HUNTINGTON — A system of sensors now on the East Huntington Bridge will ensure real-time monitoring to guide maintenance and extend bridge life, state and federal officials announced Thursday.

The equipment, called Structural Health Monitoring, was made possible when the West Virginia Department of Transportation received a Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program of $820,000 to install the equipment.

West Virginia is the first state in the country to use the Stage One SMART Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation specifically for this type of advanced bridge monitoring.

Shaz Umer, director of strategic initiatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said the system's real-time data collection is a game changer.

“It offers continuo

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