Estimation of load carrying capacity of bridges based on damage and deficiency

Based on the answers from 18 road authorities in 16 countries this report examines the extent to which an estimation of the load bearing capacity of road bridges is made based on damage and deficiency. The report firstly examines the Codes/Directives/Manuals used for the estimation of the load carrying capacity of road bridges and what triggers the inspection procedures that lead to the estimation of the load carrying capacity. It then deals with the practice of road bridges inspections in different [...]

The importance of road maintenance

Road infrastructure provides a fundamental foundation to the performance of all national economies, delivering a wide range of economic and social benefits. Adequately maintaining road infrastructure is essential to preserve and enhance those benefits. The importance of maintenance needs to be recognised by decision makers, funded appropriately and well managed to ensure maximum value is achieved. Inadequate levels of investment or poor management of the road network will have serious consequences [...]

Maintenance methods and strategies

This report presents the results of the answers from 16 countries to a survey regarding improved maintenance methods for flexible and semi-rigid pavements and the maintenance strategies. Regarding improved maintenance methods, the variations in the answers were found to be large. It also became clear that the knowledge about the long-term performance of different maintenance methods varies. It is not always clear whether the durability is an "expected" durability or an "achieved" durability. Some [...]

Prioritisation of bridge rehabilitation works

The challenge in bridge management is to ensure that all bridges in a road network remain fit for their intended purpose over their design life and beyond at minimum life cycle cost. The bridge rehabilitation prioritisation process is part of the entire road infrastructure management task and bridge asset managers must seek a balance between the proposed performance targets and reasonable funding needs. This exercise must be conducted in the context of acceptable professional practice and community [...]

High level management indicators

This report proposes a methodology for the identification of management indicators useful to road authorities for an efficient management of the road infrastructures they are in charge of. The methodology consists of four steps: the identification of the stakeholders; the analysis of the expectations of each stakeholder; the prioritization of the expectations for each stakeholder; the identification of " high level management indicators " (HLMI) which allowquantifying the performance [...]