Decision Support System for Optimizing the Maintenance of RC Girder Bridge Superstructures in Consideration of the Carbon Footprint

Rapid technological advancements and increasing emphasis on sustainability have provided bridge managers with more opportunities and challenges than ever before. This study presents a decision support system developed to optimize the maintenance/repair management of RC bridge superstructures through advanced technology solutions, with the goal of improving structural safety and serviceability while minimizing the lifecycle cost and environmental impact. In the proposed system, a structural performance assessment module is incorporated with information techniques and sensor networks to achieve intelligent real-time perception, a structural failure risk analysis module is provided that is based on stochastic simulation approaches, and a carbon footprint control module is provided that is based on the lifecycle carbon emission track. Three maintenance strategies based on the different principles are compared through the case study of an existing urban bridge. An optimized maintenance/repair plan decision is achieved with the developed system. The results indicate that the maintenance activities consume almost half of the overall lifecycle carbon emissions, and thus the creation of an optimized maintenance plan that considers environmental impacts is of great significance. © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.