Bridge strengthening: a Western Australia perspective

Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, with 175,443 kilometres of road and over 2,800 bridge structures. Main Roads Western Australia is responsible for the operation and management of bridges on the national highway, highways and main roads, and assists local government with the management of bridges on the local road network. To maintain the road network at a level of capacity required to meet modern transport requirements, many existing bridge structures have been strengthened to improve their load carrying capacity and improve levels of service. This paper provides an overview of bridge asset management activities in WA, and presents case studies on several bridges that have been strengthened using innovative techniques.