THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A BRIDGE MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF

BRIDGE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES
Linda S. Templo, Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippines
Luz Lagunzad, Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippines
Malcolm Pound, Cardno MBK International, Australia
Mr Peter Knee

ABSTRACT
The Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is developing and
implementing a bridge management system (BMS) for the approximately 8,700 bridges along
national roads throughout the country. The BMS is part of an integrated management system
designed to improve the operation of all functions and activities of the DPWH. High Point
Rendel Ltd is providing the BMS component under a consultancy contract funded by the Asian
Development Bank.

Existing bridge inspections in the Philippines require improvement for planning and
maintenance of the bridge stock. Improved bridge inspection procedures are being developed
for the BMS to provide on an annual basis condition data suitable for network needs analysis,
assessment of routine maintenance, assessment of major maintenance and planning of bridges
for betterment or replacement.

The BMS will analyse the bridge condition data, determine the ranking and priority of bridge
activities and will evaluate the alternatives of preservation or replacement. It will provide data
for the production of annual work programs and multi-year work programs to maintain the
bridge stock and insure the sustainability of the bridge stock.

This paper describes the progress on the BMS to date and discuss the issues involved in
establishing a functional and sustainable system suitable to meet the needs of both long term
network planning and short-term maintenance, under the Philippine conditions.

INTRODUCTION
Management of the national road network in the Republic of the Philippines is the responsibility
of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The responsibilities for the
administration of the national road network currently lies with the various Regional, District,
Engineering Offices, Services and Bureaus within the DPWH.

Although the various Bureaus are well established and have generally served well the network’s
needs, there is now a requirement to upgrade some of the current systems and procedures to
ensure that expenditure priorities are established by rational methods that will maximize
benefits from expenditures on the road network.

To assist in the upgrading of current systems, a unified road management system is being
developed to support all DPWH core business processes of planning, programming and
implementation of road development and preservation, and the support processes of financial,
information procurement, and human resource management.
As part of this road management system a Bridge Management System (BMS) is to be
developed, implemented and institutionalised. This paper specifically addresses the
improvements being made through the implementation of the BMS.

BMS provides a systematic structure in the process of managing bridges. They allow a highway
authority to synthesize the information on the current conditions of the bridges in the highway
network being considered such that programs of further inspections, maintenance and
rehabilitation works, enhancement works and bridge replacements can each be prioritised. In the
context of the present project, preparation of these programs is to be the primary output with the
focus on providing computerized systems to manage these functions efficiently and effectively.

SCOPE OF PROJECT
The scope of the present project includes the following items:

! Establishing procedures that will enable the DPWH to generate effective programs for
bridge maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement;
! Providing a Bridge Management Application and integrating it with other applications
in the DPWH environment;
! Defining the stages, work processes and annual timing of bridge management cycle for
production of annual work program (AWP) and multi-year work program (MWP).
! Writing detailed procedures on use of the Bridge Management application for needs
analysis and multi year programming and annual budgeting purposes;
! Developing Key Performance Indicators for performance monitoring.
! Providing training and practical exercises to DPWH staff in all aspects of the
application and its use; and
! Defining a quality assurance system for all aspects of use of the bridge management
application

EXISTING PRACTICE
As with most road agencies, bridges receive less attention during the planning and budgeting
processes than the pavements of the highway network. This is primarily a consequence of the
value of the bridge infrastructure being dwarfed by the value of the road network in financial
terms. Hence the number of policies in place with regard to bridge management are few by
comparison with pavement management.

In the Philippines the only identified policies are detailed in terms of “Key Measurable Targets”
in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan 2001-2004 as follows:

" National bridges will be 95% permanent by 2004, compared to 89% in 2000.
" The highest priority shall be given to the maintenance of existing assets, including
preventive maintenance, in order to prolong the useful life of the road network at minimum
cost.

Both these policies are directed towards achieving worthwhile outcomes, however the
development of the BMS will enable the DPWH to examine these more closely to ensure that
bridges earmarked for upgrading to permanent structures represent the most effective use of
scarce financial resources. It will also provide the impetus to ensure that the 2nd policy of
maintaining existing assets results in adequate financial resources being applied to this activity.

Bridge Inspections
Bridges in the Philippines are well inspected compared to practices adopted in other countries of
comparable development. Bridge inspections are undertaken as follows:
• Routine inspections are undertaken on a monthly basis by the district offices for the
assessment and monitoring of routine and periodic maintenance to the bridges. These
 inspections are generally directed to maintenance of the bridge carriageways and do not
have any focus on the structural condition of the bridges. However, they are used to
highlight structural problems when these are known to exist.
• Quarterly bridge inspections are undertaken by the Bureau of Maintenance, primarily
for monitoring the performance of the district offices in maintaining public
infrastructure.
• Annual inspections are undertaken at the request of the Planning Service as part of the
process to upgrade the National Bridge Master Plan. These inspections generally focus
on the replacement of the existing bridges rather than a comprehensive assessment of
possible alternative actions.
• Emergency inspections are undertaken after calamities. These inspections are
undertaken to assess the impact of any calamities on the structure and security of the
bridges.

These existing bridge inspections are undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the
DPWH Central Office and utilize standard forms, formats and procedures. The district and
regional offices generally comply with these requirements though there are differences in
practices between districts and/or regions.

The district and regional offices have qualified engineering staff well aware of their
responsibilities to undertake bridge inspections and associated reporting as required by Central
Office. These offices are well established and resourced to undertake inspections at a
professional level.

There are no formal requirements for the structural review and rating of bridges. Such reviews
and ratings undertaken appear to be based on subjective approaches rather than technical
reviews of existing bridges. This assessment may be limited due to the lack of availability of
design information on the bridges, especially for the older bridges that normally require
significant works due to age, lesser design standards and deterioration.

Bridge Inventory
A significant bridge inventory is maintained within the DPWH Development Planning Division,
Planning Service. The bridge inventory is updated based on the annual bridge inspection
reports.

The bridge inventory includes 8,723 bridges as summarized in Table 1 as at 30 May 2002.

Table 1 – Philippines Bridge Inventory

Type of bridge Number of bridges Comment
Permanent 6,669 Long life structures
Temporary 1,994 Bailey and similar structures
No Structure 60 Crossings requiring bridges
TOTAL 8,723

Bridges are presently described as “permanent” or “temporary”. This is an artificial distinction

and it has been recommended that this classification be removed as it leads to the impression
that “temporary” bridges are inferior to other bridges and should be replaced as a high priority.
In many cases, alternative solutions (for example, steel decks on Bailey type bridges) could
provide long life structures suitable for particular site conditions (light traffic conditions) at a
considerable saving in capital costs

The majority of bridge programs are funded by international agencies such as the Asian
Development Bank or bilateral aid programs.
This international funding skews the bridge replacement process as most foreign funding is
directed to infrastructure development programs and does not fund maintenance of
infrastructure except possibly for bridges that are part of funded road projects.

Infrastructure Planning Process

The DPWH has a well-established system for the planning of national road network
infrastructure development. The principal planning document is the Master Plan which is for an
eighteen (18) year period to review the overall requirement for road infrastructure in the
Philippines and to prepare a strategic road network development plan to achieve the promotion
of regional economy and industrialization of the country. The Master Plan has been prepared
in two sections, covering Luzon and the Visayas and Mindanao respectively.

The Master Plan is used to develop the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP)
that is updated on a six (6) year cycle to suit the term of the current administration.

This process generally concentrates on upgrading road links in the national road network and
the process for bridges is not specifically detailed.

The MTPDP establishes the implementation schedule for road projects developed to meet the
goals, targets and objectives of the master plan.

Bridges may be included in the master plan in several arrangements as listed below:
• Included in the construction or upgrading of particular road links as the upgrading
and/or replacement of bridges along the links.
• Included as one-off bridge projects to address identified constraints on existing road
links.
• Included as part of bridge programs to upgrade or replace bridges in particular areas or
to address modified requirements and/or criteria.

Bridge Master Plan

The DPWH bridge master plan (a separate document from the overall Master Plan described
above) is maintained within the DPWH Development Planning Division, Planning Service and
is the basis of the bridge component of the MTPDP.

As at 30 May 2002, the bridge master plan included 2858 bridges for major maintenance or
replacement as summarized in Table 2.

Table 2 - Philippines Bridge Master Plan

ACTION Number of bridges

Funded 1,097
Proposed 125
Outstanding 1,636
TOTAL 2,858

Funding arrangements with bilateral and multilateral aid agencies such as ADB, JICA and JBIC
covers the majority of the funded bridges.

The selection of the proposed action to overcome a bridge problem is based mainly on a simple
assessment of the physical condition of a bridge.

Simple economic evaluations are normally undertaken for bridge proposals based on diversion
analysis. This analysis method is considered to require improvement as it only addresses the
complete loss (collapse) of the structure and does not consider the probability of failure of the
existing bridge.
Bridge Funding
Apart from routine and periodic maintenance, the majority of bridge projects on national roads
are implemented using foreign assistance.

The requirements of the foreign assistance agency are matched with projects on the DPWH
Bridge Master Plan taking account of the DPWH selection procedures to achieve lists of project
bridges acceptable to both the funding agency and the DPWH. This process may result in the
inclusion of bridges of low priority and attractiveness.

Annual Planning and Budgeting Program

Funding for bridges on National roads in the Philippines is allocated in the Annual
Infrastructure Program by several methods:
• Routine and periodic maintenance of bridges is funded through the Equivalent
Maintenance Kilometre (EMK) system. This funding is based on an allocation to each
district based on the equivalent length of national roads and bridges. (i.e. weighted
length of road x constant rate Pesos/Kilometre)
• Local funding for capital projects including both major maintenance and new projects.
All projects are ranked according to standard procedures that favour new projects.
• Bilateral and multilateral funded projects. These projects generally cover upgrading of
a particular road link including bridges. These projects include bridge maintenance
and/or replacement based on feasibility studies undertaken as part of the projects.
Funding may be by grant or loan and may be with or without a local contribution.

The EMK allocation is made on an annual basis to all districts. The allocation is generally less
than the funding required to fully address the need for routine and periodic maintenance due to
funding restrictions. This is exacerbated in districts with older or high maintenance
infrastructure, as the EMK formula does not take account of the actual need for routine and
periodic maintenance. The distribution of the EMK funds to maintenance activities on roads
and bridges is at the discretion of the District Engineer. In many cases, due to the shortfall in
funding, money is diverted from periodic bridge maintenance to other areas.

Funding for structural repairs outside the scope of the EMK allocation is available but in
practice, this source of funding is very small as the bridge maintenance activities are competing
for funds with other road activities. Bridge maintenance does not have a high priority and
therefore loses out to other projects. Some preventive maintenance funding is available in the
DPWH budget but this funding is restricted to road maintenance.

Any maintenance work or repairs to bridges outside the scope of routine and periodic
maintenance is considered to be capital works and competes with other capital projects for the
limited available funds. This effectively starves this type of work from funding as priorities are
biased towards new development projects.

Setting Priorities
The DPWH Planning Service determines the priority for all proposed works to bridges other
than routine and periodic maintenance based on annually updated bridge inventory and bridge
master plan.

Due to the shortage in local funds and the reliance on foreign assistance for capital projects,
many bridges requiring major maintenance are not funded. Unfunded bridges requiring major
maintenance result in operational difficulties in the engineering districts in which they are
located, which are normally addressed by the imposition of service limits.
Areas of Improvement
There are many processes and procedures throughout the DPWH that are associated with the
design, construction, maintenance and management of bridges, that with modifications and
improvements, would substantially improve the management of bridges in the Philippines.
These areas are briefly discussed in the following sections:
• Improved procedures for bridge inspections and condition assessments are required to
enable the state of the national bridge stock to be accurately monitored and managed.
• Improved data collection on bridges is required to ensure accurate information is
maintained for all national bridges.
• Bridge major maintenance funding. Apart from the allocation under the EMK system,
there is no distinct funding allocation for major maintenance of bridges. If major
maintenance is required, it has to compete with funding for new projects; generally
maintenance projects are not funded, as the funding system gives preference to new
projects that have an increased public profile. There is a need for a system to allocate
funding for major maintenance to bridges that does not compete with funding for new
projects.
• Procedures for the selection of bridge projects and the setting of priorities for major
maintenance, upgrading and replacement need to be developed.

The BMS is designed to address these deficiencies and provide a sound basis for the future
management of bridges on national roads.

PROPOSED BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Requirement for BMS

The purpose of the BMS is illustrated in Figure 1. The BMS is a tool that will enable the
DPWH to monitor the state of the country’s bridges and to establish a rational and defensible
case for specific funding for bridge asset preservation and maintenance funds.

The BMS can be envisaged as acting at two levels as follows:

• At the network level to generally determine the overall state of the bridge stock and to
assist in the estimation of the necessary funding to maintain the bridge stock on a
sustainable basis, and
• At the bridge level to determine the work requirements to individual bridges and to
assist in the establishment of annual bridgework programs to address sub-standard
bridges.

The purpose of the BMS is to monitor and manage the stock of bridges represented by the
bridge inventory to enable sound decisions to be made concerning the maintenance, upgrading
and replacement of national bridges. It will maintain a permanent easily assessable record of
condition for all bridges on national roads, based on an initial inventory survey and ongoing
regular condition surveys. The bridge inventory and condition information are assessed against
bridge records and the DPWH standards for bridges to determine the necessary work
requirements to maintain the bridge infrastructure.

The BMS will enable planning of structured programs of bridge works in line with DPWH
policies and funding restrictions to implement the necessary works to maintain the bridge
infrastructure. The condition of the bridge stock will improve throughout the Philippines with
the selection of the bridge works selected on a rational basis to meet the actual requirements. It
will not preclude the DPWH selecting bridge projects based on other criteria.

The DPWH has established a central database known as the Road and Bridge Information
Application (RBIA) for the storage of all inventory data covering roads and bridges on national
roads. The RBIA will include inventory information on each bridge on the national road
network. The BMS will be fully and seamlessly integrated with the RBIA.

The BMS and the RBIA are based on the Confirm software provided by SouthBankSystems
PLC.

Policies
The adoption of the BMS has required the development and adoption of new policies
specifically to apply to the management of national bridges. The following policies have been
proposed for the establishment of the BMS:
• Policy 1: The RBIA and BMS will be implemented and maintained for all
national bridges.
• Policy 2: The DPWH will provide the necessary funding in the DPWH budget to
implement and maintain the BMS.
• Policy 3: The BMS will be fully integrated into the DPWH overall planning
process.
• Policy 4: All bridges on national roads should have an annual condition
inspection and assessment to enable the BMS to be updated and
maintained.
• Policy 5: A specific funding allocation will be provided in the DPWH budget for
a major maintenance program to repair deteriorated bridges on national
roads.
• Policy 6: The design and implementation of bridge major maintenance should be
certified by the responsible and authorized officer as complying with
DPWH standards, guidelines or other requirements.
Together these policies will provide the framework within which the BMS will provide a
sustainable system for managing the bridge infrastructure.

BMS Constraints
The BMS is being set up to manage the maintenance, upgrading and replacement of bridges
required to address the deterioration of bridges and to maintain the bridge stock to an acceptable
standard. It does not directly consider the capacity of a bridge in traffic or structural terms.

It is important to recognize that bridge upgrading and replacement may occur for other reasons
including:
• Upgrading of a road link to a higher standard,
• Increasing traffic density on a bridge,
• Increased traffic loadings (vehicle weight), and
• Changes in bridge design standards.

For example, bridges may also be upgraded as part of major upgrading of the roads on which
they are located. For example, upgrading a two lane road to a divided four lane motorway
requires the bridges to be similarly upgraded though the existing bridges may be sound and
suitable for the current traffic levels.

These link upgrading projects are outside the management scope of the BMS. However, any
changes to bridges resulting from such causes must be incorporated in the RBIA and reflected in
the BMS for ongoing maintenance.

Bridge Activities
To enable the outputs from the BMS to be properly determined and prioritized, it is necessary to
clarify and define the types of activity that should be considered for bridges.
The proposed works categories are as follows:

Routine maintenance Routine and periodic maintenance to bridges undertaken using

routine maintenance funds. Works undertaken as routine
maintenance includes works that are urgent to safeguard the
bridge and the public, works not requiring formal design and
documentation, and works that can be undertaken within 10
maintenance crew days per bridge per year. Routine
maintenance is not managed by the BMS.
Major maintenance Repair work to bridges that is outside the scope of work
handled under routine maintenance and which requires a
separate allocation of funds. This category should include all
works to bridges to prevent deterioration, to address existing
damage and to overcome conditions that may impact on the
bridges. It does not include any work that would improve the
level of service provided by the bridges.
Emergency maintenance Work undertaken to a bridge to address an emergency event or
calamity outside the scope of routine maintenance but without
normal procedures. Emergency maintenance is not managed
by the BMS.
Upgrading Work to existing bridges that is outside the scope of work of, or
exceeds the financial limit for major repairs would be defined
as upgrading. This would include extensive and expensive
repairs, strengthening, retrofitting, widening and reconstruction
of elements.
Replacement Replacement is defined as the construction of new bridges
including the replacement of existing bridges.

These categories and procedures are applicable to normal bridges that represent more than 99%
of the existing bridge stock of the Philippines. Major bridges, such as cable stayed bridges, are
to be treated as special cases and given special consideration.

Planning and Funding

The bridge master plan will be prepared in two distinct sections, as listed below, to ensure
clarity in the bridge management process, and to encourage the allocation of specific funding
for each area:
• Major maintenance
• Upgrading and replacement

These two sections of the bridge master plan would together form part of the MTPDP.

Funding for major maintenance to bridges will be provided to be spent throughout the
Philippines based on assessed priorities determined using the BMS. Forecast funding
requirements shall be estimated using the BMS for six year periods (matching medium term
planning requirement). The estimated replacement cost of the Philippines bridge stock is
estimated to be Pesos 100 billion. A reasonable estimate of the major maintenance requirements
for bridges is 0.5% of the replacement cost of the bridge stock. Therefore, the major
maintenance funding requirement for the bridge stock is approximately Pesos 500 million. The
annual budget for major maintenance to bridges shall comprise 10% of the total funds provided
for maintenance of national roads. This level of funding should enable the major maintenance
needs of the bridge stock to be addressed over a reasonable implementation period.

The funding arrangements and procedures for bridge upgrading and replacement projects would
remain unchanged from the current situation.
BMS Requirements
The BMS comprises two distinct functions:
• The major system that records information from annual condition inspections in the
RBIA and ranks condition for each bridge to prepare schedules of major maintenance,
upgrading and replacement requirements for bridges, and
• The generally parallel system to review and confirm bridge activities prior to
implementation.

The overall structure of the BMS is illustrated in Figure 2.

The BMS requires and maintains the required records of bridges in a controlled manner,
operated through standard procedures to control the collection of data, the updating of the
database, the processing of the data and the development of the specified outputs and reporting.

Four types of data are required for the establishment and operation of the BMS as listed below:
• Location
• Inventory
• Condition
• Operation

The location data identifies the bridges on the national road network and includes basic location
data such as name, road, location, region, district, etc. This data would be obtained once and
only updated when bridges are constructed, replaced or abandoned.

The inventory data contains data on the geometry and type of construction of the bridges
including detailed data on a standardized set of bridge elements that make up a “bridge” in
terms of the need to maintain, classify and report on the bridges. This data will also ultimately
be installed in the RBIA. This data would also be obtained once and only updated when bridges
are modified, constructed, replaced or abandoned.

The condition data includes data on the condition and required work to the standardized set of
bridge elements included in the inventory data. Data would be obtained annually during
condition bridge inspections and would be separately recorded in the BMS for each inspection.

Annual bridge condition inspections will be the basis of the BMS as the collection of regular
condition data on each bridge provides the major input into the BMS and enables the bridge
maintenance or replacement requirement to be determined and reviewed on an annual basis. By
comparison with the existing routine inspections, the new procedures will provide more
comprehensive information and enable planners to have a more effective impact on program
preparation.

The operation data records the completion of engineering inspection reports, feasibility studies,
design activities, etc necessary to confirm the inclusion of bridges into the major maintenance
program or master bridge list.

Bridge Inspections
Ongoing bridge inspections are crucial to the establishment and sustainability of the BMS. The
ongoing requirements of the BMS have been met by the provision of a two-tiered arrangement
of condition inspections:
• Annual condition inspections (Type 3) to a standard procedure that provide condition
data based on visual inspection methods sufficient for all purposes other than bridge
design.
• Engineering inspections (Type 4) that are undertaken when required to provide further
particular information about a specific aspect of a structure for assessment purposes.
The ongoing bridge inspections required following implementation of the BMS and associated
business practices, are summarized in Table 3.

Other inspections are involved with the sanctioning of district offices and routine maintenance
operations.

Table 3 - Required Bridge Inspections

Type Name Frequency Purpose
1 Routine Monthly Scheduling of routine maintenance, check on bridge
condition
2 Maintenance Quarterly QA review of maintenance activities and level of
service
3 Condition Annual To obtain condition data on the bridges
4 Engineering As required To document major works required to bridges
5 Detail Ten years To confirm status of bridge
6 Emergency As required To determine emergency work to bridges following
calamities, ensure safety of bridges
7 Inventory As required To obtain/update bridge inventory data

The ongoing bridge inspections are required to supply data to address the needs of all functions,
which use bridge data in DPWH, including long and medium term network planning, feasibility
studies, bridge design and maintenance planning.

This arrangement provides an economical solution to collection of sufficient data for operation
of an effective BMS and to also meet the more demanding requirements of design for particular
bridges.

Inventory Inspections
The inventory as maintained in the RBIA is the basis of the BMS as accurate condition
inspections, reporting and actions rely on correct inventory. The inventory inspection for the
new inventory is carried out once only because inventory information rarely changes. Updates
to the bridge inventory will be made as an outcome of condition and engineering inspections as
well as other methods.

Bridge Condition Inspections

Bridge condition inspections will be undertaken annually to collect condition data. The
inspections involve only visual observation of the main elements and components of the bridge.
For high or difficult bridges, the use of special bridge access equipment may be required to
inspect the underside of the superstructure.

It has been assumed that bridge inspectors will be experienced field engineers and will be given
specific training into the requirements for the bridge inspections. The bridge inspectors will
have sufficient knowledge and experience with the assessment of bridges or similar structures,
to competently complete the inspection forms. The bridge inspectors should also have the
ability to prepare, or have access to experienced bridge engineers, who can provide the
preliminary cost estimates for the proposed works.

It is expected that the training of bridge inspectors would not be an annual task but would be
undertaken as required to maintain a pool of trained bridge inspectors.

The preparation of the bridge condition report may require more than one visit to each bridge.
Additional visits may be required if additional access equipment is required to gain access to all
bridge elements or if sufficient information was not collected on the initial visit.
Engineering Inspections
The BMS process recognizes that engineering inspections are also required for more detailed
bridge inspections outside the scope of the bridge condition inspections to examine in detail any
bridge defects identified by the bridge condition inspections.

Engineering inspections are designed to diagnose the cause, extent and severity of defects and
deterioration by close examination of each element and component using special testing
equipment where necessary. Engineering inspections could include surveys of concrete
deteriorations and steel corrosion, hydrographic surveys to review scour at bridge piers, and any
form of inspection or review outside the scope of the annual condition bridge inspection, as
required for each particular case.

It is therefore not reasonable to undertake engineering inspections of all bridges on an annual

basis, as the cost of this action would be excessive.

Engineering inspections will be automatically triggered by the bridge condition reports if

defects requiring major maintenance within two years were recorded. This will be indicated by
a bridge condition rating of 2 or 3 for any of the defined bridge elements.

The engineering inspection will be used as a confirmation of the severity of the defect and the
appropriate major maintenance required to correct the defect.

The level of expertise required to undertake the engineering inspections will be decided at
district office level to suit the identified requirement.

The level of engineering inspections could vary from minor inspections that could be
undertaken by design engineers from the district office or even by the bridge inspector (for
major maintenance such as repair of a broken wing wall or parapet) through to major
inspections undertaken by senior staff of the DPWH Bureau of Design (for assessment of
defects such as pier settlement).

The procedure for engineering inspections would be similar to that for condition inspections but
modified to suit the type of investigation required to address the defects identified in the bridge
during the condition inspection.

Detail Inspections
All bridges will receive detail inspections on a periodic basis in addition to the annual condition
inspections and the engineering inspections triggered by the presence of defects of rating 2 or 3.
The frequency of these detail inspections will depend on the findings of the bridge condition
reports, the form of bridge construction and the magnitude and importance of the bridge. It is
suggested that the inspection interval for detail inspections should be ten years if a engineering
inspection is not triggered earlier by a condition inspection.

Detail inspections will include the assessment of bridge live load capacities and a review of
bridge structures against current bridge design standards.

The procedure for detail inspections would be similar to that for condition inspections but the
inspection would comprise a more critical review of each bridge element by an experienced
bridge engineer.

Routine Inspections
Routine inspections are undertaken on a monthly basis by the engineering district offices for the
assessment and monitoring of routine and periodic maintenance to the bridges. These
inspections are generally directed to maintenance of the bridge carriageways and do not have
any focus on the structural condition of the bridges. However, they are used to highlight
structural problems when these are known to exist.
Maintenance Inspections
Maintenance bridge inspections are undertaken on a quarterly basis, primarily as part of the
sanctioning process used to monitor the performance of the engineering district offices in
maintaining public infrastructure.

Emergency Inspections
Emergency inspections are undertaken after calamities. These inspections are undertaken to
assess the impact of any calamities on the structure and security of the bridges

Implementation of Bridge Condition Inspections

The method of implementation of bridge condition inspections has not been determined to date.
Recommendations will be made separately on whether this activity should be outsourced by
contract or undertaken in-house using existing DPWH staff.

Bridge Condition Data Requirements

The condition assessment has been divided into two distinct parts as follows:
• Routine maintenance requirements, and
• Major maintenance requirements.

The BMS will assess the overall routine maintenance requirements for bridges based by
estimates of cost included in the condition survey. This data will assist the preparation of a
bridge routine maintenance program for each engineering district for the next budget year.

The BMS will separately record the major maintenance requirements for bridges based on
estimates included in the condition survey for each defined element.

The condition survey will assess the condition for each key defined element in the bridge. The
key elements will be nominated to cover all parts of the bridges.

The condition state system for the assessment of condition of the bridge elements and
components will consist of four (4) discrete scale points. This number has been selected as the
BMS is being used principally for network management purposes where the condition states are
linked to the urgency of the maintenance needs. In general, systems with too many scale points
are unsatisfactory because it becomes difficult to distinguish between adjacent points, and with
fewer scale points, the system is insufficiently discriminatory.

This scale expresses the condition in terms of the need for maintenance:
• Scale point 0 (state 0) - no maintenance required in the foreseeable future, implying that
the element or component is in good condition.
• Scale point 1 (state 1) - maintenance may be required within 10 years implying that
there is some superficial deterioration but maintenance can be safely deferred for a
significant period.
• Scale point 2 (state 2) - maintenance required within 2 years implying significant
deterioration that could soon lead to a safety problem or a substantial increase in the rate
of deterioration.
• Scale point 3 (state 3) - maintenance required within the next year implying that there
is an immediate serious problem.

This scale involves a subjective judgment, but is sufficiently simple to ensure that most
competent inspectors would make the same assessment.
It may not be possible to fully inspect some elements or components of some bridges owing to
difficulties in gaining access during routine inspections. In these cases scale points N or P are
used as well as the condition state, indicating that the inspection was not done or was only
partially done. In these cases particular care should be taken to ensure that these elements and
components are assessed at the next inspection. A high number of N or P occurrences in an
inspection report would be grounds for rejection of the report, as it would indicate that
insufficient effort was applied to obtain the required data.

For bridge elements or components that are at states 2 or 3, the inspector is required to nominate
the general type of major maintenance and to prepare an estimated cost to undertake the
required major maintenance for inclusion on the condition inspection form.

This process will enable the total bridge major maintenance need to be determined. The BMS
algorithms will be run annually to take account of the annual condition inspections and hence
the major maintenance need and major maintenance program will be updated annually.

Ranking Bridge Needs

The purpose of collecting condition data is to establish an improved method for deciding which
bridges are most in need of major maintenance and collectively to decide the allocation of the
total bridge major maintenance budget between different regions and districts. The data
collected during condition inspections consists of three types:
• Condition state
• Recommended maintenance type eg. Repair, strengthen or replace element or
component
• Estimated cost of maintenance based on the recommended maintenance method

This data can be used to assess the relative importance of maintenance needs for bridges, to
indicate the level of maintenance required and to provide an estimated cost for this work.

This data will be used to run a system of linked algorithms based on:
• Importance of the maintenance requirements
• Importance of the bridge/road

The prioritisation of the bridges for major maintenance and upgrading/replacement will be
based on the calculated bridge needs ratio (BNR) for each bridge. The BNR will be based on a
normalised calculation using the reported number of defects in each bridges weighted to allow
for the importance of each reported bridge element.

No activity in excess of routine maintenance is permitted without an engineering inspection of

the existing bridge and a full evaluation of all possible options to determine the optimum
solution to maintain the bridge to meet the road requirement.

Comparison of Bridge Actions

The options available for each bridge will be reviewed based on a whole of life analysis for each
option. This method will rapidly indicate if a bridge should repaired, upgraded or replaced.

QA System
Mistakes and errors can occur in data for a variety of reasons, such as measuring errors and
mistakes in form filling and data entry to the computer. The data are used to run algorithms the
outputs of which are used to guide decision-making. Even though these decisions are at the
network level and do not require absolute accuracy, if too many errors exist in the database it
could result in decision errors. It is therefore necessary to test for data correctness against pre-
defined criteria. This is achieved by sampling the data and checking the sample for correctness
against the original data.
QA will be applied at three levels:
• Training of bridge inspectors and BMS personnel
• Data collection stage and before entry to the database
• At BMS level to test the degree of correctness of the database

At training stage, QA will be considered in the testing of the bridge inspectors.

At data collection stage, QA will be used to monitor the performance of bridge inspectors, to
test whether particular data fields are subject to error and generally to confirm that the data is
sufficiently accurate to enter to the database.

At BMS level, the QA test will be used to check the reliability of the database. This will be
done:
• Globally for the whole country
• For specific regions and districts
• For particular data fields

The results from the QA survey can be used to monitor performance of different regions and
districts and to compare the level of accuracy for different data fields. If performance or
accuracy is below the required standard then either additional training or improved data field
definitions may be needed. Thus QA testing is not a one-off event but a continual feedback
process that is used to improve progressively the quality of the database.

Planning Process
The implementation of the proposed major maintenance, upgrading and replacement projects
will rely on specific project funding.

The BMS will assist the planning process, as the following network information will be
available, updated on an annual basis:
• Bridge performance .
• Assessment of bridge needs for major maintenance, upgrading and replacement.
• Detailed major maintenance work program for bridges.
• Detailed master bridge list of bridge upgrading and replacement projects.

This information allows for the preparation of a rolling multi-year program based on optimized
lists of bridge major maintenance, upgrading and replacement projects for the forthcoming 6
years or longer periods based on budget restraints.

CONCLUSION
The BMS is under development at the present time and will be completed in 2003. The process
design has been completed and development of the software modules to suit is under way. Trial
bridge inventory and condition data has been collected by the DPWH. This data will enable
testing and optimisation of the BMS in the coming months.

The BMS has been developed as an extension to current DPWH procedures and with
consideration of the capability and resources of the BMS. It is considered that the BMS will be
sustainable within the DPWH at all levels as the proposed procedures are consistent with
present practices and generally accepted throughout the DPWH.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Director Linda M. Templo, is the Director of the Planning Service of the Department of Public
Works and Highways, Philippines. She is a civil engineer and is in-charge in charting the course
of the country’s infrastructure development based on the vision and objectives of the Medium
Term Philippine Development Plan. Appointed in 1997, Director Templo has proven her worth
as planner and evaluator of infrastructure-related activities in a male-dominated Department. In
recognition, she was appointed, concurrent to her position, as Project Director of the Road
Information and Management Support System (RIMSS) Project, aimed to improve the quality
and delivery of the DPWH’s services through the effective use of people, processes, and
technology.

Luz V. Lagunzad is a Section Chief of the Locational Referencing System (LRS)/ Geographical
Information System (GIS) and Data Collection Administration Section, Infrastructure Planning
and Research Statistics Division, Planning Service, Department of Public Works and Highways.

Malcolm Pound is a Senior Principal of Cardno MBK International based in Brisbane,

Australia. He has extensive experience in the design, construction and management of bridges
with thirty years professional experience. He was responsible for the development of the
proposed BMS for the Philippine DPWH.

Peter Knee is Project Manager for the Pavement and Bridge Management System as being
developed by High Point Rendel PLC (UK) in association with TRL Limited (UK) and
Southbank Systems PLC (UK).
 Figure 1 BMS Overview

Details of bridge stock Current DPW H

Bridge Inventory Standards and
DPW H Policies
DPW H Guidelines and Policies
Standards
Road and traffic requirem ents

BMS
Annual Bridge
Condition
Inspections

Determ ine future

Update Bridge bridge funding
Engineering requirem ents
Managem ent
Inspections
System (BMS)

Monitor State of
Bridge Stock
Feedback on
bridge activities

Determ ine Determ ine

Bridge W ork Annual Bridge
Requirem ents W ork Program

Im plem ent
Arrange funding
Approved Bridge
(FAPs + LFPs)
Activities Routine m aintenance
Major m aintenance
Changes to bridge stock Upgrading
Replacem ent

Figure 2 Overall Structure of BMS

Bridge Condition Reports

Bridge Perform ance and

Maintain BMS Needs Routine Maintenance Requirem ents
Database
Bridges in
satisfactory condition Docum ented Bridge
Updating Major Maintenance
Undertake Program
Engineering
Inspections Schedule of Bridge
(Type 4) Major Maintenance
Projects
Bridges with condition
state 2 or 3 for som e Processing and
elem ents Ranking Bridges

Prepare Major
Review Bridge Maintenance Im plem entation
Proposals Prioritized List &
W ork Program

Prelim inary Schedules Bridge Master List

Bridge Engineering of Bridges for: (Proposed Developm ent
Inspection Reports - Major Maintenance Projects)
- Upgrading
- Replacem ent
Prepare
Upgrading/
Schedule of Prioritized Im plem entation
Bridge Upgrading and
Replacem ent
Replacem ent Projects Bridge Master
List