The government has directed road-owning agencies, including state public works departments, National Highways Authority of India, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Border Roads Organization, to complete a digital survey and condition of bridges nationwide by September 30.
The survey will be conducted under the new Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) which aims to improve safety through continuous monitoring and timely maintenance.
The directive for the survey came against the backdrop of bridge collapses in recent years. The collapse of the Morbi Suspension Bridge in Gujarat in October 2022 killed at least 141 people. In 2025, four people were killed in a bridge collapse near Pune. The collapse of the Gambira Bridge in Gujarat in July 2025 killed 22 people.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a circular to all agencies responsible for national highways, seeking detailed stock data and condition assessment of every bridge and structure exceeding six metres. The Ministry will review progress at senior officials meetings.
The ministry said that a large number of bridges are outdated and require scientific, data-driven monitoring to identify structural problems early and prioritize repairs before safety is compromised.
The IBMS system was developed as a mobile platform for inventory, inspection, condition assessment and management of bridges across the country’s national highway network.
The circular said that the platform includes digital inventory models that capture detailed information about the bridge components, construction history, hydraulic characteristics, traffic data, and environmental standards. It is equipped with inspection and condition assessment modules that can be used to recommend maintenance, repair, rehabilitation or reconstruction actions.
The web-based dashboard will allow the Ministry and implementing agencies to create customized reports to monitor bridge health.
The ministry directed field offices of relevant agencies, including project implementation units, project management units and national highway divisions, to conduct the survey. If an independent body or engineers are involved in projects, their services should be utilized in the practice. The circular warns that if they fail to initiate inventory and condition survey within one month, this will be treated as a breach of contractual obligations and their monthly payments may be suspended.
Each regional office and field unit has also been instructed to appoint a nodal officer within 10 days to coordinate data collection and conduct random verification of the information uploaded. Executive engineers, project managers and equivalent personnel must verify data for at least 7% of the bridges under their jurisdiction. Regional officials will verify the survey data for all bridges longer than 500 metres.
The circular called for uploading bridge inventory data and complete status of all ongoing highway projects to the IBMS portal before submitting as-built drawings. The order requires all DRC consultants to upload inventory details and current bridge status to the portal, creating what the Ministry intends to be a comprehensive national database for bridge asset management.
