DMRB CS 451 – Structural review and assessment of highway structures

Access free from the DMRB website. Also available from CIS.

This document presents a system for structural review and assessment of structures as recommended by “Management of Highway Structures– A Code of Practice”.

Structural review and, where necessary, assessment and strengthening, are on-going activities in the management of highway structures, ensuring that the operational capacity available reflects the needs of the network, including STGO and SO vehicle movements. This ensures that the capacities of structures are kept up-to-date and reduce the risk of structural inadequacy due to ongoing deterioration, accidental or other damage, changes in vehicle loading, and changes in design and assessment standards. Structural review and assessment contribute to route strategies, for example enabling identification of the points of lowest capacity on a route and supporting decisions on route upgrades.

Structural review and assessment also contributes to maintenance strategies. For example, by capturing the reserve factors of the bridge stock, and recording them in the Overseeing Organisations’ records management system, data on the change in reserve factor over time can be used to support decisions on maintenance interventions.