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Outline of-the Management of Bridges and other Highway Structures

Contents:


1. Introduction

2. Inspections

3. Data Storage and the Bridge Management System (BMS)

4. Maintenance
1. Programming Maintenance Works
2. Minor Maintenance
3. Reactive and Emergency Works
4. Major Maintenance, Strengthening and Replacement

5. Highway Structures Owned and Maintained by Third Parties
1. The Load Bearing Obligations of Network Rail and British Waterways

6. Managing Structures that Cause Restrictions on the Highway
1. Weight Restrictions
2. Height Restrictions
3. Width Restrictions

7. Technical Approval and Commuted Sums
1. Technical Approval
2. Commuted Sums

8. Abnormal Load Movements and the Assessment of Structures.
1. Abnormal Load Movements
2. ESDAL
3. The Assessment of Structures

9. The Management of Bridges On and Near the District Boundaries

10. Future Bridge Management Requirements

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1. Introduction.

There are in excess of one thousand highway structures in the District. These include
bridges, retaining walls, culverts, sign ganrtries and pedestrian subways.

Not all of these structures are owned by the Council, some are owned by other
organisations such as Network Rail and British Waterways however as the Highway
Authority the Council has a duty to ensure they are all maintained in a safe and functional
condition.

This the Council achieves by employing the following procedures.
Undertaking routine inspections to ensure public safety and identify maintenance
needs.
Undertaking minor maintenance works identified by routine inspections.
Programming and executing maintenance work to minimise inconvenience to the
travelling public.
Undertaking reactive and emergency repairs resulting from traffic accidents and
vehicle damage.
Undertaking major maintenance and replacement works where structures have
reached the end of their service life.
Imposing protection measures such as weight restrictions and traffic signals on
weak or impaired bridges.
Retaining structures data and information on a comprehensive computerised
database.
Checking the suitability and construction of all new highway structures through
the Technical Approvals process.
Ensuring bridges owned by other organisations are maintained in a safe condition.
Managing the safe movement of oversized or overweight vehicles known as
abnormal loads through the district.
Predicting future aspirations for highway structures through consultation and
feasibility studies.

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2. Inspections

Highway Structures are routinely inspected to ensure they remain safe for public use. The
inspections also provide the data required to support good management practice in
accordance with the Road Liaison Groups document: Management of Highway
Structures, A Code of Practice.

Maintenance work to Council owned structures is identified by inspection and placed in
the works program according to priority.

Structures owned and maintained by other organisations such as Network Rail, and
British Waterways are also inspected and any outstanding maintenance works notified to
the organisation concerned.

All highway structures are routinely inspected in the following cycle:

Principal Inspection carried out not at intervals not greater than six years.

A close examination within touching distance of all
accessible parts of the structure. Specialised access
equipment may be required.

General Inspection carried out not more than 2 years following the previous
General or Principal Inspection.

A visual examination of all parts of the structure where
special access equipment is not required.

Superficial Inspection carried out not more than 2 years following the previous
Superficial on all private structures.

A visual examination of all parts of private structures
where special access equipment is not required.

Routine Surveillance general surveillance by Highways Inspectors as part of
regular Highway Safety Inspections.

A visual examination identifying obvious defects requiring
urgent attention e.g. damage to parapets, superstructure,
joints.

The following inspections are carried out after one of the above inspections has identified
certain defects:

Safety Inspections carried out after routine surveillance or after information is
received that indicates the structure is damaged.
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Inspections for Assessment carried out after a particular defect is identified in a
previous inspection that may affect the structures load
carrying capacity.

Special Inspection carried out after a particular defect is identified in a
previous inspection or event e.g. flooding, scour, vehicle
impact damage.

Acceptance Inspections carried out due to a transfer of responsibility.


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3. Data Storage and the Bridge Management System

A computerised database is maintained which contains information about bridges and
other highway structures including information about their condition at the time of their
last inspection. The database will also compare the condition of any one structure to the
condition of the other structures thereby enabling maintenance works to be prioritised and
target the structures in the poorest condition.

Striving to achieve the standards of Asset Management and Performance Measurement of
Highway Structures recommended in the recently published Code of Practice and
referred to in the Councils LTP2 document is essential.




























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4. Maintenance
4.1. Programming Maintenance Works.
When programming maintenance work care is taken to minimise inconvenience to the
travelling public by:
Selecting a repair method or technique that will cause minimal obstruction of the
highway.
Providing traffic management appropriate to the type of road and expected traffic
flows.
Programming works with regard to other road works in the area and the
availability of diversion routes.

4.2. Minor Maintenance
The bridge inspection regime is the main source of information identifying the routine
maintenance requirements of the structures stock.
There are complex formulae within the Bridge Management System that prioritise the
maintenance works identified by the routine inspections and from this an annual
programme of maintenance work is drawn up. Typical minor works are repointing and
brickwork repairs, the repair and replacement of handrails and parapets, repairs to
protective coatings and the repair or replacement of expansion joints.

Graffiti is removed from structures if it is considered to be offensive or unsightly.
Subways most commonly fall victim to graffiti and to counter this most of them have
been painted with anti-graffiti paint and are inspected and cleaned on a monthly basis.

4.3. Reactive and Emergency Repairs.
Vehicle collisions can severely damage highway structures and leave them in an unsafe
condition. In the worst cases this results in temporary road closures and diversions until
the necessary repairs can be made.

4.4. Major maintenance, Strengthening and Replacement.
As a structure approaches the end of its design life or service life it will usually become
uneconomical to repair and will require replacement. A structure may also become due
for replacement if it represents a restriction to the highway through being, for example,
too narrow, under strength or unsuitable for disabled use.

Recently Completed Bridge Replacement and Strengthening Schemes:
Ongoing Bridge Replacement and Strengthening Schemes:
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5. Highway Structures Owned and Maintained by Third Parties.

Structures on highways may be owned and maintained by third parties. Network Rail, the
Highways Agency, the Environment Agency, British Waterways, local land owners and
businesses all own bridges and structures that affect the highway in some way.

Routine Superficial inspections of these structures are undertaken to ensure they are
maintained in a condition that will not endanger the travelling public. The Council will
notify the bridge owner if a bridge is found to be in a dangerous condition and take
enforcement action if the owner fails to take remedial action.

5.1. The load bearing obligations of Network Rail and British Waterways.
Most of the bridges that have weight restrictions are owned by either Network Rail or
British Waterways. Due to an anomaly in highway legislation these organisations have a
legal obligation to maintain their bridges to 24 tonnes to an old assessment standard
known as BE4. However the permissible maximum weight of vehicles using the highway
is currently 40 tonnes. The Highway Authority is required to assess the strength of
bridges to a more modern standard than BE4 known as BD21/01. This is more onerous
than BE4 hence some Network Rail and British Waterways bridges have weight
restrictions on them less than 24 tonnes.

Network Rails bridges were recently assessed jointly with Network Rail in accordance
with a protocol agreed nationally between The County Surveyor's Society and Network
Rail for the protection of Network Rails bridges.

Ownership strengthening of strategically important bridges has been taken over by the
local authority.



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6. Managing Structures that cause Restrictions to the Highway

There are three ways in which bridges can restrict or impair highway usage,
weight restrictions, height restrictions, and width restrictions.

6.1. Weight Restrictions
There are two types or weight restriction, environmental and structural. Environmental
restrictions are applied to lengths of road that are unsuitable to carry heavy vehicles and
are not related to bridges. Structural weight restrictions are applied specifically to protect
weak bridges.

Most of bridges with weight restrictions are owned by Network Rail and British
Waterways. This is for the reasons explained in paragraph 5.1. The load bearing
obligations of Network Rail and British Waterways. These bridges are all on minor
roads and the weight restrictions have no significant affect on vehicle movements and
would be of no benefit to strengthen due to the restriction on the swing bridge.

6.2. Height (or Headroom) Restrictions
The standard minimum clearance over every part of the carriageway of a public highway
is 16 feet six inches (5.03 metres). Height restrictions are managed by the provision of
advance warning signs on routes leading to the bridge and statutory signs at the bridge.
There are more technically advanced warning methods available for bridges that are
repeatedly struck by high vehicles. These are usually installed at the behest of Network
Rail, however they can be problematic and there are currently no bridges in West
Berkshire that warrant their use.

Generally the cost inhibits raising the headroom under any of the Network Rail owned
structures. There has, in the past, been requests for the demolition of both Compton and
Marston Road disused bridges however public opinion is currently opposed to this as the
bridges are now perceived to be performing important traffic management functions.

6.3. Width Restrictions
There are various ways of managing width restrictions to the highway caused by narrow
bridges. The most suitable method will depend on various site conditions such as the
severity of the restriction, traffic flows and sight lines. Narrow bridges may restrict either
the carriageway width or footway widths. If traffic flows and sight lines allow priority
traffic signs are usually the preferred option. On busier roads or where safety is a concern
traffic signals are used.

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7. Technical Approval and Commuted Sums

7.1 Technical Approval
The Highway Authority ensures that all structures which are constructed over, under or
next to the public highway are constructed to an acceptable standard by requiring them to
achieve Technical Approval. Some highway structures may remain in private
ownership but in most cases the highway autjhority will adopt or take ownership of the
new structures. In either instance Technical Approval is required.

In normal circumstances only structures that are a necessary part of the highway and
constructed on highway land will be considered for adoption. These may include road
bridges, public footbridges, culverts, retaining walls that support the highway and sign
gantries. When the highway authority agrees to adopt a structure an adoption Agreement
will be drawn up.

Structures that remain in private ownership require Technical Approval only. These may
include private road bridges and footbridges over the highway, retaining walls more than
1.5 metres high above ground level that support property or land adjacent to the highway,
support structures for pipes and conveyers which cross the highway, basements which
support the highway, parts of buildings which cross or overhang the highway, temporary
structures intended for public use etc. Private structures which cross the highway also
require a licence which will be drawn up by the highway authority.

7.2 Commuted Sums
When the highway authority is required to adopt a new structure from a private enterprise
or developer it will usually require them to pay a Commuted Sum. The commuted sum
is equal to the costs the authority may expect to incur for maintenance, inspection and
renewal of the structure and is usually calculated over a period of one hundred and
twenty years.
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8. Abnormal Load Movements

8.1 Abnormal Load Movements
An abnormal load is a vehicle that is outside the classification of normal permitted traffic
by virtue of its gross weight, length, width or axle configuration according to current road
vehicle regulations. In accordance with The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special
Types) General Order 2003 the movement of abnormal or STGO loads should be notified
to the relevant Highway Authority or Authorities.

The appointed agent receives notifications for the movement of abnormal loads and
STGO vehicles on non-trunk roads.

The movement of abnormal loads needs to be carefully managed so that large and heavy
vehicles only use those parts of the road network that can safely accommodate them.

Hauliers of abnormal loads are required to notify the appointed Abnormal Loads Officer
at J acobs. The bridges on the notified route are then assessed in accordance with the
current requirements of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (BD 86/01) and the
code of Practice for the Management of Highway Structures. If any of the bridges on the
route are considered too weak to bear the abnormal load it will be re-routed. If no suitable
alternative route is available special measures to increase the load bearing capacity of the
bridge may be considered.


8.2 ESDAL
ESDAL stands for "Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads Project". Once fully
implemented ESDAL will be a national one-stop web-based portal to assist route
planning and automated notification of abnormal load movements.
At present, before moving an abnormal load, hauliers must notify a number of authorities,
including the Highways Agency, Agents, Local Authorities, private bridge owners and
the Police. This is a lengthy process and is entirely manual, based on the use of faxes to
exchange and agree information.
The ESDAL project will simplify this process, significantly reducing the amount of time
it takes for everyone involved in the process to plan, notify and approve the movement of
an abnormal load.
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8.3 The Assessment of Structures
Highway structures are assessed to establish their ability to carry the loads which are
imposed upon them. The assessment provides valuable information for managing the
safety and serviceability of highway structures.
The road bridges in the area were last assessed under a national programme of assessment
undertaken in the mid 1980s.

In accordance with the recommendations of the new Code of Practice the highway
authority is currently undergoing a Structural Review. This involves revisiting the
existing assessment information and from this developing a prioritised reassessment
programme.










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9. The Management of Bridges On or Near District Boundaries.

To avoid any confusion bridges near to or on the boundaries are subject to Maintenance
Agreements whereby the maintenance of the bridge is delegated to one or other of the
Authorities.. The authority remains in close consultation with all neighbouring
Authorities regarding bridge restrictions and maintenance works that may affect the
highway network beyond its boundaries.

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10. Future Bridge Management Requirements.

In September 2005 The Roads Liaison Group launched a Code of Practice for the
Management of Highway Structures. Prior to the publication of the Code of Practice there
was no overarching document available to guide bridge owners on good maintenance
practice and this has led to differing practices across the country. The purpose of the code
is to standardise practice thereby providing better information regarding the condition of
bridges across the county and so determine future funding requirements.

The authoritys current practice generally aligns very well with the basic
recommendations made in the new code of practice. It is the authoritys intention to
become fully compliant with the code within the recommended time frame of 5 years by
the development of asset management principles set out in the new code.