Spanish guides and code specifications on concrete bridges inspection and maintenance: an overview

The maintenance needs of bridges have often resulted in costly interventions, not only due to the lack of an adequate inspection and maintenance plan, but also due to a common practice in the design‐building process focused on solving requirements under “instantaneous” economic conditions. This situation is not compatible with the new paradigm of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Aspects related to durability, service life, life cycle, circular economy, etc. are increasingly present in codes and practice guides, so the inspection and maintenance take special relevance by considering economic factors of “deferred” scope. To contextualise the Spanish case, this paper presents a practical overview of the main documentary references that, in the form of regulations and guides, establish mandatory specifications and/or provide tools to facilitate the inspection and maintenance of concrete bridges. From a historical perspective, the changes introduced by the evolutions of main rules are highlighted, starting from the double conception of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete, passing through the integration towards structural concrete, and reaching our days with the recent appearance of the Structural Code contextualized in the framework of the Eurocodes.