Alabama Bridge Management System Plus (ABIMS+): Phase 1 Final Report: Fid-Bau Portal

Alabama Bridge Management System Plus (ABIMS+): Phase 1 Final Report

D. S. Turner / D. P. Hale / S. Sharpe

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires funding allocation be based on bridge management policies developed in accordance with their guidelines. The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has recommended the following activities be included within all comprehensive bridge management system (BMS): Collect, process, and update condition data; Predict deterioration; Identify alternative actions; Predict costs; Determine optimal policies; Perform short- and long-term budget forecasting; Recommend programs and schedules for implementation with policy and budget constraints. The current Alabama Bridge Information Management System (ABIMS) was created over a decade ago, prior to more recent guideline updates. ABIMS provided a means of collecting, processing, and updating condition data, but did not provide automated support for the remaining major tasks. Support for the remaining six activities becomes more critical as the state's bridge inventory ages and the backlog of bridges due for maintenance continues to grow, thus increasing the urgency behind the rehabilitation and replacement of bridges. Supporting these additional tasks will allow for effective utilization of federal and state budgets and a standard repeatable process to determine the bridges in most need of preventative maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement.