Management of large bridges

Large repair and maintenance costs of older bridges are a pressing issue worldwide with respect to managing the existing stock of bridges. Today it is generally recognized that selecting an optimum strategy for bridge maintenance and repair is a key issue in effective bridge management. For this purpose bridge management systems are developed, based on database comprising all relevant data on bridge design and construction, performed inspections and testing, as well as identified damage. Existing bridge management systems used worldwide are generally well suited to data collection and analysis on network level. However, the project level management, particularly regarding large and significant bridges, requires bridge-specific maintenance program. This issue is in more detail discussed and demonstrated on the example of large reinforced concrete arch bridges located at the Croatian Adriatic coastline – Sibenik, Pag, Krk, Maslenica and Skradin Bridges.