Exploring the Concept of Bridge Functional Index in the Context of Climate Change Impacts on Transportation Infrastructure

摘要

While the authors of current bridge management systems (BMSs) have noted the need for expanding the systems to include the functional aspects of bridge performance, to date no method has been proposed to accomplish that objective. Existing BMSs (e.g., Pontis or BMSs used i n C anadian j urisdictions) still ev aluate br idge per formance based solely on t he br idge conditions, which focuses on the degradation of structural strength, material durability, component di mensions, et c. T his paper pr esents a new pr ocedure f or ex tending t he as set management s cope for h ighway br idges t o i ncorporate some aspects of b ridge resilience o r vulnerability, which are best classified under the term bridge functional index. The proposed procedure draws from the projected demands of climate change - a worldwide phenomenon that is expected to produce its most dramatic impacts in cold regions. The following bridge functional indices are pr oposed: ab utment w ashout, pi er scour, abut ment er osion, d eck f looding, and abutment permafrost stability. The formulations for the proposed indices require weight factors to be assigned to each index. The other requirement comprises capacity measures that indicate how well a bridge is equipped to withstand the projected climatic effects. The new procedure has been ap plied t o f our hi ghway br idges i n t he C anadian A rctic t o dem onstrate ho w public investments in transportation infrastructure could be better managed and protected.