Abstract:
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the nation's sixth largest mass transit system and the oldest continuously operating light rail system in the country, has recently customized a version of Pontis--the most widely used program for bridge management for use with transit structures. This implementation addresses the specific needs of MBTA for managing the maintenance and reconstruction of highway, rail, and pedestrian bridges. Key customization activities include extension of the MBTA database to include information specific to rail bridges; new structure lists to facilitate views of the bridge network by line and bridge type; development of an inspection applet that allows MBTA to continue use of its existing inspection forms--the applet supports several different inspection types for highway, rail, and pedestrian bridges, including routine, fracture critical, and underwater inspections; and development of an applet to store information about utilities on each bridge. The MBTA experience provides an example of how Pontis customization can provide a quick and cost-effective bridge management solution for transit properties.
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