Bridge Measurement Systems for Transportation Agency Decision Making

The objective of this synthesis study has been to gather information on current practices that agency chief executive officers and senior managers use to make network-level investment and resource allocation decisions for their bridge programs, and to understand how they apply their agencys bridge management capabilities to support these decisions. The following areas of planning, programming, and performance-based decision making have been addressed: Condition and performance measures that are used to define policy goals and performance targets for the bridge program Methods of establishing funding levels and identifying bridge needs Methods and organizational responsibilities for resource allocation between the bridge program versus competing needs in other programs (pavement, safety, etc.) Methods of allocation among districts and selection and prioritization of projects The role of automated bridge management systems (BMS) in planning, programming, resource allocation, and budgeting Use of economic methods in bridge management Methods to promote accountability and communication of the status of the bridge inventory and the bridge program. The study has also considered recent trends and events that could influence future bridge program management. Several state departments of transportation (DOTs) that were interviewed for this study described ongoing, leading-edge enhancements of their bridge management processes and systems that provide examples for other agencies to apply in the future. The increasing application of asset management principles among state DOTs is another such influence, encompassing bridges, pavements, and a growing set of other transportation assets. Several actions following the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis in August 2007 also promise to reshape bridge management practices in the future, with increasing emphasis on program performance, federal oversight and accountability, inspection qualifications and procedures, use of innovative inspection technology, and research needs to improve BMSs, procedures, and technology.