- March 5, 2026
- Breakthru
- Comments : 0
From Endurance Rides to Infrastructure Innovation
There’s a moment during ultra-endurance, multi-day bike rides when comfort is far behind you.
Home is in the distance. The road ahead stretches for hundreds of kilometres. And there’s no easy way out.
For Ethan MacLeod, founder of Infralytix, that moment is familiar.
“One of my favourite sayings during those rides is ‘the only way out is through.’ It’s about staying calm when things get tough and trusting that steady progress adds up,” he explains.
That mindset has carried into building his startup.
Launching Infralytix, a company developing technology that turns bridges into truck-load sensors, has required that same endurance.
“Once the tether is cut, you commit and ride it out,” Ethan says.
A Real Problem on a Real Bridge
The idea behind Infralytix began with a practical challenge.
Eight years ago, Ethan was working as a summer student with the New Brunswick Department of Transportation & Infrastructure when he was asked to help identify heavy trucks using a small rural bridge as a shortcut.
The experience revealed a much larger issue.
Public infrastructure teams are responsible for maintaining thousands of aging bridges while truck traffic continues to grow heavier. Yet many bridge owners have very little real data about the loads crossing those structures.
“The tools that measure truck loads are expensive and disruptive to install,” Ethan explains. “So most decisions end up being based on limited studies and conservative assumptions.”
That realization stuck with him. It eventually shaped the focus of his PhD research, which was developing new ways to measure truck loads directly from bridges.
“In all that time the obsession hasn’t changed,” he says. “Give owners continuous truck-load insight without disrupting traffic.”
For years, the work remained academic.
That changed when Ethan began presenting his research at infrastructure conferences and speaking with bridge owners and transportation agencies.
Instead of just technical questions, the reaction was surprisingly practical.
“People were excited about the possibility of finally seeing real truck-load data on their bridges,” he says.
At that point, Ethan had strong research results but nothing you could buy.
“That’s when it stopped feeling like a research project and started feeling like a company that needed to exist.”
Building a Better Way to Measure Infrastructure
Traditional truck weighing systems require cutting into pavement and installing costly equipment, often forcing lane closures.
Infralytix takes a different approach.
The company turns existing bridges into truck-load sensors, giving infrastructure owners accurate insight into the loads moving across their networks, without pavement cuts or traffic disruptions.
For Ethan, building Infralytix in New Brunswick has been an advantage.
The province offers real infrastructure challenges, accessible partners, and an environment where new ideas can move from research to real-world implementation.
But the biggest reason is personal.
“Most importantly, this is home,” he shares. “I’m building here because I care about making it better.”
And much like those endurance rides, the journey of building a company is about persistence. Sometimes, the only path forward is simple…keep moving.
Infralytix is one of five startups selected to compete at breakthru Live, where founders will pitch their companies for the opportunity to secure up to $200,000 in investment from NBIF.
The live finale takes place on Thursday, March 19 at Fredericton Trade & Convention Centre, bringing together founders, investors, and members of the startup community to celebrate the next generation of New Brunswick companies.
