the same type and, with the client's consent, someone who can confirm our work.

Why we do not publish our projects

Related services

Which services do we provide in this sector?

Frequently asked questions

The questions we are asked in this sector

Do you produce the as-built model of a viaduct at the end of the works?

Yes, by supporting the client in BIM modelling from survey data: on the registered and georeferenced point cloud of the appointed surveyor (terrestrial laser scanning and drone survey for piers and soffit) we model the parts that changed and draw up the report comparing them with the design.

Can the model also be used for inspections?

Yes. With data for each element (span, pier, bearing, joint), the model supports the inventory and the records required by the guidelines on existing bridges, as well as monitoring over time.

Do you work with Civil 3D or with Revit?

With both: the alignment and chainages in Civil 3D, the structure in Revit with families built on the design cross-section; the federated model in Navisworks brings the two parts together.

Contact

Do you have a bridge or viaduct to model?

Tell us about the structure: spans, state of the drawings, what the asset operator requires. We will propose the survey modelling, the model and the deliverables.

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