Bridge Deck Management System with Integrated Life-Cycle Cost Optimization

Bridge management systems can be classified as one of two types: network level or project level. The former type is concerned with the prioritization of bridges for inclusion in an upcoming maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation program, and the latter focuses on the repairs that suit the components of a selected bridge. Even though these types are interrelated, most bridge management research treats them as separate aspects. A comprehensive framework is presented for a bridge deck management system that aims at integrating project-and network-level decisions into a unified model to optimize costs at both levels. The novelty of the proposed approach stems from three main aspects: incorporating project-level repair options along with their performance improvements and cost implications; incorporating many flexible and practical features such as variable yearly budget limits, variable yearly discount rates, and optional methods for handling project-level repairs (e.g., single or multiple visits); and using a powerful genetic algorithm-based optimization to consider both project- and network-level variables into bridge life-cycle cost optimization. The proposed model and its implementation are described, and an example application is presented. Although this research focuses on bridge decks, details on future improvements to incorporate all bridge components are outlined.