Laser Profiling as a Screening NDT Tool for the Evaluation of Ride Quality Anomalies at Road–Bridge Transition Areas

Bridge inspection and maintenance planning at heavy-duty motorways constitutes a significant cost concern for roadway operators. Bridge approach areas and expansion joint restoration may require substantial budgets and, most importantly, traffic management measures like lane closures. This creates a need for targeted and evidence-based actions supported by reliable non-destructive testing (NDT). In this context, this study explores the use of laser profilers, already widely applied in pavement condition assessment procedures, as a rapid screening tool for identifying anomalies in ride quality near bridge–pavement transitions. In this sense, an additional value of an already well-established NDT tool can be revealed.

The methodological approach is based on the analysis of longitudinal profile data collected along selected heavy-duty motorway segments, including representative technical structures, and in particular, bridges and jointed transitions. Periodical measures and evolution of ride quality indicators, including the International Roughness Index (IRI), are examined to detect localized increases in roughness and change patterns or IRI growth rates over time. Year-to-year variations can pinpoint critical issues, including differential settlement, joint deterioration, or stiffness discontinuities.

The proposed framework can help achieve informative and justified decision-making by highlighting locations after laser screening instead of investing in detailed and time-consuming structural diagnostics. Minor maintenance actions, like localized asphalt treatments to restore surface regularity, or needs for additional and targeted investigation, can follow the laser profiling data analysis. Within this framework, IRI is evaluated not only as a standard indicator of pavement ride quality, but also as a proxy measure reflecting the condition of road–bridge transition zones.