FHWA Launches Flagship Initiative to Collect Nationwide Data on Highway Bridges

Federal Highway Administration
2 May 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 2, 2008
Contact: Nancy Singer
(202) 366-0660
FHWA 08-08

WASHINGTON, DC - A 20-year research effort to collect data on bridges nationwide will lead to better investment decisions on bridges, Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray, announced today.

"Bringing a strategic and national perspective to bridge research will offer tremendous benefits," Ray said. "The approach is forward-looking in providing the information bridge owners need to make the best investment decisions."

Ray added that the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) program represents a flagship initiative to collect and analyze performance data on selected bridges around the country to understand how they react under given conditions.

The data collected will be used for a variety of purposes, including the study of deterioration and durability of bridges and the impacts of maintenance and repair. Researchers expect the program to provide a better understanding of bridge deterioration, including the effects of corrosion, fatigue, environmental conditions and loadings.

The Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) has been awarded a contract, worth up to $25.5 million, to carry out the program through fiscal year 2012. The work will be conducted by a broad-based team assembled by CAIT representing state, local, and federal agencies, industry and academia.