What is the bridge maintenance plan?
The purpose of Bridge Maintenance Programs is to help the bridge owner guarantee its service life in optimal conditions of safety and serviceability – and even extend it – by performing certain activities designed for this purpose.
In this regard, the goal of the Bridge Maintenance Plan is to present briefly all the general information on the bridge, designer, contractor, and supervisor, as well as on the load-bearing structure, foundation, ground, foreseen settlements, and bridge furniture.
The Bridge Maintenance Plan shall also include maintenance instructions to preserve the designed function, service level, safety, and durability of the particular bridge.
The bridge maintenance plan is a constituent part of the design project of the bridge. It must be elaborated during the design phase by the engineer performing this task. During the construction phase and having finished it, it is necessary to update the original Bridge Maintenance Plan with the specifications and changes of the ‘as built’ project.
The Bridge Maintenance Plan should comprise the information included in the following table:
