The Hell bridge test arena is the ideal venue to test new sensor hardware, monitoring, and inspection technology in realistic real world applications. This steel riveted truss bridge is highly representative for the many aging bridges in the Norwegian and European transport network.

The Hell bridge was taken out of traffic in 2016. After 104 years in continuous service, it was replaced by a modern double track bridge to meet increasing operational requirements. One of the five spans was moved to new foundations on land to serve as a test arena for researchers and developers working on condition monitoring, damage detection, inspection, and service life estimation. New sensor technology, long-term monitoring, and damage features can be tested on a real civil engineering structure.

Since the structure is not in service, structural damage can be introduced by removing structural details, such as rivets, steel profiles and components. This also means that researchers gain access to a real structure without going through rigorous safety training and restricted access to the infrastructure. The research project is funded by Bane NOR.