Journal of Information Technology in Construction
Journal of Information Technology in Construction
ITcon Vol. 31, pg. 917-938, http://www.itcon.org/2026/39
Developing digital twins for bridge infrastructure: Roadmap and challenges from a proof-of-concept R&D study
| DOI: | 10.36680/j.itcon.2026.039 | |
| submitted: | December 2025 | |
| published: | August 2026 | |
| editor(s): | Amor R | |
| authors: | Orgil Borjigin, Ph.D. Candidate
College of Built Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6356-5475 aorigele@uw.edu Carrie Sturts Dossick, Ph.D., John E. Schaufelberger Professor Department of Construction Management, College of Built Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0925-4579 cdossick@uw.edu Barton Treece, Director Mobility Innovation Center at CoMotion, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA btreece@uw.edu Travis Thonstad, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Built Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1575-3617 thonstat@uw.edu Timothy Bernard Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Built Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA tbernard@uw.edu Michael Motley, Ph.D., Professor Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Built Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA mrmotley@uw.edu | |
| summary: | The exploration of Digital Twins (DT) technology in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) industry has gained momentum in recent years, with numerous studies proposing frameworks for its development. However, few real-world infrastructure applications have been systematically documented to guide future practitioners and researchers. This study addresses this gap by providing an empirical example of DT design and development through a proof-of-concept research and development (R&D) project. The I-90 Homer M. Hadley Bridge (I-90 Bridge) DT project, led by the University of Washington (UW) DT research team, was selected as a case study to demonstrate the application of DT technology for bridge health monitoring. Using a vignette-style narrative approach, the study integrates data from semi-structured interviews with project team members and project documentation generated during the project to illustrate how the system was conceptualized, developed, and delivered. The findings reveal that interoperability emerged as a consistent theme throughout the project, including technical challenges (legacy systems, proprietary programming, lack of standardization) and organizational challenges (multi-stakeholder engagement, organizational silos). Recognizing these challenges can help practitioners and researchers better identify key problems to address, thereby supporting a successful adoption of DT technologies. | |
| keywords: | Digital Twins, Bridge Infrastructure, Organizational Interoperability, Technical Interoperability, Research & Development, Case Study | |
| full text: | (PDF file, 0.759 MB) | |
| citation: | Borjigin, O., Sturts Dossick, C., Treece, B., Thonstad, T., Bernard, T., & Motley, M. (2026). Developing digital twins for bridge infrastructure: Roadmap and challenges from a proof-of-concept R&D study. Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon), 31, 917-938. https://doi.org/10.36680/j.itcon.2026.039 | |
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