Abstract
Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation provides toll roads extending 200 km in the Osaka-Kobe (Hanshin) area that are traveled by an average of over 900, 000 vehicles daily. Ninety-two percent of the total road length in service is elevated and 79% of it makes use of steel structures. Some of the toll roads were constructed almost thirty years ago and have started to suffer minor damage due to deterioration and poor road alignment peculiar to urban highways with much heavy-duty traffic. This paper reports on the current situation of damage to the steel structures of Hanshin Expressway based on recent inspection results. Emphasis is placed on cracks and corrosion among different types of damage ;trends and the degree of damage are classified.
