{"id":71740,"date":"2026-01-31T23:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T02:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/888351295"},"modified":"2026-01-31T23:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T02:54:00","slug":"digital-twin-tech-breaks-decades-old-deadlock-on-major-i-95-bridge-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/01\/31\/digital-twin-tech-breaks-decades-old-deadlock-on-major-i-95-bridge-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Twin Tech Breaks Decades-Old Deadlock on Major I-95 Bridge Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Digital\"Digital<\/div>\n

[embedded content]<\/p>\n

Engineering firm Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT)<\/a> has successfully utilized high-tech 3D modeling and connected data known as digital twin to solve congestion on I-95 crossing over the Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia, in the United States.<\/p>\n

For decades, the I-95 crossing over the Rappahannock River was defined by chronic congestion and a \u201cnot-in-my-backyard\u201d stalemate. Today, the project is moving forward, thanks to a \u201cdigital twin\u201d that allowed the public and engineers to step into the future before a single shovel hit the ground.<\/p>\n

Aerial view of a bridge along a highway overpass along the span of I-95 over Rappahannock River.<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The project was a logistical nightmare: adding six miles of new lanes, four new bridges, and a 1,200-foot span rising 100 feet above the river\u2014all while navigating historic preservation sites and environmental sensitivities.<\/p>\n

To solve the trust gap, JMT moved away from static PDFs and slideshows. Using the Bentley Systems iTwin Platform<\/strong>, they created a \u201cliving\u201d digital model. This allowed stakeholders to rotate, zoom, and question the design in a web browser.<\/p>\n

By integrating geospatial data from Cesium<\/strong>, the firm placed the bridge in its exact real-world context, showing residents exactly how the structure would look from their own front porches.<\/p>\n

ProjectWise Infrastructure Cloud model of Rappahannock River Crossing.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re being asked to do more with less,\u201d said Garth Donahue, JMT\u2019s design center of excellence lead. \u201cThat means seeing risks earlier, communicating better, and avoiding surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n

The digital-first approach fundamentally changed public engagement. Virtual town halls saw three times the attendance<\/strong> of traditional meetings. Instead of arguing over abstract concepts, residents used the models\u2014and in some cases, driving simulators\u2014to experience the new traffic patterns firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technology didn\u2019t eliminate disagreement,\u201d the firm noted, \u201cbut it changed the tone.\u201d Questions became more specific and actionable, turning a historically contentious process into a collaborative one.<\/p>\n

ProjectWise Infrastructure Cloud model of Rappahannock River Crossing.<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The digital twin won\u2019t be retired once the bridge is finished. JMT and Bentley Systems designed the model to evolve, incorporating drone-captured data and AI to monitor structural health<\/strong> in real-time, predict maintenance needs<\/strong> before failures occur, simulate disaster scenarios<\/strong> for better emergency planning.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s innovative use of technology earned it the top prize in the Bridges and Tunnels category at the 2024 Going Digital Awards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

– Video Advertisement –<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… (JMT) has successfully utilized high-tech<\/span> 3D modeling and connected data … new traffic patterns firsthand. \u00e2\u0080\u009cThe technology<\/span> didn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t eliminate disagreement,\u00e2\u0080\u009d the … project\u00e2\u0080\u0099s innovative use of technology<\/span> earned it the top prize …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}