Research and development for infrastructure maintenance, renovation, and management

The collapse of Sasago Tunnel, located on the Chuo Expressway about 80 kilometers west of Tokyo in 2012, has led to questions about the current quality and safety of infrastructure, and immediately brought public attention to the issue of infrastructure degradation in Japan. Japanese government decided to invest on the research and development for efficient management of infrastructure through implementation of science and advanced technologies. The new research and development (R & D) program named "Infrastructure maintenance, renovation and management" is started in 2014 under the Council of Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI)'s Strategic Innovation Program (SIP). The 5-year program covers various subjects of infrastructure maintenance with the key technologies in condition assessment using advanced technologies such as non-destructive testing, monitoring and robotics, long-term performance prediction of infrastructure, development of durable high-quality of material for repair and replacement, and data management of bridges and other infrastructure using advanced information and communication technologies (ICT). In this paper, outline and outcomes of this program are explained.