Bridge Maintenance Needs and Costs in Sweden

As far as the Swedish National Road Administration is concerned, it can be said that a bridge management system has been in existence since the 1940s when regular bridge inspection activities and associated documentation in the form of bridge registers, etc., were created in conjunction with the nationalization of the road network. In an international comparison it is evident that the Swedish bridge stock is rather well-managed and in relatively good condition. This may be ascribed to the design philosophy, the regular inspections and the systematic bridge management system applied by the Swedish National Road Administration as well as the municipal authorities.