PROMOTING BEST VALUE THROUGH BRIDGE MANAGEMENT STUDIES

European Government Agencies have now accepted that their concrete structures for example, buildings and bridges - will be managed more cost-effectively if the condition of the structures is accurately known. For agencies with a large number of structures there is often a problem in prioritising the structures for investigation, as the only records available generally consist of visual inspection reports. However, visual inspections alone are not always sufficient. The condition of structures and the causes of any deterioration must be accurately determined by testing and monitoring, if the structures are to be managed cost-effectively and if safety and operational requirements are to be achieved. The ideology currently used by maintenance engineers has to change. The paper outlines how structures may be prioritised for condition monitoring by undertaking three-phase management studies. The first phase is a desktop study where previous inspection reports are reviewed and relevant data inputted into a rating equation that is used to prioritise structures for future investigation. The second phase consists of preliminary site inspections of selected structures, the results of which being used to check the validity of the rating equation and its amendment if considered necessary. The third phase consists of intrusive site investigations of the higher priority structures, where the causes, extent and severity of deterioration are determined. A case study is presented to demonstrate the benefits of this three-phase process.

• INTRODUCTION

• PERFORMANCE OF BRIDGES

• TIME-DEPENDANT DETERIORATION OF STRUCTURES

• BRIDGE MANAGER'S ROLE

• VALUE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

• CASE STUDY: ALKALI-SILICA REACTION IN SOUTHWEST ENGLAND

• CONCLUSIONS

• REFERENCES