LARGE BRIDGES – A MAJOR CHALLENGE TO EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE BRIDGE MANAGEMENT

Many countries around the world are currently facing increasing demands on their resources for the maintenance of existing 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 which serve as a basis for prioritization of repair works and calculation of associated costs. 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. Several case studies are discussed in the paper to support this statement: (1) expressway bridges connecting the islands of Honshu and Shikoku in Japan, (2) four largest bridges across the East River in New York City, (3) bridges of the Great Belt Link in Denmark, and (4) large concrete arch bridges at the Croatian Adriatic coastline. This study clearly indicates the need for large bridges to be treated differently than the rest of the bridge stock. These bridges are often complex structures which include out-of-ordinary structural solutions. Thus, technically feasibility of the repair, and not the cost itself, is generally the governing issue in management decisions. It is impossible to decide on repair methodology by simply following standard repair procedures. Major bridges are generally regarded as “ irreplaceable” so the management of such bridges should incline towards developing efficient and effective preventive maintenance program, and not so much towards minimum cost. Additionally, inspections of major bridges are more exhausting and require well-experienced personnel to identify the damage and determine its cause and consequences. Bridge management system modules should consequently be adapted to enable the collection of a broader set of data. This is especially important if structural health monitoring systems are installed on a structure.