In my career as a security systems installer, I have serviced systems on a bridge that I was crossing and never thought such a system could have been deployed on.
So What about you ? Do you happen to think if there is any security system on a bridge you are used to cross ?
In this article, I am going to show you how to protect a bridge from man-made threats and what security systems are installed to do so.
What are the threats on a bridge
The main threat on a bridge is a terrorist attack. Bridges are easily accessible for the public, therefore, they are exposed from all sides : above, below and from the water.
In addition to incidents like accidents involving large trucks transporting corrosive or flammable hazardous materials that can cause fire or blast.
Also, natural disasters like earthquakes are threats, but as a security systems guy, I don’t have any knowledge about protecting bridges from this kind of threats, which belongs to other specialists and other fields.
So as I mentioned before, this article is about human made threats
How to protect a bridge
It is very important that bridges are safe and secure, due to their importance in the transportation network and economic activity. Therefore, drastic security measures to be implemented, in addition to installing very high-tech security systems.
What security systems on a bridge ?
Cameras are visible on most bridges, thus perimeter security systems are also installed. They intend to keep unauthorized people from restricted areas.
The perimeter installations could be :
- Barriers around the restricted areas.
- Motion detectors to prevent from loitering near the bridge and close to its parts and provide early warning about intruders approaching buffer zones
- Increase illumination around the bridge parts
The image is inspired from https://study.com
Cameras installed on a bridge
Video surveillance systems on bridges require analytical abilities to assure very high efficiency. The cameras should manage traffic efficiently through high-quality video performance, with zoom capabilities to capture every detail.
In fact, the cameras should be able to :
- Apply stabilization abilities to remove camera shake caused by the passing traffic and wind
- Capture information such as the total number of vehicles traversing a defined area and the number traveling in each direction.
- Detect vehicle direction and send an alarm if any is heading in the opposite direction of the lane.
- Receive actionable data on the different lanes, license plate monitoring, recognition and detection to track cars.
- Send an alarm when any vehicle is stopped or something dropped on the lanes.
- Utilize high zoom abilities to detect the exact location of unattended or abandoned bags, in addition to intrusions, and follow the actions in real time as well.
Conclusion
Bridges nowadays are not merely crossing points from one shore to another. They are embedded with high technology systems that imply different disciplines. I exposed the electronic security systems we apply to monitor and protect a bridge from human made threats, other professionals are also involved to monitor the bridges and prevent structural defections like geotechnical instrumentation professionals. They use different sorts of instruments that are used to monitor the earth, structures constructed over it, and anything that is constructed and maintained.
More information on monitoring bridges and instrumentation
Bridge Security: How do we know our bridges are safe?
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