Civil engineering infrastructure is generally maintained in accordance with safety, economic and technical issues. But what of the environmental impact of such activities? Regular maintenance can have a significant environmental impact—particularly in the case of bridges, where closure can result in traffic jams and lengthy detours. Higher cost but lower maintenance components and transfer of structures to lower-grade sites are possible answers which, until now, have been difficult to assess. This paper reports on a life-cycle assessment method developed to factor environmental impact into bridge maintenance strategy. Though developed for bridges, it has potential application throughout the facilities management sector.
Highway structures represent a significant asset that forms an integral part of the UK transport infrastructure. The current programme for the assessment of the load-carrying capacity of virtually all highway bridges in the UK started with the publication of departmental standard BD21 in 1984. A large number of bridges have been assessed as sub-standard during the programme; that is, they have been shown to be theoretically incapable of carrying a 40 t vehicle or an 11·5 t axle load in accordance with the requirements of BD21. There are still a significant number of sub-standard bridges that remain to be strengthened and the potential cost to the UK economy is substantial. The application of a robust assessment regime using an appropriate level of analytical tools would ensure that this investment is well spent to maintain the safety of the highway, avoid disruption to customers and limit environmental impact. It is suggested that rather than the highway assessment programme drawing to a close after over 20 years there is now an important role for assessments in delivering consistent levels of safety and reliability across the network.
Historically the management of infrastructure assets has been governed by social, economic and technical constraints. However, in the latter part of the twentieth century, with the advent and growth of the sustainability agenda, it became increasingly apparent that a fourth issue, environment, must also be included in decision-making. Surrey County Council (SCC), as the principal owner of highway assets within its boundaries, is directly responsible for over 1000 road bridges. To meet the authority's own environmental and sustainability objectives, it is clear that there is a need for knowledge on ways in which the organisation can reduce the environmental impact of its activities. The addressing of this need has called for an entirely new approach to assessing structure management activities. With the adoption of life-cycle thinking, a methodology has been developed to enable environmental comparison of alternative structure management strategies. In the context of brick arch highway bridges, the scope of this paper is to present this method and the findings it can produce. The development of the approach is important for SCC objectives, but also provides insight for the wider civil engineering industry, and gives perspectives on how it may tackle the issue of environment.
2This edition of Bridge Engineering is the first of two themed issues devoted to arch bridges. Arch bridges come in many forms, from the conventional stone and brick arch bridge with rubble or granular fill to the more spectacular long-span modern arch bridges constructed with steel and concrete of which there are over 100 worldwide with main spans in excess of 300 m. When the call for abstracts on the theme of arch bridges was published in April 2010, the response was so strong that it was impossible to contain all the papers offered in one issue of the Journal. It was therefore decided to produce two themed issues, one devoted to the more traditional arch bridge form and a second concentrating on the modern development of this fascinating structural system. This first issue concentrates on the traditional form of construction, the stone and brick arch bridges that have become such an inherent and recognisable part of our road, rail and waterway infrastructure. The second issue, to be published in September 2013, will focus on the more innovative arch bridge forms that have appeared over the last few decades. The papers presented in this issue focus on the various issues associated with the management of masonry arch bridges. The importance of these issues has only come to light in the last few decades in spite of the long track record of these bridges.Masonry arch bridges are important structures in today's infrastructure not only because of their heritage value, but also for their excellent structural performance and low maintenance cost. In addition, the large number of these bridges on the road and rail network makes them an indispensible component of the national transport infrastructure: in the UK and Ireland, for example, 60% of all bridges are arches. Engineers regard the masonry arch bridge as a very efficient and elegant structural form with a long service life and very low maintenance requirements. Their decline as a preferred solution for short to medium-span bridges stems more from the lack of suitable craftsmen to build these wonderful structures than from any inherent structural weakness. Nevertheless, while these arch bridges have continued to function with little or no maintenance for many generations, it is now recognised that they need careful management if they are to continue to perform as required, particularly given the significant recent increases in volume and intensity of live loading.The detailed inspection of arch bridges can be used to provide important information on how these structures perform in service. Harvey (2012) has examined a large number of bridges, both in service and during demolition, and has used the visual evidence obtained to determine how these structures carry load. His forensic analysis of the damage found in these bridges presents an interesting way of identifying the typical load paths through bridges with varying geometry, spandrel details and foundation properties, and provides the basis for a new behavioural model.Wilmers (2012), with his experience of over...
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