RISK-BASED BRIDGE SAFETY AUDIT CONSIDERING EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS, STRUCTURAL DETERIORATION, AND TRAFFIC IMPORTANCE

Abstract

Abstract

Bridges are critical components of transportation infrastructure, providing essential connectivity for economic development and emergency response.Their functionality can be severely affected by earthquakes, structural deterioration due to aging and environmental exposure, and increasing traffic demands.Conventional bridge safety inspections primarily focus on visible defects and structural condition, often without systematically integrating seismic vulnerability, deterioration mechanisms, and traffic significance into decision-making.This research proposes a comprehensive risk-based bridge safety audit framework that combines these three factors to improve bridge safety assessment and maintenance prioritization.The proposed methodology incorporates seismic hazard analysis, structural condition evaluation, and traffic importance assessment to estimate bridge risk using a multi-criteria decision-making approach.Structural deterioration is quantified through condition ratings and inspection data, while earthquake hazards are evaluated using regional seismic parameters and structural vulnerability analyses.Traffic importance is determined based on traffic volume, network connectivity, and the bridge's strategic role during emergency response and post-disaster recovery.These parameters are integrated into a unified Bridge Management System (BMS) to classify bridges according to their level of risk and prioritize inspection, maintenance, and seismic retrofitting.The framework is validated through case studies on selected highway bridges using field inspection data and numerical analyses.The proposed approach supports infrastructure managers in optimizing limited maintenance resources while enhancing bridge resilience against seismic events.By integrating engineering, risk assessment, and infrastructure management principles, the study provides a practical decision-support tool for sustainable bridge asset management, disaster risk reduction, and resilient transportation systems, ultimately contributing to improved public safety and infrastructure reliability in earthquake-prone regions.