Webinar: Update to the Guide to Bridge Technology Part 7

Austroads has completed its update of Section 3: Inspection, Testing, Monitoring and Reporting of the Guide to Bridge Technology Part 7: Maintenance and Management of Existing Bridges.

The project involved taking a fresh look at the inspection process to provide a flexible framework from which users of the Guide can develop and improve their own inspection processes.

The project team undertook an assessment of Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions, as well as some international organisations. The assessment included reviewing the processes and practices and the uses of inspection data collected at each inspection level. This was followed up with a workshop with each individual jurisdiction.

Practices varied across the jurisdictions from basic to advanced levels in terms of programming, data collection, and inspection processes. Similar observations were also made of the international practices assessed. The current practices were also assessed against the existing documentation to quantify gaps within the existing documentation.

With the current range of complexities in systems, data requirements and processes, coupled with the intention of some jurisdictions to change existing practices, it was concluded that a flexible approach is needed within the revised inspection framework to enable varying jurisdictional needs to be accommodated. The fundamentals such as defining inspection types, components and component numbering are documented as a single approach, whilst for other sections, a risk-based framework will be adopted to allow flexibility, such as in assigning inspection timings.

Key updates to the Guide include:

• Condition rating vs defect mapping, allowing flexibility to adopt positions between the two processes.
• Standardisation of bridge and culvert definition.
• A ‘Rosetta stone’ of bridge componentisation, describing the nuances of the different jurisdictions.
• Standardisation of component rating descriptors.
• Reaffirming and refining inspection levels and inspection frequencies.
• Audit, quality control and inspector training.

The webinar will be presented by Andy Ng and Paul Cannons.

There will be question and answer opportunities during the session.

Andy Ng is currently Manager of Structural Asset Performance at the Department of Transport, Victoria (DoT). He has over 19 years’ experience in bridge engineering, ranging from design, maintenance, inspections, load ratings and business cases. He is currently the Austroads Bridge Task Force member for Victoria. He has represented DoT at international conferences and co-hosted the Austroads Bridge Conference in Melbourne in 2017. He is passionate about engineering and management of bridges, safely maximising access to the Department's bridges, and innovative assessment of structures, pushing beyond deterministic design framework for in-service bridges.

Paul Cannons has an extensive background in the management of public infrastructure spanning over 30 years. This experience has been developed through working in all aspects of asset management on various asset types including providing advice to clients at operational, tactical and strategic levels. Specifically in relation to bridges and other civil structures, Paul was part of the team managing bridge networks for over 10 years, for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and several local authorities in the wider Auckland region. Paul was the manager on the Auckland Harbour Bridge under a performance specified maintenance contract for 3 years. He is currently assisting a state transport authority in developing a new structure inspection strategy.

No charge but registration is essential. Can’t make the live session? Register and we’ll send you a link to the recording.

Register now!