Transport Infrastructures and Asset Management in Portugal: Past, Present and Future

Bridge management in Portugal had a remarkable development during the larger part of the last two decades. This paper intends to present an historical review of the situation before and after the Entre-os-Rios accident, a tragedy that triggered a modern approach to bridge management in Portugal. Nowadays the country is on par with worldwide best practices, supported by a system developed by Betar and adopted by all major stakeholders. Building on the idea that most BMS principles can be applied to other asset types in a road or network and the current lack of tools for managing those assets, the paper proposes a methodology for implementing GOA® to new types of assets, presenting some challenges that may arise. Following the implementation to different assets, the paper also discusses a model for integrating those different sets of assets into a coherent and effective management strategy.