Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, today announced its signing of a memorandum of understanding with AASHTO, an association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The MOU provides a framework for the incorporation of Bentley’s integrated InspectTech modules for advanced bridge inspections, mobile applications, and 3D models with AASHTOWare Bridge Management (BrM) software (formerly Pontis). With InspectTech software modules offered through the AASHTOWare catalog, transportation agencies will have access to a comprehensive system providing options that span advanced bridge inspection to capital planning, and featuring an unprecedented level of information mobility and integrity across the bridge management solution. The MOU also establishes Bentley as the contract developer of a substantially enhanced version of AASHTOWare BrM (Pontis 5.2), and lays the groundwork for Bentley’s further support of this new end-to-end transportation asset management system with options for training, customization, and software-as-a-service hosting.

The new system will improve efficiency and risk-based decisions in sustaining transportation infrastructure while helping agencies to proactively address the requirements of the U.S. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21) that went into effect Oct. 1, 2012. MAP-21 creates a performance-based surface transportation program designed to increase innovation and improve efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability in the planning, design, engineering, construction, and financing of transportation projects. It calls for the deployment and use of 3D information modeling, while also requiring significant new data requirements for bridge and tunnel inspection and asset management, at the level of structural and related elements. The comprehensive solution that AASHTO and Bentley are developing and configuring will enable transportation agencies to not only exceed these requirements, but also to adopt industry best practices in bridge inspection, management, and operations.

Commenting on the MOU with Bentley, AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley said, “We look forward to collaborating with the Bentley team as our organization continues to serve as a catalyst for excellence in transportation by offering smart solutions and best practices, direct technical assistance to states, and unchallenged expertise. AASHTOWare has a 20-year history of providing unparalleled bridge management capabilities to transportation professionals, and the enhanced version of AASHTOWare Bridge Management will be even more comprehensive and empowering in capabilities. By adding optional additional inspection services through the incorporation of Bentley’s InspectTech modules, we are redefining ‘smart solution’ for sustaining transportation infrastructure.”

Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley said, “We are committed to working smarter, together, in this extended alliance with AASHTO to meet the challenging needs of U.S. DOTs and other transportation agencies. Sustaining transportation infrastructure is of paramount importance to not only public safety, but also long-term economic resilience and growth. With this joint initiative, AASHTO and Bentley combine our rich histories of providing proven software to help the community of state transportation professionals be successful in this crucial role. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with AASHTO and its members, and to helping bring AASHTOWare into a new generation of technology and innovation.”

AASHTOWare Bridge Management Software

AASHTOWare BrM will continue to undergo a major upgrade through work being done via contract by Bentley under the direction of an AASHTO task force and committees comprising U.S. state department of transportation (DOT) representatives. With key inputs and guidance from DOT practitioners, AASHTOWare BrM will further expand its position as the most comprehensive bridge management system in the world. It will provide a new web-based architecture and significant new features for multi-objective analysis, risk-based decisions, improved deterioration models, interactive dashboards, lifecycle cost analysis, planning, enhanced reporting, and new technology enhancements to support XML and other interfaces. For additional information about AASHTOWare BrM, visit aashtowarebridge.com.

Bentley’s InspectTech

As a result of work to be completed under this MOU, the InspectTech advanced inspection modules will now be available through AASHTOWare to significantly enhance AASHTOWare BrM’s existing inspection interface. Users will be able to have functionality for complete inspection reviews and workflow, inspection scheduling and planning, email alerts, plans of action, records archive and management, credentialing, underwater details, fracture critical forms, and more. In addition:

• InspectTech’s new mobile applications will support AASHTOWare BrM and allow more efficient means for field-based data collection and review.
• InspectTech’s 3D/Complex bridge module will be integrated with AASHTOWare BrM to give transportation agencies the option to conduct detailed 3D-model-based inspection.
• InspectTech’s maintenance management module will be integrated with AASHTOWare BrM to provide transportation agencies the option of identifying and planning for needs, as well as assigning needed resources and tracking the work on those needs through to completion.
• With AASHTOWare BrM’s new web-based architecture and InspectTech’s existing web architecture, the combined solution can be offered reliably to entities around the world in a SaaS format.

For additional information about InspectTech, visit www.bentley.com/InspectTech.

Bentley Systems at 2012 AASHTO Annual Meeting

Bentley Systems – one of no more than five exclusive premier sponsors of AASHTO and the sole software company sponsoring AASHTO – will once again be exhibiting at AASHTO’s Annual Meeting, which this year takes place in Pittsburgh, Pa. Fittingly, InspectTech was founded in Pittsburgh, by Mike Schellhase and Jeremy Shaffer in 2003. These computer engineering graduates of Carnegie Mellon had the vision, right out of school, to apply a scalable server-based IT solution to address one of the world’s most pressing problems – infrastructure operational safety in general, and bridge safety in particular. Bentley acquired InspectTech in May 2012.

In addition to showcasing InspectTech software in its booth, Bentley is demonstrating its Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) software, which provides an innovative approach to bridge engineering and project delivery. BrIM fosters the use of data beyond bridge design and engineering needs to inform downstream processes such as fabrication, construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection. Bentley’s BrIM suite includes RM Bridge, LEAP Bridge Enterprise, LARS Bridge, and more.

About AASHTO and AASHTOWare

AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.

As the voice of transportation, AASHTO works to educate the public and key decision makers about the critical role that transportation plays in securing a good quality of life and sound economy for our nation. AASHTO serves as a liaison between state departments of transportation and the Federal government. AASHTO is an international leader in setting technical standards for all phases of highway system development. Standards are issued for design, construction of highways and bridges, materials, and many other technical areas.

AASHTOWare is the arm of the AASHTO organization responsible for managing and delivering software solutions. Many AASHTOWare products are based on AASHTO standards and specifications – a recognized source of technical excellence in the transportation industry. Beyond this, specific AASHTOWare design decisions are made by groups of subject matter and information technology experts from participating agencies whose focus is on improving and selecting the best business processes before automating them into our software. This exchange of information among participants has a side benefit that extends beyond what it yields in the development of AASHTOWare products. AASHTOWare participants form a nationwide network of agencies using common software applications and are able to share their implementation experience with each other.

For additional information about AASHTO and AASHTOWare, visit http://www.transportation.org.

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Bentley Systems applies information mobility to improve asset performance by leveraging information modeling through integrated projects for intelligent infrastructure. Its solutions encompass the MicroStation platform for infrastructure design and modeling, the ProjectWise platform for infrastructure project team collaboration and work sharing, and the AssetWise platform for infrastructure asset operations – all supporting a broad portfolio of interoperable applications and complemented by worldwide professional services. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,000 colleagues in 50 countries, more than $500 million in annual revenues, and since 2003 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.

Additional information about Bentley is available at www.bentley.com and in Bentley’s annual report. For Bentley news as it happens, subscribe to an RSS feed of Bentley press releases and news alerts. To view a searchable collection of innovative infrastructure projects from the annual Be Inspired Awards, access Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure publications. To access a professional networking site that enables members of the infrastructure community to connect, communicate, and learn from each other, visit Be Communities.

To download the Bentley Infrastructure 500 Top Owners ranking, a unique global compendium of the top public- and private-sector owners of infrastructure based on the value of their cumulative infrastructure investments, visit www.bentley.com/500.

Bentley, the “B” Bentley logo, Be, InspectTech, RM Bridge, LEAP Bridge Enterprise, LARS Bridge, MicroStation, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.