Bridges

Long life assets such as bridges have for many years been an easy target for 'sweating the asset' strategies of road controlling authorities. Unlike potholes and other near-surface defects, structural deterioration generally occurs out of the public view. Maintenance investment in structural defect remediation rarely attracts positive press or ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Review of road structures asset portfolios shows growing maintenance backlogs and exponentially increasing numbers of structures requiring replacement.

New demands on existing assets include increasing vehicle weights and extreme climatic events. Perennially deferred maintenance point towards a declining trend in bridge service life. Heightening public expectations of reliability and levels of service add further momentum to service life reduction. Proactive steps are needed to reverse the trend of reducing service life and increasingly unaffordable asset replacement programmes.

Drawing on recent examples, this paper covers the core principles and benefits of extending asset service lives.