High-Tech “Digital Twins” Save Kentucky Millions in Bridge Repairs

• 12 March 2026
• Construction Focus
• 162 Views

Kentucky has discovered a high-tech solution to a massive infrastructure problem, proving that fixing 1,000 aging and flood-damaged bridges doesn’t have to take a decade or cost a fortune.

By using Artificial Intelligence and “Digital Twin” technology, the engineering firm Qk4 has modernized the state’s bridge program, cutting inspection times by 90% and saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Following devastating floods in 2022, Kentucky faced a daunting task. More than 1,000 bridges needed to be assessed and repaired, many of which were structurally deficient.

Using traditional methods, this project was expected to take 10 years and cost approximately US$7 million. This was simply too large to handle the “old way” and required finding efficiencies in every single step.

The breakthrough came from a process called intelligent coding. In the past, surveyors would spend months manually measuring a single bridge and sketching out the data by hand.

The responsible firm Qk4 changed the game by using drones and laser scanners to create a Digital Twin, which is a highly accurate 3D virtual map of the bridge.

As technicians collected data, they used AI to “code” each point. Instead of just being a random measurement, each piece of data told the computer exactly what it was—such as a steel beam or a concrete pillar—and how it fit into the structure. This allowed the computer to understand the bridge’s health instantly.

Bridge surveys that used to take three months are now being finished in as little as three days. This massive time savings led to huge cost cuts, dropping the project’s price tag from an estimated US$7 million down to US$3.5 million.

Beyond the money, the digital models are so precise that engineers can spot flaws and plan repairs from their offices, which reduces human error and keeps workers out of dangerous traffic zones.

The “Bridging Kentucky” program has been so successful that it is now being used as a blueprint for other states across the country. By swapping clipboards for AI and drones, Kentucky is proving that the future of infrastructure isn’t just about pouring concrete—it is about using smart data to get families back on the road faster and safer than ever before.

• Bentley
• Digital Twin
• AI
• Bentley Systems