A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Ireland's Bridge Management System
In the late 1990's, after decades of little investment in its transportation infrastructure, Ireland's National Roads Authority (NRA) began to implement a bridge management system, EIRSPAN, with funds generated by the booming economy of the Ireland's Celtic Tiger, and from participation in the European Union. The EIRSPAN bridge management system was developed after studying systems used throughout the world, and it has some significant differences from systems used in the United States. Ireland has an estimated 20,000 bridges, and previously had no comprehensive inventory, no established procedures for bridge inspection, no universally accepted methods for rating their approximately 16,000 masonry arch bridges, many of which are more than 200 years old, and no system for prioritizing maintenance on a national level. The NRA, conceived an overall approach to bridge management, which met their special needs, expanded their staff to manage the system, established system guidelines, and, in 2001, retained Irish, United Kingdom and American consulting engineers to implement an inspection and evaluation program. The NRA program is especially interesting because it was necessary to start the program from virtually nothing, with thousands of structures already in place. The initial inventory data gathering and initial inspections were completed from 2001 to 2005. Currently, structural assessments and special inspections are progressing, as well as limited repair and improvement work.
Ireland's Bridge Management System
In the late 1990's, after decades of little investment in its transportation infrastructure, Ireland's National Roads Authority (NRA) began to implement a bridge management system, EIRSPAN, with funds generated by the booming economy of the Ireland's Celtic Tiger, and from participation in the European Union. The EIRSPAN bridge management system was developed after studying systems used throughout the world, and it has some significant differences from systems used in the United States. Ireland has an estimated 20,000 bridges, and previously had no comprehensive inventory, no established procedures for bridge inspection, no universally accepted methods for rating their approximately 16,000 masonry arch bridges, many of which are more than 200 years old, and no system for prioritizing maintenance on a national level. The NRA, conceived an overall approach to bridge management, which met their special needs, expanded their staff to manage the system, established system guidelines, and, in 2001, retained Irish, United Kingdom and American consulting engineers to implement an inspection and evaluation program. The NRA program is especially interesting because it was necessary to start the program from virtually nothing, with thousands of structures already in place. The initial inventory data gathering and initial inspections were completed from 2001 to 2005. Currently, structural assessments and special inspections are progressing, as well as limited repair and improvement work.
Ireland's Bridge Management System
Collins, Thomas J. (author) / Breen, Ryan P. (author)
Structures Congress 2006 ; 2006 ; St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Structures Congress 2006 ; 1-5
2006-10-10
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Ireland's Bridge Management System
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