The Bridge Preservation and Maintenance (BPAM) Roadmap

Draft March 28, 2007 version

1. Introduction. This Bridge Preservation and Maintenance roadmap is a comprehensive and strategic plan for highway bridge preservation and maintenance opportunities that exist to preserve our nation's highway bridge transportation assets.
2. Background. Currently the FHWA maintains the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) that contains information on the condition of more than 590,000 bridges and culverts located on public roads within the United States. In 2006, according to the NBI¹, there were approximately 154,000 structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges representing some 26% of the inventory. This represents some 88,849,630 square meters in deficient bridge deck area. In the coming years this number is likely to increase due to a number of factors including: (a) increasing traffic demand, (b) continued bridge aging and deterioration, and (c) limited funds for rehabilitation and maintenance. This being the case there is a need to a) maximize the benefits of systematic preventive maintenance, b) assess the effectiveness of current maintenance and improvement strategies, and c) examine preservation procedures that lead to improved operational performance of highway bridges.
3. Establish National BPAM Website. The BPAM roadmap supports the concept of a national BPAM website. This website would be established and maintained at the transportation system preservation technical services program² (TSPTSP). The website would contain a library, tool box, and would provide on-line support for State DOTs queries related to bridge preservation and maintenance questions that are asked from the field via a bulletin board system³. It would contain a library and be constantly updated with a listing of frequently asked questions or FAQs. The website would also provide links to other websites and contain standard operating procedures (SOPs), manuals and guidance documents related to bridge preservation and maintenance. The website would maintain a list serve library and provide information regarding up to date bridge preservation and maintenance information to users and practitioners.
4. Identify ideal BPAM Model. The BPAM roadmap would identify over time the ideal BPAM Model. This model develops the community of practice for bridge preservation and maintenance. It would build and obtain support for BPAM by upper management by demonstrating the need for preserving the highway bridge transportation infrastructure and the need for core staff to manage it. The model would build support for full time employees dedicated to the practice of bridge preservation.
5. Identify BPAM Best Practices. The BPAM roadmap would identify and capture best practices and place them within the library on the BPAM website. The roadmap would identify where training is needed either through the FHWA NHI, academia or industry. It would seek to promote professional development activities and promote development of core curriculum at the university level in the bridge preservation and maintenance field.
6. BPAM Succession Planning. The BPAM roadmap identifies the need for succession planning. There is a need to plan for bridge preservation practitioner as well as general workforce attrition. As these people retire, change jobs etc, there needs to be a plan in place whereby these positions can be refilled with a competent trained staff with the tools in place to support that transition such as SOPs, guidance documents and manuals delineating the duties of a bridge preservation and maintenance practitioner.
7. Identify where R&D is needed. The BPAM roadmap would identify where research is needed in the bridge preservation and maintenance arena. It would seek TRB, AASHTO Subcommittee on Bridges (SCOB), and AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance (SCOM) support for any research and development activities to support the bridge preservation and maintenance community. Every 5 years it would plan, promote and develop a comprehensive National Bridge Preservation R & D roadmap.
8. Promote management systems. The BPAM roadmap seeks to support both maintenance and bridge management systems (BMS) to move beyond worst first to a systematic process of bridge preservation and bridge maintenance. Agencies need to provide systematic and planned maintenance activities to maintain and extend the life of highway bridge assets. A BMS should consider and balance all preservation and maintenance needs.
9. Establish Regional Bridge Working Groups (BWGs). The BPAM roadmap would include support for bridge preservation working groups. Modeled after the Midwest bridge working groups, the BPAM roadmap promotes formation and operation of working groups in other regions of the country: a) Northeast; b) Midwest; c) Southeast; d) Northwest and e) Southwest. These working groups would provide a forum and form a community of practitioners who address common bridge preservation and maintenance problems and develop solutions. The regional bridge working groups form the backbone for all bridge preservation activities.
10. Hold National Bridge Preservation Workshops. The BPAM roadmap supports periodic (biennial) national bridge preservation workshops where practitioners from the five bridge working groups would gather to share bridge preservation strategies and learn about what other states and practitioners are doing in the bridge preservation and maintenance arena.
11. Link to AASHTO NTPEP. The BPAM roadmap supports links to the AASHTO National Transportation Production Evaluation Program (NTPEP)⁴. NTEP would examine products and materials to be used in bridge preservation and maintenance activities.
12. Establish National BPAM Trade Association. The BPAM roadmap supports links to bridge preservation and maintenance industry. There is a need for formation of a "Foundation for Bridge Preservation" that is made up of industry representatives to provide direct support for on-going dialogue and support from the bridge preservation industry.

• 1. See http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/britab.htm for Tables of Frequently Requested National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Information.
• 2. The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has contracted the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP) to develop and administer its new Transportation System Preservation Technical Services Program effective May 15, 2006.
• 3. The bulletin board system through which participants may ask or respond to bridge preservation related questions or propose topics for research.
• 4. The basic mission of the NTPEP is to reduce duplication of effort by State DOTs and participating industry, for purposes of product prequalification. The NTPEP focuses physical testing resources, and expert knowledge to better understand and utilize proprietary, engineered products.