effective bridge asset management for local government

Effective bridge asset management for

Local Government

Rudolph Kotze MIEAust, CPEng RPEQ

National Technical Leader, ARRB Group Ltd.

www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions

Outline

• Asset & risk management fundamentals

• Risks:

– Condition

– Loading

– Environment

– Levels of service

• Data capture and management

• Conclusions

2


Code of Hammurabi circa 1750 B.C.

3

“If a builder builds a house for a man

and does not make its construction

firm and the house collapses and

causes the death of the owner of the

house, that builder shall be put to

death…”


Background

4

de la Concorde Québec

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY

… the Commission lays most of

the blame on the Ministère des

Transports du Québec for

tolerating ambiguous

accountability, for its lack of

rigorous record keeping, and for

not developing an adequate

inspection and maintenance

programme despite knowing about

the special characteristics of the de

la Concorde overpass.


Background

5

• 5 people killed in 2007

• Warning signs in 2002 & 2004 but no works undertaken

• Poor council management systems

• Coroner blames City Council

• Failure due to rust of the invert caused erosion

‘The cause of the collapse of the embankment

above the culvert was the failure to adequately

maintain the culvert.’

Rudolph Kotze, ARRB video.avi


Asset management fundamentals

• Responsibilities of asset owners

• Knowledge of assets, condition and risks is critical

• Systematic asset management approach

• Risk management

• Inspections (level 2)

6


Asset management system

7

Life cycle activities


Structures information

8

• Inventory information

• Condition information

• Historic performance

• Understanding of risks


Risks faced by civil structures

9

• Condition

• Loading

• Environment

• Levels of service

• Design & construction standards

Risk profile


Condition risk

10


Structures information - condition

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Level 2 – condition assessment

Level 3 – detailed engineering inspection

Level 1 – routine maintenance


Condition assessment-level 2

12


Loading risks

13


Load rating

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• Identification of key routes, including affected assets.

• Confirmation of specific vehicle rating load to be used.

• Sourcing of as-built drawings and data.

• Undertaking structural assessment.

• Preparation of route/access maps.


Load rating

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• Comparison with other similar bridge types.

• Review of research undertaken by state jurisdictions.

• Evaluation of historical permitted loads as benchmark.

• Instrumentation and proof loading of structures.


Environmental risks

16


Seismic risks

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Flood and scour risks

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• Inadequate hydraulic design- bridge length.

• Inappropriate design criteria for protection.

• Insufficient depth of piles in river channels.

• In-built scour risks due to location - bends.


Scour risk assessment

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www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions 20

Environmental risks


Levels of service

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• Bridge barrier compliance

– Accident history

– Existing bridge structural capacity

– Traffic volumes and vehicles

– Benefit-cost analysis


Levels of service

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• Bridge over height strikes

– Route importance

– Commercial vehicles

– Clearances

– Type of bridge construction

– Strike history

– Signage and alternative routes


Asset management systems

23


Structures information - data capture/retention

25

• Capture data in Structures Management System

• Important tool - needs to be fit-for-purpose

• Essential inventory and condition data

• Known risks

• Quality rather than quantity

• Discreet vs. network view


Basic structures inventory

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Condition assessment – level 2 inspections

27


Ability to generate maintenance schedules

28


Qualitative risk assessment

29


Risk-based maintenance prioritisation

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Valuation and remaining service life

31


Tender specifications for L2 inspections

• General information

• Inspector experience and qualification

• Access requirements

• Safety and environmental

• Traffic management

• Timber bridges:

– ‘To drill or not to drill’

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General

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• Information for pre-inspection desktop study

– Locality plans and as-built drawings

– Structural data, heights above ground, access requirements

• Specific deliverables

– Inspection and final contract report formats

– Maintenance schedules

– Load rating of structures – specify rating loads

– Safety and Traffic Management Plans

– Photographic and electronic data formats


Inspector experience

• Specify requirements for inspection staff

– Relevant experience and track record

– Engineering qualifications

– Industry accreditation and training

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UK (Woking) inspection trial

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Access for data collection

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Access requirements

• Access requirements for visual inspection

• Vegetation clearance

• Underbridge Inspection Unit option

• Two-stage process

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www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions 38

Conclusions

• Knowledge of assets and risks is critical

• Systematic approach to asset & risk management

• Asset risk profile is required

• Network level risk profile is needed

• Rational risk-based prioritisation of critical work

• KISS principle

effective bridge asset management for local government

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