| Managing the nation's networking of aging bridges presents a challenge. As bridges age and deteriorate, the relationship among their condition, original design, environment, and ultimately their capacity and performance are not fully understood. Additionally, the current National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database does not contain enough quantitative, non-subjective data to effectively predict bridge deterioration rates or assess the long-term performance of bridges. Therefore, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed a Long-Term Bridge Performance Program (LTBPP) to study and evaluate the condition and performance of bridges over time. Determining which bridges should be included in the LTBPP, as well as what performance issues should be studied during the LTBPP, are both important aspects of this program. Consequently, this research studied the role of NBI data in formulating recommendations on the selection of bridges and issues to address. |
