Newest KB Articles

How to load data from our GeoJSON API into QGIS

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:58:35 GMT

This guide walks you through loading spatial data directly from our GeoJSON API into QGIS using a simple Python script.

Step 1: Open the QGIS Python Editor

You do not need an external coding environment; QGIS has a Python console built right in.

Open a new or existing QGIS project.
In the top menu, click Plugins > Python Console (Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+P on Windows, Cmd+Option+P on Mac).
A panel will open at the bottom of your screen. Look at the toolbar inside that panel and click the Notepad icon (Show Editor). A blank text editor will slide open on the right side.

Step 2: Paste the Script

Copy the following Python script and paste it into the blank text editor panel:

Python

import requests
import os
from qgis.core import QgsProject, QgsVectorLayer

# 1. Provide your API URL and Key
endpoint_url = "YOUR_API_URL_HERE"
api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"

# 2. Fetch the data securely via API headers
response = requests.get(endpoint_url, headers={'ApiKey': api_key})
response.raise_for_status() 

# 3. Save the data to a temporary file on your computer
temp_file = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser('~'), 'temp_api_data.geojson')
with open(temp_file, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    f.write(response.text)

# 4. Load the file directly into your map
vlayer = QgsVectorLayer(temp_file, "API Data Layer", "ogr")
if vlayer.isValid():
    QgsProject.instance().addMapLayer(vlayer)

Step 3: Run and View Your Data

Replace "YOUR_API_URL_HERE" with your actual API endpoint link. BridgeStation provides a number of standard GeoJSON endpoints. To tailor the data request to your specific requirements and obtain a dedicated endpoint for your authority, please contact BridgeStation Support.
Replace "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE" with your personal API key.
Click the Green Play Button (Run Script) at the top of the script editor panel.

A new layer named "API Data Layer" will instantly appear in your QGIS Layers panel on the left.

Tip: If you cannot see the data on your map right away, right-click "API Data Layer" in your Layers panel and select Zoom to Layer. QGIS will center your screen directly over the newly loaded data.

Asset Valuation - Replacement Unit Rates 2025/26

Tue, 26 May 2026 09:08:48 GMT

Financial Year: 2025/26

Version: 1.10

Released: May 2026

Sourced: Structures Asset Valuation and Investment Tool (SAVI)

Comments: There is a slight decrease in the rate compared to the prior 24/25 rate.

Structure Type	Unit Cost m/m²
Bridge: Vehicular (single span)	£10,242.15
Bridge: Vehicular (2 or 3 spans)	£7,345.56
Bridge: Vehicular (4 or more spans)	£5,241.30
Bridge: Pedestrian/Cycle (single span)	£6,238.56
Bridge: Pedestrian/Cycle (multi-span)	£3,743.78
Cantilever Road Sign	£142,131.47
Chamber/Cellar/Vault	£7,106.73
Culvert (single cell)	£7,324.58
Culvert (multi-cell)	£3,663.10
High Mast Lighting	£42,638.80
Retaining Wall (height > 3m)	£3,477.52
Retaining Wall (height ≤ 3m)	£2,607.74
Sign/Signal Gantry [cantilever]	£14,211.86
Sign/Signal Gantry [spanning]	£14,211.86
Structural Earthworks - Reinforced/Strengthened Soil/Fill Structure (height > 3m)	£1,273.21
Structural Earthworks - Reinforced/Strengthened Soil/Fill Structure (height ≤ 3m)	£1,702.45
Underpass: Vehicular	£12,791.80
Underpass (or Subway): Pedestrian	£6,898.57
Subway: Pipe	£7,106.73
Tunnel (bored)	£31,980.31
Tunnel (cut and cover)	£21,320.20

Inspections - Removing elements from a form

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:19:02 GMT

The elements available on an inspection form are based on the elements applied to the structure. You can remove elements to a structure's element hierarchy and then update your inspection form. Make sure to review the Archive Date of the elements during this process.

If you are looking for instructions for adding missing elements instead, please follow this link:
Inspections - Adding missing elements to a form

To remove elements from an inspection form first, click on Elements on the Structure Menu.

Click the Edit an existing compliant inventory option on the Modify Inventory section of the page.

To remove an element, left click on the element in the hierarchy. Click Archive in the Element Details panel on the right.

Be sure to pick an accurate date for the archive date, as this will affect whether the element appears on the inspection form. Elements archived prior to the inspection date will not show on the inspection forms.

With the elements removed on the element hierarchy its time to go back to the inspection form, click Inspections on the Structure Menu,

locate the inspection you were working on and open it by clicking View.

Now click the Update Element list button just above the Element Conditions grid.

The element conditions grid will update and the elements will be removed from the form.

Asset Valuation - Replacement Unit Rates 2024/25

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:56:57 GMT

Financial Year: 2024/25

Version: 1.09

Released: 8 April 2025

Sourced: Structures Asset Valuation and Investment Tool (SAVI)

Comments:

Structure Type	Unit Cost m/m²
Bridge: Vehicular (single span)	£10,301.82
Bridge: Vehicular (2 or 3 spans)	£7,388.35
Bridge: Vehicular (4 or more spans)	£5,271.83
Bridge: Pedestrian/Cycle (single span)	£6,274.90
Bridge: Pedestrian/Cycle (multi-span)	£3,765.59
Cantilever Road Sign	£142,959.40
Chamber/Cellar/Vault	£7,148.13
Culvert (single cell)	£7,367.25
Culvert (multi-cell)	£3,684.44
High Mast Lighting	£42,887.17
Retaining Wall (height > 3m)	£3,497.78
Retaining Wall (height ≤ 3m)	£2,622.93
Sign/Signal Gantry [cantilever]	£14,294.64
Sign/Signal Gantry [spanning]	£14,294.64
Structural Earthworks - Reinforced/Strengthened Soil/Fill Structure (height > 3m)	£1,280.63
Structural Earthworks - Reinforced/Strengthened Soil/Fill Structure (height ≤ 3m)	£1,712.37
Underpass: Vehicular	£12,866.31
Underpass (or Subway): Pedestrian	£6,938.75
Subway: Pipe	£7,148.13
Tunnel (bored)	£32,166.60
Tunnel (cut and cover)	£21,444.40

BridgeStation Mobile Inspections - Mobile Device Management

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:43:12 GMT

User Administrators will also be able to manage the devices that have access to BridgeStation Mobile for your organisation.

Click on your Username top-right and select Mobile Device Management.

From here you will be able to review the user's devices connected to BridgeStation. You will review registration details and date of last access.

You will also be able to Deactivate Devices when the user no longer requires mobile access.

To deactivate, click the Deactivate link next to the user/device you would like to remove access for:

Custom Element Specific Intervention Rules

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:03:50 GMT

Generic maintenance strategy (ie Planned Preventative) applies maintenance rules according to the material type and the exposure of an element. These strategies can be further customised with Element-specific intervention trigger rules. For example, users may prefer to fix expansion joints at a specific condition due to safety regulations or would like to maintain finishes at "3C" to prevent deterioration of protected elements. The "Custom intervention rules" feature helps with such scenarios.

Below are the steps to add a new custom element-specific intervention rule.

1) First click on the "view/manage" link as shown in the image below.

2) On the popup window, click the "New" link button, as shown in the image below.

3) Select the element to specify the intervention trigger and click on the update as shown in the image below.

4) The new rules will be added to the scenario.

Element Priority Based Custom Intervention Rules

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:21:20 GMT

While creating a life cycle planning scenario, the user chooses a maintenance strategy to apply condition-triggered maintenance. For example, users may select a "Planned Preventative" maintenance strategy for applying maintenance at the early stages of the deterioration profile (ie 3C, or 2E). However, these strategies do not take element priority/importance into account. Users may want to use the element importance factor to influence the maintenance trigger. It is also preferable to group low-priority maintenance with higher-priority/importance maintenance.

"Element priority-based intervention rules" help with the above scenario. To start with, three default options are available to select. These options are created with the help of engineers and may cover most of the scenarios.

For example, if a preventative option is chosen, then Very high, high and med priority/importance elements are fixed (ie maintenance is applied) when they deteriorate to 3C, while low priority/importance elements are not fixed until they deteriorate to 4B. Also, if the targetted option is chosen, low-priority elements are only fixed together with high-priority elements.

A detailed version of the above options is described below.

Although default options are useful, users most likely would like to create a new option as per local needs. The below steps outline the process of creating custom/user-defined rules.

Click the "pencil" icon next to the Element Priority option drop-down list.
A popup window will open with a list of intervention options.
Click on the "new" button as highlighted in the above image. Specify the "title" and "notes" for the new rules set and click "update".
.A new row will be added with a custom title, now click on the">" icon in the first column of the new row to expand the grid. This will show a table to define the condition trigger threshold for each element's importance values.
Click the edit button next to each row to specific condition trigger values.
When complete, close the popup by clicking on the "X" icon on the top right corner of the header.
This will refresh the Element Priority Intervention Rules drop-down list.
The newly added rules set will now appear in the drop-down list for selection.

Asset Valuation - Replacement Unit Rates 2023/24

Mon, 13 May 2024 11:26:35 GMT

Financial Year: 2023/24

Version: 1.08

Sourced: Structures Asset Valuation and Investment Tool (SAVI)

Comments:

Structure Type	Unit Cost m/m²
Bridge: Vehicular (single span)	£ 10,122.83
Bridge: Vehicular (2 or 3 spans)	£ 7,259.98
Bridge: Vehicular (4 or more spans)	£5,180.24
Bridge: Pedestrian/Cycle (single span)	£6,165.88
Bridge: Pedestrian/Cycle (multi-span)	£3,700.17
Cantilever Road Sign	£140,475.60
Chamber/Cellar/Vault	£7,023.94
Culvert (single cell)	£7,239.25
Culvert (multi-cell)	£3,620.42
High Mast Lighting	£42,142.04
Retaining Wall (height > 3m)	£3,437.01
Retaining Wall (height ≤ 3m)	£2,577.36
Sign/Signal Gantry [cantilever]	£14,046.28
Sign/Signal Gantry [spanning]	£14,046.28
Structural Earthworks - Reinforced/Strengthened Soil/Fill Structure (height > 3m)	£1,258.38
Structural Earthworks - Reinforced/Strengthened Soil/Fill Structure (height ≤ 3m)	£1,682.62
Underpass: Vehicular	£12,642.77
Underpass (or Subway): Pedestrian	£6,818.20
Subway: Pipe	£7,023.94
Tunnel (bored)	£31,607.73
Tunnel (cut and cover)	£21,071.82

Inspections - Works Category (Transport for London)

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 10:41:02 GMT

Category Code	Category	Description
CS	Capital Scheme	Capital Scheme entails programmed improvement, alteration or renewal of an element, e.g. parapet upgrading, bearing replacement, bridge deck expansion joint renewal, maintenance
CR	Capital Repairs	Minor Capital Interventions (MCI) (Historically Capital Repairs - CR) entailing programmed localised repair/renewal of an element e.g. localised concrete repairs, re-tiling part of a subway, localised maintenance painting. Scheme Activity: Schedule of Rates
CM	Cyclic (Routine) Maintenance	Cyclic (Routine) Maintenance where works are undertaken on a cyclical basis, often annually. Works are typically covered by Lump Sums under the LoHAC and include removal of vegetation, cleaning of bearing shelves, pump maintenance, cleaning of expansion joints, drainage clearance, graffiti removal (if racist or abusive), etc. Cyclic (Routine) Activity: Lump Sum
PR	Planned Revenue	OM6 ( Historically Planned Revenue) namely minor maintenance works that are neither Capital nor Cyclic (Routine)Maintenance, e.g. renewal of joint sealant, repairs to access doors/ladders, sealing of cracks in carriageways and footways, graffiti, replacing missing floor/wall tiles, minor repairs to pigeon deterrent measures, etc., or safety defects.
RR	Reactive Revenue	Emergency Call Out (ECO) (Historically Reactive Revenue) namely works that require immediate Action to make safe e.g. Emergency repairs to failed elements such as expansion joints, drainage covers, etc., or safety defects. Reactive Activity: Lump Sum (<£1400), Schedule of Rates (≥£1400)
TP	Third Party	Third Party i.e. reactive repairs to, or renewal of, elements damaged by Third Parties.
SI	Special Inspection	Special Inspection, i.e. defect requiring further inspection or investigation to determine extent and cause. Scheme Activity: Schedule of Rates. Note: Where a Special Inspection (SI) is recommended, the cost column should reflect the estimated costs of the SI and any likely subsequent remedial work. The estimated cost of the SI alone should be stated in the comments column, with explanatory comments.

Hidden Critical Element

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 12:25:19 GMT

In structures, a hidden component/element is one that would not usually be visually inspected as part of a principal inspection. A hidden component is not identified from normal principal inspection techniques such as:

visual inspection from a touching distance
using access techniques such as mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), roped access etc
hammer tapping

Elements are hidden if they are inaccessible for inspection without excavation or removal or material or other structural components.

Critical elements as per CS 451 Structural review and assessment of highway structures, are those elements whose failure would result in significant local collapse or global collapse of the structure.

Is Element Hidden? Attribute

To specify if an element is hidden, use the "Is element hidden?" attribute in element details. If set to "yes", in the element hierarchy, the suffix "hidden" is added to the element name.

The structure summary page will highlight if one or more hidden critical element exists.

This element attribute is available in the following primary/critical elements: