Bridges are critical to the nation’s transportation system and economy. With an average age of 43 years, existing U.S. bridges are subject to aging, deterioration, corrosion, cracking, delamination, material fatigue, and chemical degradation. These problems may occur naturally over time or as a result of conditions such as traffic and weather events. According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, approximately 178 million vehicles cross over 47,000 structurally deficient U.S. bridges every day.
Our titles discuss issues of the design, maintenance, and inspection of bridges, and offer guidance to transportation agencies, builders, and federal, state, and local planners. All are free to download.
Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future
TRB Special Report 329: Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future explores pending and future federal investment and policy decisions concerning the federal Interstate Highway System. Congress …
The Vital Federal Role in Meeting the Highway Innovation Imperative
TRB Special Report 331 concludes that with sustained and adequate funding and modest improvements in research, development, and technology (RD&T), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint …
TRB Special Report 330: Performance of Bridges That Received Funding Under the Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program, examines the results of a federal program to promote innovation in highway bridge construction. The report …
Research to Support Evaluation of Truck Size and Weight Regulations
TRB’s Truck Size and Weight Limits Research Plan Committee has issued its second and final report, Research to Support Evaluation of Truck Size and Weight Regulations, to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The report presents a research plan …
Bridge System Safety and Redundancy
TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 776: Bridge System Safety and Redundancy provides proposed revisions to the design philosophy section of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials …
Proposed Guideline for Reliability-Based Bridge Inspection Practices
TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 782: Proposed Guideline for Reliability-Based Bridge Inspection Practices presents a proposed guideline for reliability-based bridge inspection practices and provides two case …
State Bridge Load Posting Processes and Practices
TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 453: State Bridge Load Posting Processes and Practices is a synthesis of the practices of U.S. state governments in restricting weights of vehicles that can cross highway …
Bridges for Service Life Beyond 100 Years: Innovative Systems, Subsystems, and Components
TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Report S2-R19A-RW-1: Bridges for Service Life Beyond 100 Years: Innovative Systems, Subsystems, and Components develops approaches and procedures to enhance service life design for …