01114237

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/160401.aspx

The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database is an extensive source of information on highway bridges in the United States. Among more than 100 NBI elements—deck, superstructure, substructure, and culverts—condition ratings are of special interest for bridge engineers and managers. The data for these condition ratings come from biannual bridge inspections in the field. As a part of their bridge management programs, many states have been collecting element-level condition data (mostly Pontis inspections) for more than 15 years. Element-level data provide more detailed condition data on sub-elements of the aforementioned general NBI element categories. Due to having such detailed condition data at hand, there has been an interest in developing algorithms that have the capability of estimating the NBI condition ratings from the Pontis element inspection data. If a sound estimation tool could be developed, the biannual NBI inspections done for these condition ratings would be deemed unnecessary. The NBI Translator is one of the algorithms that have been developed to achieve that goal and also works as a built in module within Pontis. Recently, there has been some concern on the degree of accuracy of this algorithm by users of both Pontis and the translator. This paper presents a literature review on bridge management systems and bridge inspections in the United States. In addition, background on NBI Translator algorithm and discussions on the efficiency of the tool are provided. A comparison study between the generated and actual values of the NBI ratings for the bridges in Iowa is also included. The paper concludes with a discussion on how to improve the algorithm and use the translated results in a simplified network-level tool for bridge management decision making.

01114213

IBSMC08-016

English

pp 324-335

2008-10

Transportation Research Circular

Tenth International Conference on Bridge and Structure Management

Web

Figures (4) ; References (19) ; Tables (3)

Algorithms; Bridge management systems; Condition surveys; Data collection; Decision making; Inspection; Literature reviews

National Bridge Inventory; Pontis (Computer program)

Iowa; United States

Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls

TRIS, TRB

Oct 31 2008 1:15PM

• A Bridge Management System for the Western Cape Provincial Government, South Africa: Implementation and Utilization
• Bridge Information Modeling for the Life Cycle: Progress and Challenges
• Bridging Data Voids: Advanced Statistical Methods for Bridge Management in KUBA
• Condition Assessment, Rehabilitation Planning, and Stay Cable Replacement Design for the Hale Boggs Bridge in Luling, Louisiana
• Corrosion Evaluation of Post-Tensioned Tendons in a Box Girder Bridge
• Design and Implementation of a New Bridge Management System for the Quebec Ministry of Transport
• Deterioration Rates of Typical Bridge Elements in New York
• In-Situ Repair of Steel Bridges Using Advanced Composite Materials
• Innovative Bridge Weigh-in-Motion System for Bridge Maintenance: A Case Study with Bridge on Highway I-59
• Integrated Management and Inspection System for Maryland Counties and Cities
• KUBA 4.0: The Swiss Road Structure Management System
• Long-Term Structural Monitoring for Asset Management
• Modeling Approach of the National Bridge Investment Analysis System
• Multiattribute Prioritization Framework for Bridges, Roadside Elements, and Traffic Control Devices Maintenance
• Multihazard Applications in Bridge Management
• Multiobjective Optimization for Bridge Management Systems
• National Database System for Maintenance Actions on Highway Bridges
• Progress Report on Oregon's Efforts to Integrate Its State Transportation Improvement Program Project-Selection Process with Pontis
• Project Prioritization Using Multiobjective Utility Functions
• Supporting Local Bridge Inspections in Kansas with Web-Based Automation
• Technical Audits of Rail Infrastructure: Description of Existing Infrastructure and Evaluation of Past Performance
• The German Approach to Bridge Management: Current Status and Future Development
• Thermal Imaging for Bridge Inspection and Maintenance
• Use of Bridge Management for Agency Decisions in Planning, Programming, and Performance Tracking
• Vulnerability Assessment of Individual Infrastructure Objects Subjected to Natural Hazards