U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
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Washington, DC 20590
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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
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FHWA Home > Pubs > Research > Infrastructures > Structures > Long-Term Bridge Performance Program |
Long-Term Bridge Performance Program |
The research team will conduct the work in two phases for achieving the objectives of the LTBP Program—the Developmental Phase and the Execution Phase.
A roadmap was developed to guide the LTBP Program over the life of the program. It is the basis for many of the early communication and marketing products that will be used to garner support and champions for the program. The road map is expected to evolve as the program advances beyond the pilot study.
Primary Responsibility: Parsons Brinkerhoff
The objective of this task is to identify the data elements that are most relevant to support the objectives of the LTBP Program. These would include examination of the feasibility and economics of collecting reliable and quantitative data; evaluation of the potential for practical use of this data in evaluation of bridge performance; and recommendation of data to be collected.
To meet these objectives, the research team is holding a series of focus groups across at least 12 States, and will send a survey to other States to gather information related to specific modes of deterioration for bridge decks, superstructures, substructures, and ancillary systems, as well as functional and operational aspects of bridge management. Accordingly, the contractor intends to discuss the following five areas:
Primary Responsibility: Virginia Transportation Research Council
The objective of this task is to develop an appropriate data infrastructure for storing, describing, updating, and accessing multiple data models (for primary data and associated metadata) with appropriate considerations of security. The data infrastructure will be open, extensible, and scalable to meet goals and objectives of the LTBP Program. Due consideration is given to future needs of the LTBP Program as well as new and upcoming IT Technologies. It is being designed to serve both as a robust and comprehensive repository of scientific data and for ease of use and utility to a broad array of potential users. It shall support the implementation of automated data mining tools and standard queries.
Primary Responsibility: Siemens America
The contractor is developing protocols for data sampling, data collection using inspection techniques and instrumentation, and data quality assurance to carry out these functions. Protocols will be compatible with the data infrastructure developed for the LTBP Program. These protocols are being developed and documented sufficiently so that various contractors or agencies understand and implement the process in the same way. These protocols are being designed to accommodate visual inspection, a variety of sensors and associated instrumentation, and nondestructive (NDE) and destructive test methods.
This task will be finalized once Tasks 1.2 and 1.5 are complete.
Primary Responsibility: Advitam
The contractor has developed a methodology and rationale for sampling bridges from the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database. The sample for the pilot study was identified. The sample for the LTBP Program Data Collection (Tasks 2.2 and 2.3) will be finalized during the pilot study. Culverts, tunnels, and complex (suspension, cable-stay, and movable) bridges were excluded from the sample.
The sample bridges in the pilot study will be selected based on many factors such as the information obtained from task 1.2, geographic location (climate and environmental conditions), traffic volume, bridge type, geometry, span length, maintenance practice, substructure, and age.
Primary Responsibility: Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
The contractor is preparing a draft report synthesizing past bridge monitoring and bridge autopsy activities of the State Highway Agencies (SHAs) and others from research and industry. The synthesis will include information on the benefits realized from the application of NDE and structural health monitoring (SHM) for decisionmaking and the knowledge gained from the autopsy efforts. Synthesis of the available information could reveal gaps in data and facilitate streamlining the processes and will be useful in establishment of uniform procedures and guidelines.
Primary Responsibility: Utah Transportation Center
The contractor will be developing protocols and standards for bridge monitoring and for autopsies of decommissioned bridges based on findings of Task 1.6. These protocols will be developed and documented sufficiently so that various contractors or SHAs understand and implement the process in the same way. These protocols will be designed to accommodate monitoring and autopsy approaches, a variety of sensors and associated instrumentation, and NDE and destructive test methods.
Primary Responsibility: Utah Transportation Center
The contractor will make all necessary arrangements, in a professional and timely manner, with the SHAs for accessing bridges and traffic control prior to inspection, testing, and evaluation of bridges. The contractor will maintain a log of all verbal and written communications with the appropriate agencies prior to any fieldwork.
The contractor is developing a draft pilot study plan to implement Task 2.2.2. The plan will include the technical approach to implementing the pilot study, and the choice and rationale for equipment for bridge inspection and/or monitoring methodology.
The purpose of the pilot study is to validate protocols for data collection and management and to ensure that all of the components needed to achieve the long-term objectives of the LTBP Program are known before embarking on Task 2.3.
Primary Responsibility: Parsons Brinkerhoff and Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Upon the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) approval of the draft plan delineated in Task 2.2.1, the contractor will execute a pilot study on bridges specified in Task 1.5 prior to inspection, monitoring, testing, and evaluation of all sample bridges. Execution of the pilot study will provide the vehicle through which the various contractors and subcontractors can interact, including identification of all the necessary steps and processes that need to be followed by each team, and provision of all the necessary information so that the respective development and implementation efforts can proceed in a timely and efficient manner. The execution of the pilot study also will help to verify protocols for instrumentation and inspection developed in Task 1.4, as well as the architecture for the data infrastructure, including data models, security protocols, and data/metadata to be collected and developed in Tasks 1.2 and 1.3.
At the end of this pilot study, the LTBP Program will have a working prototype for each aspect of the project that has been verified and can be demonstrated to stakeholders.
Primary Responsibility: Parsons Brinkerhoff and Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Upon the completion of the pilot study, the contractor will commence collecting data identified in Task 1.2 on sample bridges throughout the United States as specified in Task 1.5. The contractor will take advantage of information and knowledge gained during Task 2.2.
Primary Responsibility: Parsons Brinkerhoff and Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
A marketing and communications plan and products will be developed, and executed throughout the duration of the project.
Primary Responsibility: Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
A technology transfer plan and products will be developed, and deployed throughout the duration of the project.
Primary Responsibility: Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
