Bridges

Adelaide Hills Council, like many Local Governments (LGs), is confronted with the task of managing a large network of road structures which continue to age and deteriorate, while at the same time the requirements of users continue to grow with increasing traffic volumes and demand for larger and heavier vehicles to operate on the road. This challenge is compounded as LGs typically manage these large networks with limited funding, which can bring about significant maintenance backlogs and mean it is not viable to maintain every asset in perfect working order. Despite this, LGs still need to show a duty of care to all users of their infrastructure, ensuring the function of the asset is maintained, and operated within the defined function. To achieve this LGs must extract maximum value from an asset at a reasonable cost to the community over the asset's life.

Currently, it is common that LGs mainly rely on data collected from Level 2 visual inspections to make their decision on forward works programming and renewal prioritisation. As the level of maturity in the asset management journey varies significantly among the LG asset owners, how the Level 2 inspection data is used may also vary significantly among them.

In July 2020, Adelaide Hills Council (AHC) engaged ARRB to conduct a visual condition assessment (Level 2 inspection) of its 47 road structures. The purpose of this assessment was to gain detailed knowledge of the current condition of the structures and provide input into AHC's asset management planning. This paper provides some insights into how AHC has used the Level 2 inspection data collected in their asset management decision making process, including:

• responding to critical defects,
• undertaking immediate maintenance tasks required to minimise risk to users,
• developing a maintenance program, and
• carrying out asset valuation.