Life Cycle Costs for Alaska Bridges.

摘要

A study was implemented to assist the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) with life cycle costs for the Alaska Highway Bridge Inventory. The study consisted of two parts. Part 1 involved working with regional offices of ADOT&PF to assemble bridge costs (initial, construction, maintenance and repair) for a sample of bridge types. Results were limited by available data and format; therefore, it is recommended that ADOT&PF develop an available online simple Bridge Management archiving system. Part 2 focused on identifying how a bridge scheduled for replacement deteriorated over time. Load tests were conducted to help assess the bridge response of an aged structure. Noticeable and measurable differences in strain at the end of the bridge life for the structure studied were found. A service life cycle costing approach has advantages over a traditional life cycle cost approach. For example, a bridge has essentially three lives; structural, functional and service. Structural life can be extended almost indefinitely with the right repairs. The service life approach does not assume a life. Rather it used to estimate a life that provides the lowest life cycle cost. A service life approach allows comparisons of alternatives for an infinite planning horizon.