A bridge management system or BMS is a means for managing bridges throughout design, construction, operation and maintenance of the bridges. As funds available become tighter, road authorities around the world are facing challenges related to bridge management and the escalating maintenance requirements of large infrastructure assets. Bridge management systems help agencies to meet their objectives, such as building inventories and inspection databases, planning for maintenance, repair and rehabilitation (MR&R) interventions in a systematic way, optimizing the allocation of financial resources, and increasing the safety of bridge users.
The major tasks in bridge management are: collection of inventory data; inspection; assessment of condition and strength; repair, strengthening or replacement of components; and prioritizing the allocation of funds. A BMS is a means of managing bridge information to formulate maintenance programs within cost limitations. A BMS includes four basic components: data storage, cost and deterioration models, optimization and analysis models, and updating functions.
Famous quotes containing the words bridge, management and/or system:
“Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.”
—Paul Simon (b. 1949)
“The Management Area of Cherokee
National Forest, interested in fish,
Has mapped Tellico and Bald Rivers
And North River, with the tributaries
Brookshire Branch and Sugar Cove Creed:
A fishy map for facile fishery....”
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“Some rough political choices lie ahead. Should affirmative action be retained? Should preference be given to people on the basis of income rather than race? Should the system be—and can it be—scrapped altogether?”
—David K. Shipler (b. 1942)