Bridge management from design to maintenance

Structural deterioration and lack of functionality led to important investments in bridge rehabilitation in the last years. Budgets for keeping or rehabilitate existing bridges are always limited, and frequently only a selection of the problems detected can be dealt with by the owners. To be aware of existing in service problems and to help in rationalizing maintenance decisions, bridge management systems have been developed and implemented in several countries. This paper considers bridge management within a global methodology to be implemented by the authorities, considering also the design and the construction stages where important measures to attain durability should be implemented. For the service stage a bridge management system is presented, based on a knowledge-based system that allows standardization of inspections and assistance in maintenance/repair decisionmaking, considering safety and economical analysis.