Friday, 11 November 2016
Austroads has published a proposed process for assessing road bridge capacity for High Productivity Freight Vehicle (HPFV) access to the road network.
A HPFV is a truck-and-trailer combination that provides the ability to shift more freight more efficiently, and satisfies the Performance Based Standards (PBS) safety and infrastructure standards. HPFVs are granted access to the road network under the heavy vehicle access and approval process, administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
Assessing whether an HPFV can safely travel over an existing bridge is a key part of this process, often requiring road authorities to undertake detailed bridge investigations before the NHVR grants formal approval for an HPFV to access the road network.
This report considers a range of bridge assessment methods currently in use or in development across jurisdictions, evaluates these methods and provides recommendations and guidelines for consistent, transparent, and timely bridge assessment. It does not provide detail on the engineering / technical aspects of bridge assessment.
Report link: Bridge Assessment for High Productivity Freight Vehicle Access: Guidelines on Processes and Procedures