Dr. Jose Pincheira
University of Wisconsin-Madison
2312 Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Drive
Madison, WI 53706
jpin@engr.wisc.edu

The overall objectives of this research are to 1) analyze existing information to quantify the cost-effectiveness of preventive maintenance strategies applied to highway bridges, and 2) recommend project guidelines for doing the right preventive maintenance work, on the right bridges at the right time to be used by WisDOT and other state DOTs for decision-making on the application of preventive maintenance strategies.

The Wisconsin DOT is in need of a comprehensive Bridge Asset Management System that takes full advantage of preventive maintenance actions to preserve the roughly 13,647 bridge structures in its inventory.

On January 11, 2002, FHWA announced that HBRRP funds may be obligated for preventive maintenance on Federal-aid highway bridges under Section 309 of the NHS Act of 1995. Under subsection (d) of 23 U.S.C. 116, a preventive maintenance activity shall be eligible for Federal assistance if the state demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secratary that the activity is a cost-effective means of extending the useful life of a Federal-aid highway.

Preventive bridge maintenance is a planned strategy of cost-effective treatments applied at the proper time to preserve and extend the useful life of a bridge. Therefore, predefined preventive maintenance strategies and project selection guidelines are important for maximizing programmatic benefits. Because timing of preservation maintenance impacts cost-effectiveness, Remaining Service Life (RSL) may be an important eligibility criterion for preservation treatment of bridge elements.

Task 1: Data collection

Task 2: Preliminary analysis to identify categorical variables

Task 3: Regression Tree analysis of relationships between PM actions and bridge condition

Task 4: Cost models and optimization

Task 5: Demonstrate feasibility of the model

Task 6: Prepare final report

12 months; March 1,2007 to Feb. 29, 2008