Bridge management for the 21st century
01 Jan 2000-Transportation Research Record (Transportation Research Board of the National Academies)-Vol. 1696, Iss: 1696, pp 197-203
TL;DR: The bridge health index (HI) as discussed by the authors is an improved and more comprehensive numerical rating system that uses the element inspection data to determine the remaining asset value of a bridge or network of bridges.
Abstract: Bridge management has been a subject of intense interest and development for the past 10 years. In support of improved bridge management, FHWA funded the development of the Pontis bridge computer program, which is now in use by approximately 40 of the 50 states. In addition, many new guide specifications have been produced to assist bridge managers in their efforts to better manage the nation's aging bridge inventory. The AASHTO Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures has taken the lead along with FHWA in implementing the improved bridge management systems. California and a few other states have been critical of the current ranking system for bridge maintenance and have been working to develop an improved performance measure. The bridge health index (HI), an improved and more comprehensive numerical rating system that uses the element inspection data to determine the remaining asset value of a bridge or network of bridges, is discussed. The HI is more consistent with the element-level evaluation data colle...
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TL;DR: A bridge deck corrosiveness index (BDCI), is developed to have an idea where a bridge deck is during its continuous service life and to suggest corresponding maintenance activity, based on fuzzy set theory.
Abstract: Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a rapid technology for evaluating condition of concrete bridge decks subject to rebar corrosion. In this paper, based on a threshold model recently proposed in the literature, a bridge deck corrosiveness index (BDCI), is developed to have an idea where a bridge deck is during its continuous service life and to suggest corresponding maintenance activity. Based on fuzzy set theory, expert opinions were used to calibrate fuzzy membership function for each condition category found by GPR. Then, for a particular bridge deck, area percentages of all condition categories would be utilized to aggregate these functions into a BDCI using weighted fuzzy union (WFU) operation. The benefit of the developed system is twofold. First, it is based on GPR, a more accurate inspection technology. Second, it employs the knowledge provided by bridge community, and, in the meantime, has the capability to deal with fuzzy information associated with expert responses. Using an automated so...
14 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, a probabilistic bridge condition assessment method is developed, which is consistent with the current practice in bridge inspection and the Markovian approach to model deterioration, and a decision making technique to select a recommended work program that maximizes benefits to the network and to the users is developed.
Abstract: Managing the existing bridge infrastructure has become a major social and economic concern in North America. This is due to the critical conditions of the deteriorated bridges and the limited funds available to repair their deficiencies. Most transportation agencies make bridge investment decisions based on a combination of some form of quantitative data analysis and the subjective judgments of decision and policy makers. The subjective nature of the decision making process easily raises questions about whether the investment decisions are being developed in a fair, equitable and systematic manner. This dissertation presents a decision support methodology developed for the rehabilitation management of concrete bridges in general, and for bridge decks in particular. A probabilistic bridge condition assessment method is developed. This method is consistent with the current practice in bridge inspection and the Markovian approach to model deterioration. A means to rank bridge projects is presented, which makes use of a hierarchy structure to represent the problem and rank the different bridge projects using the Multi Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT). A method to evaluate the available rehabilitation strategies is discussed. This method uses a modified Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Monte Carlo simulation technique to evaluate the weights for the different rehabilitation strategies available for each project. A decision making technique to select a recommended work program that maximizes benefits to the network and to the users is developed. The developed methodology has the potential to be extended to other bridge components and to be the foundation for a comprehensive bridge management system. The significant features of this methodology can be summarized as follows: (1) It is consistent with the current practice in bridge management condition assessment and deterioration modeling. (2) It employs a multiple-criteria decision making process; (3) it has the flexibility to allow engineers to utilize their experience and judgment in the decision making process; and (4) It combines the network and the project levels of the bridge management process and performs effectively within a limited budget.
13 citations
Cites background or methods from "Bridge management for the 21st cent..."
...A health index (HI) concept was developed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and is discussed in Roberts and Shepard (2000). Inspired by the HI concept, a network health index is developed in this research to quantify the improvement attained from implementing a recommended work program....
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...2 Health Index As discussed in Chapter 4, the HI is a performance measure for bridges which has been developed for the California Department of Transportation (Roberts and Shepard 2000)....
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03 Aug 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an overview of fleet health monitoring concept, then summarize an on-going research on re- qualification of reinforced concrete T-beam bridge population in Pennsylvania.
Abstract: The importance of rational decision-making for optimum resource distribution of civil infrastructure systems management is well recognized. Bridges, serving as node points of the highway transportation system, are critical components of the nation's infrastructure. As the nation's bridge population is aging, management decisions must be based on an objective, complete, accurate and compatible information for maximum reliable bridge lifecycle. For bridges sharing common materials, similar geometric design attributes and behavior mechanisms, fleet-strategies for health monitoring would offer significant advantages. Improvements from fleet health monitoring would lead to objective engineering knowledge for optimal decision making. This paper provides an overview of fleet health monitoring concept, then summarizes an on-going research on re- qualification of reinforced concrete T-beam bridge population in Pennsylvania.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparison between the USA and China concerning the ability to implement foreign bridge management technology by analysing the regulatory practices in the bridge management process and the bridges in each country is presented.
Abstract: The bridges of the USA and China are inventoried, inspected and maintained by governmental agencies, promoting efficient national infrastructure and safety through the development of bridge management technology. This paper provides a brief comparison between the USA and China concerning the ability to implement foreign bridge management technology by analysing the regulatory practices in the bridge management process and the bridge management systems in each country. The goal is to investigate possible synergistic approaches to enhance bridge monitoring through comparing the two largest bridge inventories in the world.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model for evaluating maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation strategies (MEMRRES) in concrete bridge decks is presented, which can be used as a tool by bridge engineers within their respective DOT to select cost-effective proactive strategies from the start.
Abstract: It is very important for State Departments of Transportation (DOT) to establish strategies with regard to maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation (MR&R) of bridges. With the availability of Bridge Management Systems (BMS) such as PONTIS and BRIDGIT, owners are beginning to emphasize cost-effective proactive strategies from the start, when the bridge is new. Therefore, a model is required for the development of optimal MR&R action scenarios suitable to each DOT for effective management of the bridges. This article introduces a Model for Evaluating Maintenance, Repair and REhabilitation Strategies (MEMRRES) in concrete bridge decks. The MEMRRES assists the decision makers in determining the optimal MR&R strategy among the feasible MR&R strategies. The MEMRRES methodology is explained through a hypothetical example and is applied for determining the optimal MR&R strategy of concrete bridge decks for 24 State DOT (DOTs). It can be used as a tool by bridge engineers within their respective DOT to select cost-e...
12 citations