Bridge and structural inspection assesses the condition of bridges and civil structures — inventory surveys, engineering inspections, materials testing and monitoring — producing the condition data asset owners use to plan maintenance. Metlab’s bridge asset management capability was strengthened in 2025 when Infrastruct, Ireland’s specialist structural condition-assessment consultancy, joined the WH Scott Group.
In the field
Overview
Ireland’s local authorities and infrastructure owners manage thousands of ageing structures with finite budgets. Reliable, consistently-recorded condition data is what turns that estate into a rankable programme of repairs rather than a list of unknowns.
Metlab combines chartered-engineer-led structural inspection with the materials testing that explains what inspectors see: cover surveys, half-cell potential, resistivity, pull-off testing, concrete cores and NDT of steelwork. Digital capture and rigorous QA carry findings from parapet to asset management system without loss.
Inspection & survey
Bridge inventory surveys
Structured asset data capture for bridge management systems
Engineering & principal inspections
Element-level condition rating by qualified inspection teams
Special & confined access inspections
Under-bridge, boat and confined-space examination
Monitoring
Crack monitoring and movement instrumentation on structures of concern
Structural materials testing
Reinforcement cover surveys
Cover meter mapping of concrete elements
Half-cell potential & resistivity
Corrosion risk assessment of reinforced concrete
Concrete cores & pull-off testing
In-situ strength and repair-substrate verification
Steelwork NDT
UT, MPI and coating inspection of structural steel
Why it matters
01
Budgets follow condition data
A defensible, consistently-scored inspection record is what unlocks and prioritises capital funding for repairs — and what protects owners when questions are asked.
02
Inspection plus testing in one team
Visual condition ratings gain force when paired with materials data. Metlab fields both disciplines together, so causes — not just symptoms — get recorded.
03
Specialist leadership
With Infrastruct as the group’s dedicated bridge and structural condition-assessment unit, programmes are led by engineers who have spent their careers on structures.
Common questions
Asked before every engagement.
Something more specific? A specialist will answer it directly.
Ask usWhat is the difference between an inventory survey and an engineering inspection?
An inventory survey records what the structure is — dimensions, elements, materials, location — to populate an asset management system. An engineering inspection assesses condition, rating each element and recording defects so maintenance can be planned and prioritised.
Can you inspect structures with difficult access?
Yes — under-bridge access units, boat access, rope access through the group, confined-space-trained teams and traffic management are arranged as part of the commission.
Do you provide repair recommendations?
Inspection reports categorise defects and can extend to prioritised repair programmes with indicative costings — giving asset owners a directly actionable output rather than raw observations.
Testing · Inspection · Certification
Need bridge & structural inspection?
Send the specification or describe the asset — a specialist replies with method, price and turnaround.