Conclusion
Assessment of existing bridges and road traffic loads

The maintenance and retrofitting of bridges showing signs of failure is becoming a major concern for highway network managers. Extending the service life of existing infrastructure is a key challenge for infrastructure managers worldwide. To evaluate an existing structure, it is often necessary to go beyond the simple and conservative methods generally used for calculating new structures, so that their reliability can be accurately assessed.

At the design stage, a new structure does not yet exist and is designed, using standards, to ensure a service life during which it will provide users with the expected service. However, an existing structure has a history of use and is therefore no longer merely a design concept. To conduct a “health assessment,” one must (or should) be familiar with this history. There is no alternative but to rely on the results of on-site...