Project
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) issues 240,000 permits annually, generating over USD 21 million. Phase 2 of the Illinois Transportation Automated Permit (ITAP) project aims to increase the weight limit for auto-issued permits to 250,000 pounds, while also increasing the number of automated permits issued, decreasing the time necessary to obtain a permit, and increasing public safety by calculating structure ratings related to the specific load and truck configuration. To meet these challenges IDOT needed software that provided automated, accurate structural analysis and could be integrated with their ITAP application.
Solution
Working with Bentley technical staff, IDOT’s application design team deployed SUPERLOAD Bridge Analysis. Together the teams tested structure rating calculations to ensure integrity of the data provided by the software, and integrated Bentley’s product with IDOT’s existing ITAP permitting and routing system, GIS system, and Bridge Structures database. Bentley’s interoperable software provides IDOT with accurate automated structure ratings along the route specified by the ITAP system based on specific load and structure characteristics to ensure optimal routing feasibility.
Outcome
Using SUPERLOAD enabled IDOT to increase the weight limit for auto-issued permits to vehicles up to 250,000 pounds, increasing the automated permit issuance from 78 percent to 99 percent. Automating the structural analysis process significantly decreases delivery time of a permit. The interoperability and automated accuracy of SUPERLOAD reduced operating costs, with almost a 30 percent reduction in staff, and a reduction in number of hours worked by the Permit Office that resulted in a $750,000 savings during the first year of automation. Overall, automation reduced manual analysis from 22 percent to 1 percent, increasing safety and minimizing risk.
Software
IDOT used SUPERLOAD to integrate automated structural analysis with its ITAP system to ensure optimal routing feasibility and increase the number of automated permits issued. After a route is calculated, ITAP imports a list of structures to SUPERLOAD, which automatically calculates and returns a precise load-specific and structure-specific rating for each structure, indicating requirements for structures with special provisions. For any structural failures, an alternate route is automatically calculated. SUPERLOAD’s accurate, integrated, and automated processes ensure safety and promote efficient interstate/intrastate commerce for loads under 250,000 pounds.