Sustainable Prioritization of Bridge Rehabilitation Considering Road User Cost

This paper discusses a number of ramifications related to the road user costs within the framework of a Bridge Maintenance and Management System (BMMS). The findings and the implications are based on a real life case study of six bridges on the national road network within the Republic of Ireland. The chosen bridges are all affected by one or more problems chiefly related to the durability of the structures. The decisions on these bridges are particularly important due to their geographical, socio-economic and socio-political significance to the owners, the managers and the end-users. Initially a brief overview of the existing bridge maintenance and management framework and the general practice in the implementation of the same in the Republic of Ireland is provided in this paper. Then the impact of road user costs on the viable intervention options on these chosen bridges within the network of national roads is demonstrated through examples. The variability of the participation of the road user cost in sustainable prioritization of bridge rehabilitation is critically investigated. The findings of this study qualitatively and quantitatively illustrate how road user costs can significantly influence the final decision-making on bridge structures and emphasize the importance of the same within any BMMS.