Abstract
Maintenance of existing bridges is increasingly gaining importance. One of the biggest problems faced in efficient and optimal maintenance is establishing bridge management systems in local governments. This report analyzes the factors that allowed local governments' bridge management systems and organizational frameworks to get involved in such serious circumstances and also specifies the issues to be tackled in maintaining existing bridges through advising the bridge management committees of local governments. In comparison, the efficient and optimal bridge management system established in Hyogo Prefecture is examined in an effort to understand the factors underlying its success. After our discussion of what we learned from our experience, this paper extracts lessons that may produce useful knowledge for both reestablishing bridge management systems in local governments and promoting the integrated maintenance policy of bridges.
