Maintaining safety and serviceability of concrete bridges in Croatia

Abstract

This paper discusses the management, maintenance and repair of Croatian bridges. Unfortunately, activities related to bridge maintenance are not carried out regularly, but on an ‘as-needed’ basis with inspection and testing undertaken only when structural damage becomes self-evident. Poor in-service performance and condition of existing bridges in Croatia led to the conclusion that the currently employed approach to solving bridge maintenance issues is not satisfactory, and should be improved. The framework for more efficient bridge management in terms of the bridge management system named HRMOS exists. Unfortunately, the introduction of HRMOS did not ensure that the activities related to bridge maintenance are carried out regularly nor according to the prescribed procedures. To illustrate the grave consequences of neglecting bridge maintenance activities, several case studies are discussed, including world-renowned structures such as the Krk bridges. These clearly show that if we choose to act only when damage of a bridge structure becomes self-evident, the repairs are not only expensive but very difficult to perform.