The FHWA Long- Term Bridge Performance Program

Speaker:Dr. Hamid Ghasemi
Program Manager
Turner- Fairbank Highway Research Center
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown pike
McLean, VA 22101
202-493-3042
hamid.Ghasemi@fhwa.dot.govABSTRACTWith the passage of SAFETEA-LU, the FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D (HRDI) is initiating the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program, an ambitious multi-year research program which is modeled somewhat after the Long-Term Pavement Performance program. The LTBP Program has been designed as a 20-year effort that will include detailed inspections and periodic evaluations and testing on a representative sample of bridges throughout the United States in order to monitor and document their performance over an extended period of time. The LTBP Program will also include a set of instrumented bridges that can provide continuous, long-term, structural performance data, and may include detailed forensic autopsies on structures that are decommissioned by State transportation agencies. The intent is to collect performance data on deterioration, corrosion, or other types of degradation; structural impacts from overloads; and the effectiveness of various maintenance and improvement strategies typically used throughout the United States. It is anticipated that the resulting LTBP database will provide high quality, quantitative performance data for highway bridges that will support improved designs, improved predictive models, and better bridge management systems in the future. HRDI will be conducting several workshops during 2006 to acquaint FHWA, DOT staff, and researchers on the elements of the program.The Scientific Community is Cordially Invited.

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 203

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Evangeline Reyes