Bridges

Victoria has experienced a number of large-scale and intense flood events in the last four years. An assessment has been undertaken of the structures impacted by these flood events.The objective was to better understand the impact of the floods on bridge and culvert assets and to enable VicRoads to proactively manage these events in the future. VicRoads Technical Services undertook a project to develop a risk-based approach for the identification and assessment of bridges which are at risk of damage or loss of serviceability as a consequence of major flooding events. Once the risk is understood appropriate action can be taken to ensure the ongoing safety, stability and serviceability of VicRoads bridges over water.The paper provides guidance and information on: the nature and behaviour of flooding; asset management tools used by other road organisations that have bridges at risk of flood-related damage; and the development of criteria for the identification and assessment of bridges at risk of flood-related damage.