U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000


Skip to content U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration

Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations

 
REPORT
This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
Publication Number:  FHWA-HRT-16-007    Date:  January 2016
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-007
Date: January 2016

 

Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program Protocols, Version 1

PDF Version (5.08 MB)

PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®

Protocol Worksheets for Data Collection

 

FOREWORD

This study was conducted as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program. The LTBP Program is a long-term research effort, authorized by the U.S. Congress under SAFETEA-LU, the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users,” to collect high-quality bridge data from a representative sample of highway bridges nationwide that will help the bridge community to better understand bridge performance. The products from this program will be a suite of data-driven tools, including predictive and forecasting models that will enhance the ability of bridge owners to optimize their management of bridges.

In order to ensure that LTBP Program data are collected in a consistent manner over the duration of the program, data collection protocols are being developed for use by LTBP researchers. This report presents 51 protocols that will be used throughout the LTBP Program for data collection, mining of bridge legacy data, visual inspection, sampling and testing of concrete materials, and nondestructive evaluation of bridges, as well as data management and storage. Future versions will present additional protocols that will be implemented in the LTBP Program studies as well as any modifications deemed necessary to the 51 protocols herein. This report will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and decision makers involved with the research, design, construction, inspection, maintenance, and management of bridges.

Jorge E. Pagán-Ortiz
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

 

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-HRT-16-007

2. Government Accession No. 3 Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle

Long-Term Bridge Performance Program Protocols, Version 1

5. Report Date

January 2016

6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s)

John M. Hooks—J. M. Hooks & Associates
Jeff Weidner—Intelligent Infrastructure Systems

8. Performing Organization Report No.

 

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
The Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
100 Brett Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8058

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-07-R-00136

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Final ReportFinal Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

HRDI-50

15. Supplementary Notes

FHWA Contacts: Susan Lane, HRDI-50 and Yamayra Rodriguez-Otero, HRDI-50

16. Abstract

The Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program is a long-term research effort to collect scientific performance data from a representative sample of bridges in the United States. Data will be collected for in-service bridges using a variety of techniques. These data will be supplemented with legacy data from design plans, design and construction specifications, as-built plans and construction records, inspection and maintenance records, weather records, and traffic data. To maintain consistency in the manner in which data are collected and stored, a set of protocols has been developed. These protocols provide guidance on what kinds of information to obtain from existing bridge records and how each field testing activity is to be conducted; how to identify and classify the defects and how to measure their extent; and how to document the location and severity of the defect in the bridge element being evaluated. The protocols also specify the accuracy to which defect measurements are to be recorded. This report presents protocols for the collection and mining of legacy data, site preparation, visual inspection, sampling and testing of materials, nondestructive evaluation, and data storage and management. Future versions of this report will include additional protocols covering other activities, data collection methods, and analysis and reporting protocols for the LTBP Program.

17. Key Words

Bridge, bridge inspection, Long-Term Bridge Performance Program, LTBP, testing protocols, data collection

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.

19. Security Classification
(of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classification
(of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

331

22. Price

N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors

 

 

 

Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center | 6300 Georgetown Pike | McLean, VA | 22101