A study on the current status and issues of bridge inspection results in Kumamoto Prefecture

抄録

In this study, the current status and issues of bridges managed by Kumamoto Prefecture were clarified through a comparative analysis of the damage progress by bridge type and length, based on the soundness rating results from regular periodic bridge inspections. It is revealed that approximately 25% of the bridges have unknown construction years, with these proportions reaching nearly 50% for Box Culverts. Except for Prestressed Concrete bridges, the average bridge age exceeds 40 years and approximately half of Reinforced Concrete bridges, are over 50 years. It was also found that the number of bridges with lengths of 15 m or more has been increasing annually, with about half of them being Box Culverts. Furthermore, the ratings of the bridge soundness based on the periodic inspections are influenced by both initial defects since construction and damage progressed over year and issues related to the current regular inspection system were discussed.