Institute for Transportation

About the research

The management of the aging bridge population in the United States is a multi-billion dollar public liability.

National focus in the areas of bridge preservation has been geared toward condition extension methods. These conditioned focused efforts are important, but if bridges are found to be replaced for reasons other than condition, then bridge managers should focus additional research, practice, and policy on addressing these issues. Research that clearly identifies what drivers we are trying to preserve for holds the potential to extend the service lives of bridges and save billions of taxpayer dollars.

The initial research activity will mine many years of National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data to characterize various attributes of bridges in their last year of NBI reporting prior to being decommissioned.

See the research needs statement at the Transportation Research Board’s website for additional information.