Safety Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Highway Bridges Under Overloaded Truck Traffic: A Data-driven Assessment using Static Weighing Station (sws) Records

Abstract

Assessing performance assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) highway bridges subjected to overloaded truck is important in maintaining safety and sustainability of transport infrastructures. These trucks cause threat to bridges and lead to deterioration if not managed. The framework of assessment consists of structural analysis techniques, load rating methodologies, condition assessment procedures, and risk evaluation criteria. Studies showed that bridges in Ethiopia are overloaded and hence, in this study, a comprehensive safety assessment of selected RC highway bridges subjected to overloaded truck is presented. Nine RC girder bridges found along the selected routes have been considered for investigation. To investigate the effects of overloaded vehicles on Ethiopian bridges, 51,900 actual truck loading data from three static weighing stations (SWS) were collected over a period of five years. Rating factors for bridges were determined based on legal loads, actual truck load data, and extrapolated load data, taking into account the estimated remaining service life of the bridges and possible future reinforcement corrosion. The results revealed that, on average, 16.3 % and 33.85 % of the trucks violated the limit set on national regulation and bridge formulas, respectively. In addition, the rating factors for the bridges were reduced by 30.18 % and 56.29 % for the actual truck load data and extrapolated load data, respectively, compared to the legal loads. The result showed the bridges’ performance is severely affected and hence enforcing the current law and developing appropriate mitigation strategies are recommended.