Asset Management

Successful Preservation Practices For Steel Bridge Coatings

The NCHRP 20-68 program panel has approved the final Scan 15-03 report titled “Preservation Practices for Steel Bridge Coatings”.  The report investigates leading practices for corrosion mitigation through coating management and re-coating and associated management of environmentally hazardous materials.

Download NCHRP 20-68 Scan 15-03 Final Report (.pdf)


A Programmatic Approach to Long-Term Bridge Preventive Maintenance

State transportation agencies use cost-effective preventive maintenance (PM) programs to preserve existing roadway systems, slow down their deterioration, and improve their functional condition. Currently, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC’s) bridge inventory includes approximately 10,000 structures, and by 2018, most of these structures will have been in use for at least 50 years. Because there is insufficient funding available to pursue a large-scale bridge replacement program, it is critical for the Cabinet to prolong the lives of its bridges by using economical strategies. This report provides guidance that the KYTC can use to develop and implement a statewide bridge PM program. Drawing from previous Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) research studies and interviews with other state transportation agencies, the report describes eight bridge PM activities that KYTC can leverage to maintain and enhance its current portfolio of bridges. It provides technical overviews of each activity. These activities include: 1) resealing and repairing joints; 2) cleaning and sealing bearings; 3) bridge washing; 4) sealing decks; 5) spot painting; 6) patching bridge decks; 7) cleaning and painting pier caps and abutments; and 8) scour, drift, sediment, and bank stabilization. KYTC would benefit from incorporating PM activities into a holistic bridge preservation program to extend the service lives of its bridges.

Download the KTC Long-Term Bridge PM Report (.pdf)


SEBPP: Survey on the Current Use of Bridge Performance Measures (April, 2016)

The Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership (SEBPP) conducted a survey of its member agencies to determine what bridge performance measures are being used. This Final Report was prepared by the SEBPP Working Group for Bridge Performance Measures.

Download the Final Report (.docx)


Guidelines for Development of Smart Apps for Assessing, Coding, and Marking Highway Structures in Emergency Situations

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Web-Only Document 223: Guidelines for Development of Smart Apps for Assessing, Coding, and Marking Highway Structures in Emergency Situations provides guidance for developing mobile devices-based smart applications for preliminary damage assessment responders to use in emergency scenes for assessing, coding, and marking transportation structures. The primary intent of this manual is to facilitate communication between structural engineers, responders, inspectors, and the IT professionals who will develop and manage the application and associated data. The report includes guidelines for developing interfaces, basic functions, and server or cloud-side services to support the smart functions.

The smart application automates the manual and paper-based assessing, coding, and marking procedures, which are described in detail in NCHRP Research Report 833: Assessing, Coding, and Marking of Highway Structures in Emergency Situations, Volume 2: Assessment Process Manual and Volume 3 Coding and Marking Guidelines.

Download NCHRP Web-Only Document 223 (.pdf)


DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIMIZED 20-YEAR PRESERVATION PLAN FOR IOWA STATE OWNED BRIDGE INVENTORY: Phase II

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT), in collaboration with IDS Inc., is undertaking a study to investigate the development of a new multi-objective optimization technique to develop long-term optimal renewal plans for Iowa’s state-owned bridge inventory. The first phase of the study investigated trade-offs between funding levels and system-wide performance and risk levels by quantifying the impact of funding levels on the network’s overall condition and risk levels and determining required funding to achieve desired condition or risk targets.

Phase II builds on results from the first phase to further extend and enhance the analysis and optimization methods to better meet the requirements of Iowa DOT and be more aligned with current planning practices and policies. Phase II has implemented several recommendations furnished by Iowa DOT engineers to address several limitations in the first phase of the project.

A report is available containing information pertaining to the second phase of the project. Readers of this Phase II Progress Report should become familiar with the contents of the project proposal and previous progress reports.

Download the Phase II Progress Report (.pdf)


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