Bridges & Structures

Bridge Management

Bridge management is a core bridge discipline that focuses on making informed and effective decisions on the operation, maintenance, preservation, replacement, and improvement of bridges within a bridge inventory. The FHWA promotes the use of sound practices and techniques for assessing the performance and needs of bridges on both a bridge- and inventory-level, evaluating alternative strategies for addressing needs, and prioritizing investments, projects, and work types that satisfy the objectives of being cost effective while maintaining safety. These objectives can among other things be satisfied by implementing programs of projects that maximize inventory-level performance where performance may include multiple factors such as condition, structural reliability, mobility, and minimizing the cost to achieve desired service life. Bridge management also extends beyond identifying optimal investments, projects, and work types and includes using optimal maintenance, preservation, and improvement design, material, and construction technologies that provide sustainable performance.

Bridge management decision making is highly dependent on relevant and quality data and on methodologies and tools for analyzing that data across an inventory of bridges. In this regard FHWA promotes the use and understanding of data collection technologies and bridge management systems. The modeling and analyses performed by bridge management systems assists bridge owners in making informed and effective decisions that will achieve their goals and objectives and maximize returns on investment.

Principal Documents

Regulation

• Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory (March 2022 (publication number FHWA-HIF-22-017))

Guidance

• FHWA Computation Procedure for the Bridge Condition Measures (April, 2018)

Information

• Profiles for Conversion of Bridge Component-Level and Element-Level Condition Data (August 2024)
• Pavement and Bridge Condition Performance Measures Final Rule (01/09/2017)
• Bridge Management Questionnaire Report (December, 2010)
• Treatment of Development and Implementation of Asset Management Plans and Performance Based Management Cost (05/06/2009)
• Earth Retaining Structures and Asset Management (2008)

Related Information

• Long-Term Bridge Performance Program

Bridge Management Systems Workshop

The Bridge Management Systems (BMS) Workshop is a three-day workshop that is hosted by a public agency and delivered in-person.  The public agency is welcome and encouraged to invite other public agencies as well as consultants, contractors, or partners that have bridge management responsibilities.   It is a technical workshop that covers how BMS software function and can be used.  It does not address FHWA requirements and is not specific to any one BMS.   For additional information and scheduling, email this web page contact.  The following information from the Workshop may also serve as a resource.

• Bridge Management Systems Workshop Participant Workbook (.pdf, 56 mb)
• Bridge Management Systems Workshop Participant Worksheet Packet (.pdf, 3 mb)
• Bridge Management Systems Workshop Day One Recordings (please note: All recordings use Adobe Connect)
  • Module 1 Introduction
  • Module 2 Purpose & Value of BMS
  • Module 3 Workflow Steps & Key Features
  • Module 4 Inventory & Condition Data; Goals, Objectives & Performance Measures
  • Module 5 Deterioration Models
  • Module 6 Modeling Actions, Costs, & Effects
  • Module 7 Life-Cycle Agency Costs & Modeling
  • Module 8 Life-Cycle User Costs & Modeling
  • Module 9 Risk Assessment & Mitigation Modeling
  • Module 10 Benefit-Cost Analysis
  • Module 11 Optimization & Prioritization
  • Module 12 Investment Strategy Simulation & Investigation
  • Module 13 Program & Project Planning and Management
  • Module 14 Communication & Reporting

Other Publications

• Asset Management Guide for Local Agency Bridges in Michigan (.pdf)
• Bridge Management Using Performance Models
• Bridge Management Experiences of California, Florida, and South Dakota
• Bridge Management Practices in Idaho, Michigan and Virginia
• Culvert Management Case Studies: Vermont, Oregon, Ohio, and Los Angeles County
• Culvert Management Systems: Alabama, Maryland, Minnesota, and Shelby County
• Improving FHWA's Ability to Assess Highway Infrastructure Health National Meeting Report (.pdf, 1 mb)
• Measuring Performance Among State DOTs Sharing Best Practices, Comparative Analysis of Bridge Condition (.pdf, 1.4 mb)
• NCHRP 12-67 Multi-objective optimization for Bridge Management Systems
• NCHRP 14-23 Practical Bridge Preservation Actions and Investment Strategies
• NCHRP Report 107: Risk-Based Management Guidelines for Scour at Bridges with Unknown Foundations (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 483: Bridge Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 608: GASB 34--Methods for Condition Assessment and Preservation (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 632: An Asset-Management Framework for the Interstate Highway System (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 668: Framework for a National Database System for Maintenance Actions on Highway Bridges (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 688: Determining Highway Maintenance Cost (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 742: Communicating the Value of Preservation (.pdf)
• NCHRP Report 816 Guide for the Preservation of Highway Tunnel Systems (.pdf)
• NCHRP Synthesis 397 Bridge Management Systems for Transportation Agency Decision Making (.pdf, 2.8 mb)
• Proceedings of the 2011 National Bridge Management, Inspection and Preservation Conference: Beyond the Short Term
• Proceedings of the 2017 11th International Bridge and Structures Management Conference
• Synthesis of National and International Methodologies Used for Bridge Health Indices (.pdf)
• Washington State DOT: Determining the Cost/Benefit of Routine Maintenance Cleaning on Steel Bridges to Prevent Structural Deterioration (.pdf)
• TRNews - Asset Management in a World of Dirt (.pdf)