Florius, N A (2021) Decision tool for prioritizing bridge repair or replacement. PhD thesis, University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
Abstract
Bridges are typically damaged/deteriorated due to various factors that require close evaluation to make informed decisions about repair/replacement. There are several aspects of study to evaluate bridges for repair/replacement, such as age, structural adequacy, and frequent usage. Further, bridges which are in poor condition must be identified to mitigate their damage/deterioration and as a result, maintain a safe environment for users. Therefore, to assess the need for funding, state Departments of Transportation are required to evaluate bridges by considering several factors, while prioritizing safety. In Texas, the Highway Bridge Program is responsible for funding bridges which are listed for repair/replacement. This is typically decided through their sufficiency rating system. However, the existing sufficiency rating method utilizes a complex formula which lacks some key details. This method can be improved by incorporating additional factors that could potentially result in a better and more efficient methodology. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to develop a decision tool for bridge repair/replacement, that incorporates factors such as condition, cost, risk, ease of repair/replacement, age, importance, public use, and geometry. Some factors contain sub-elements which were evaluated and weighted according to importance. To pursue this, methods such as regression analysis, decision matrices and the analytic hierarchy process were used. The decision tool will be executed on an interactive Excel-based platform. Excel Visual Basic macro functions will be used to create a user-friendly platform. The proposed tool shall be useful in making objective and data-driven decisions for local bridge maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | highway; replacement; funding; rehabilitation; safety; regression analysis; analytic hierarchy process; bridge |
| Index terms: | prioritizing, geometry, platform, regression analysis, funding, deterioration, replacement, repair, methodology, program |
| Subjects: | digital design, maintenance engineering, research methods, materials science, economic analysis, software systems, statistical analysis, decision analysis, mathematical modelling, material degradation and durability |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Construction Materials, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Risk Management, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here