The Project

The road network in the Vienna, Lower Austria and Moravia region is facing major challenges in terms of structures, such as aging buildings, increasing traffic loads, effects of climate change, new quality requirements and a limited budget for road infrastructure. In order to maintain a reliable road network, new, innovative approaches must be followed, applying in particular to bridge structures. Their maintenance management is currently based on regular inspections and damages are only discovered when obvious, leading to a damage-based and, therefore, reactive process. However, problems in structures are often already apparent inside them due to the actual but often unknown effects. The bridges of the future should be able to provide information about their condition and their development at an earlier point in time and in addition to the building inspections.

The aim of the "SAFEBRIDGE" project is to develop in-depth numerical, reliability-oriented assessment methods (VNZB) for bridge structures (in accordance with ONB4008-3 Level III) and to make them accessible to a large number of engineering offices and infrastructure operators in the Vienna, Lower Austria and Moravia region. These in-depth numerical, reliability-oriented assessment methods serve to provide relevant information for the holistic assessment of bridge systems and have a significant effect on the efficient and targeted use of the limited budget in bridge maintenance.

The core outputs of the project for the infrastructure operators and engineering community of the Vienna, Lower Austria and Moravia region are: (a) Access to the in-depth numerical statistical modules and reliability-oriented assessment methods for the holistic assessment of bridge systems, (b) development of a guideline for the risk-reduced application of the in-depth procedures, and (c) design of a sustainable training program. To date, these three approaches have not been processed in any of the European countries and worldwide for the infrastructure operators and the engineering community, and, therefore, they can be classified as highly innovative.

Ten bridge case studies from the Vienna, Lower Austria and Moravia region are selected together with the Strat. Partners, for the application of the developed in-depth numerical, reliability-oriented assessment methods. The most important findings are presented and further converted into a guideline. Regular meetings serve to transfer know-how to and from the strategic partners and to calibrate the pilot training program based on the 10 selected case studies. A future training program at the University is planned to be developed in order to meet the needs of the engineering community and it will also be accessible to Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs).