Identification and Tracking of Highway Bridge Maintenance

An overview of practices for highway bridge maintenance of state transportation departments (DOTs) in the United States is presented. DOT practices are given in the areas of identification of maintenance needs, numbering systems for maintenance actions, performance and priority measures related to maintenance, and data systems engaged by maintenance. The overview finds that DOTs have similar work procedures for identification and tracking of maintenance needs and somewhat similar approaches to performance and priority measures, but dissimilar practices in numbering systems for maintenance actions. Most DOTs use one or more individualized data systems to track maintenance work, monitor network-level performance, and evaluate maintenance work plans. The information presented is one product of studies of bridge maintenance decision making and bridge database development.