Bridges
- Publication no: ABC2017-157-17
- Published: 26 April 2017
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The Infrastructure Asset management is facing critical demand and challenges in encountering the concerning issues pertaining to the existing bridges due to un-foreseen accidents. The emergency issues arising due to possible vandalism, low height clearance Bridges, increased number of non-standard vehicles on the road, road rage and fatigue are some of the factors perceived to be contributing to accidents and damages to the Bridges.
The accidentally damaged Bridges are often impacted severely. The identification of the extent of the structural damage along with an appropriate expedient repair is always challenging considering a short period of time to open the Bridge for traffic and public without compromising the integrity of the Bridge.
The preparedness to respond to an accidentally damaged bridge requires a holistic approach by any organization in order to mitigate the risks, making the journey safe and meeting the intended design life of the Bridge. The Bridge Engineering Section of the Road and Maritime Services (RMS), NSW government has formed an emergency response team comprising of experienced Bridge engineers to attend damaged Bridge incidents in a timely manner. This paper discusses various scenarios where the critical responses were provided to assist in maintaining the integrity of the damaged bridges for the safe journey management.