Evaluation, repair and rehabilitation of bridges are increasingly
important topics in the effort to deal with the deteriorating
infrastructure. For example, in the United States about 40 percent of
the nation's 570,000 bridges are classified, according to the Federal
Highway Administra- tion's (FHW A) criteria, as deficient and in need of
rehabilitation and replacement. In other countries the situation is
similar. FHW A estimates the cost of a bridge replacement and reha-
bilitation program at 50 billion dollars. The major factors that have
contributed to the present situation are: the age, inadequate
maintenance, increasing load spectra and environmental contamination.
The deficient bridges are posted, repaired or replaced. The disposition
of bridges involves clear economical and safety implications. To avoid
high costs of replacement or repair, the evaluation must accurately
reveal the present load carrying capacity of the struc- ture and predict
loads and any further changes in the capacity (deterioration) in the
applicable time span. Accuracy of bridge evaluation can be improved by
using the recent developments in bridge diagnostics, structural tests,
material tests, structural analysis and probabilistic methods. There is
a need for an international exchange of advanced experience to increase
the research effi- ciency. The Workshop is organized on the premise that
the exchange of existing American and European experience in the area of
bridge evaluation, repair and rehabilitation is beneficial for both
parties involved.
