The Economy of Preventive Maintenance of Concrete Bridges

A cost-effective bridge is a bridge whose maintenance is based on its chemical condition over it's entire service life. If deterioration mechanisms are prevented, a bridge would cost considerably less to maintain and safely serves its full design service life, if not longer. The current practice for physical evaluation and delayed maintenance of deteriorated concrete bridges is fundamentally wrong. The current inspection manuals are primarily focused on detecting physical damage in concrete bridge elements. If no physical damage is detected, very minimal maintenance actions are taken. This is the main reason why the number of United States (US) bridges that are classified structurally deficient is on the rise. Given the need for future expansion of the US transportation network and increase in number of new bridges, there is a need for cost-effective maintenance process that prevents deterioration mechanism from starting, or at least stops it at a very early stage.

• Record URL:
  http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/preventive-maintenance-concrete-bridges

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $85316.00
• Contract Numbers:

  49997-27-25

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  University Transportation Centers Program
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University Transportation Research Center

  City College of New York
  Marshak Hall, Suite 910, 160 Convent Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10031
• Project Managers:

  Eickemeyer, Penny

• Performing Organizations:

  Syracuse University

  Institution of Transportation and Traffic Engineering
  Syracuse, NY  United States  13244-2130
• Principal Investigators:

  Aboutaha, Riyad

• Start Date: 20140301
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20151031
• Source Data: RiP Project 36162

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete bridges; Cost effectiveness; Deterioration; Preventive maintenance; Service life; Structural health monitoring
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Economics; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01569598
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University Transportation Research Center
• Contract Numbers: 49997-27-25
• Files: UTC, RiP
• Created Date: Jul 17 2015 1:00AM