Bridge maintenance level assessment

Abstract

Parameters in assessing the effectiveness of maintenance tasks on the overall cost of a bridge or system of bridges are identified and the linkage among maintenance, condition rating, and cost is made by subdividing the subjective process into smaller parts. Experience with New York City bridges is used to develop a life expectancy model once the maintenance and repair protocol is specified. Results for several sample maintenance allocations are given to show how a rapid spreadsheet calculation can provide a basis for comparing maintenance alternatives and to point in the direction of an optimized allocation of limited budgets.