A SURVEY ON CURRENT BRIDGE MANAGEMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND EFFECTS OF MAINTENANCE ON BRIDGE CONDITION

Abstract

  Maintenance of existing infrastructure is increasingly important and the concern with a comprehensive strategy on bridge management has been growing. One of the biggest problems toward efficient and optimal maintenance is to quantitatively clarify the effect of repair, reinforce and rehabilitation investments. To do this, the fundamental data such as inventory and inspection data, are essential. This paper investigates the current bridge management on local governments by conducting surveys using questionnaire forms and interviews. Major findings are 1) the practical stock management system is in the early stage of developing. 2) many local governments have begun to develop their database and some of them do not have manuals or guidelines for inspection. Through the surveys, this paper revealed a relationship between the investment for maintenance, including repairment, reinforcement and renewal works, and the performance of the existing bridges. The effects of maintenance work on bridge conditions are quantitatively verified. The results lead to a better understanding about the need for local governments to invest on their bridge management activities.