Bridge management

Overview

Bridge management is the process of making decisions on structure needs and arranging for resulting actions to occur at appropriate times. These may include maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement actions. Some routine maintenance actions are regularly scheduled, while other maintenance and repair actions are identified through Bridge Inspection and Maintenance (BIM) system.

Rehabilitation and replacement strategies are typically determined through a bridge assessment that involves varying levels of analysis and engineering. All bridge management decisions require inventory and inspection data on the structure to identify needs and appropriate actions.

Inventory

Bridge inventory data is maintained through the Transportation Infrastructure Management System (TIMS).  External users may login or request limited access to TIMS at the Alberta Transporation Extranet. The following user guides are available through TIMS and provide relevant information on bridge specific portions of TIMS data:

• Bridge Information System Inventory User Guide
• Bridge Information System for Inspection Consultants

Data reports (select bridge inventory data in tabular format):

• Existing Structures in the Provincial Highway Corridor (pdf) 
• Existing Structures on Local Roads (pdf)
• Bridge Structure Export (csv)

Inspection

Level 1

Level 1 bridge inspection data is collected on a regular basis, and is the result of thorough visual inspection by a trained and certified inspector. The following documents describe this inspection process in detail:

• Bridge Inspection and Maintenance System - BIM Level 1 Inspection Manual (Version 4.0 - December 2020 - pdf)
• Bridge Inspection and Maintenance System -  Reference Manual (Version 3.0 - June 2007 - pdf)

See the BIM Advisory Bulletins for updates to the inspection system.

Successful operation of the BIM requires trained and competent inspectors. The certification of inspectors is described in the Bridge Inspection and Maintenance - Certification Process.

Level 2

We also maintain a quality assurance process to monitor the performance of inspectors.We also maintain a quality assurance process to monitor the performance of inspectors.

Level 2 bridge inspection data collection requires specialized equipment and/or expertise, and can be either scheduled or identified through Level 1 inspections and/or bridge assessments. The various Level 2 inspection types are described in:

• Bridge Inspection and Maintenance System – BIM Level 2 Inspection Manual (Version 2.0 - December 2020 - pdf)

Assessments

Systematic bridge assessments are completed by using in-house tools. For sites where the determination of the optimal life-cycle strategy requires additional data and/or engineering analysis, consultant assignments are often completed. Results of all assessments are tracked and used to develop bridge programs and support funding requests. See Bridges and structures - Assessments for more information.