Structural Design and Inspectability of Highway Bridges

It is inevitable that the components of highway bridges will develop flaws due to mechanical and environmental loads. Bridges are typically inspected visually to determine their condition and serviceability. Unfortunately, current design practice often does not explicitly consider inspectability and the means of structural damage detection in the design process. It is important to integrate damage monitoring and inspection strategies into the earliest stages of the design of highway bridges for resilient structural behavior. This technical note summarizes the outcomes of the workshop organized at the University of Illinois at Chicago on structural design and inspectability of highway bridges. The workshop brought public agencies; design, construction and inspection companies; and academicians together to discuss the challenges of current practice for inspection and concepts to be implemented in the next generation highway bridge design for better inspectability and maintenance.