Volume 12, Number 1 (February 2019) p.

1 – 13 • ISSN 1983-4195
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1983-41952019000100002

Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

Análise do inventário das pontes federais do Brasil

C. B. L. OLIVEIRA a
carolineburatto@yahoo.com.br
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8951-0511

M. GRECO a
mgreco@dees.ufmg.br
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5500-0225

T. N. BITTENCOURT b
tbitten@gmail.com
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6523-2687

Abstract
Bridge Management aims to provide an appropriate support to decision-making for maintenance, rehabilitation and repair strategies under con-
straint of limited budgets. In this regard, the Federal Brazilian Department of Transportation (DNIT) has developed the SGO - a Brazilian Bridge
Management System (B-BMS) - and promoted the most comprehensive road bridge inventory under its direct administration. To improve the
management of these bridge assets, the DNIT is working to develop a statistical model to predict the future condition of bridge: the most efficient
and effective tool in a BMS to planning when the maintenance actions will be required. The current paper reports on findings of inventory, predomi-
nantly composed of reinforced concrete bridges, focusing on potential deterioration agents reported and checking their influence on deterioration
conditions. Based on national database, the paper proposes a methodology to forecast Brazilian bridges deterioration rates. An example of ap-
plication is demonstrated and satisfactory prediction accuracy obtained, even for few inspection cycles and under restricted database information.

Keywords: bridge management systems, bridge inventory, bridge deterioration models, Markov chains.

Resumo
A gestão de pontes promove suporte na tomada de decisões gerenciais, otimizando as intervenções necessárias sob limitações orçamen-
tárias. Nessa perspectiva, o Departamento Federal de Transportes (DNIT) desenvolveu o Sistema Brasileiro de Gerenciamento de Pontes
(SGO) e promoveu o mais abrangente inventário de pontes rodoviárias sob sua administração direta. Atualmente, o DNIT promove pesquisa
para o desenvolvimento de um modelo estatístico de previsão das futuras condições das pontes: ferramenta basilar e de importância crucial
no gerenciamento. O presente artigo apresenta os resultados do inventário, predominantemente composto de pontes em concreto armado,
focando no registro dos potenciais agentes de deterioração e da sua possível influência no estado de conservação dessas estruturas. Base-
ado nas características do inventário, o artigo propõe uma metodologia para a previsão das taxas de deterioração de pontes brasileiras com
um exemplo da sua aplicação, obtendo boa previsão do estado futuro mesmo quando utilizada em parques de obras com poucos ciclos de
inspeções e restritas informações do banco de dados.

Palavras-chave: sistemas de gestão de pontes, inventário de pontes, modelos de deterioração, cadeias de Markov.

a
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil;
b
University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Received: 14 Jan 2018 • Accepted: 06 Jun 2018 • Available Online:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License

© 2019 IBRACON
Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

1. Introduction BMS usually have three more modules: deterioration models, cost
models, and MR&R decisions or optimization models.
Bridges play a crucial role in civil infrastructure by providing cross- The deterioration module basilar and required to develop plans for
ings at critical locations. They maintain network continuity, travers- MR&R actions. There are several methodologies to forecasting
ing natural and human-made features that otherwise would add bridge deterioration; mainly Markov chains models, regression-
significant travel time and cost [1]. Concrete bridge structures based models, dynamic response sensors and artificial intelli-
designed to maintain their service and function over extended pe- gence. All existing methods depend on the inspection data and
riods. However, they are exposed to the environmental conditions each application is derived from the specific data available from
and subjected to many deteriorative influences, such as traffic inspections. Hence, the adoption of the methodology and its ap-
wear and tear, exposure to deteriorative agents such as sulfates, plicability rely on the characteristics of the inspections carried out.
chloride ions, construction or design errors and inadequate main- All the aspects considered, to obtain more accurate outcomes of
tenance programs [2]. Bridges are crucial elements of any trans- deterioration rates, the inventory must have its peculiarities well
portation network due to their strategic location and dangerous identified to set the most appropriate method.
consequences if they collapse or if their capacity is impaired. An
effective bridge-management program is a prerequisite to a suc- 1.1 Background
cessful horizontal transportation system.
Nonetheless, managing thousands of highway bridges has be- Different agencies manage bridges in Brazil at the federal, state
come increasingly critical in the past few decades, which led to the and municipal governments (public sector) levels. The Federal
development of tools that help government agencies. Bridge Man- Department of Transport Infrastructure (Departamento Nacional
agement Systems (BMS) are being designed to enhance the man- de Infraestrutura em Transportes - DNIT) currently supervises the
agement strategies of large bridge networks. The primary objective design, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation,
of a BMS is to assist a bridge manager in making optimal decisions and replacement of more than 5,000 bridges across the federal road
regarding allocation of a budgets to the Maintenance, Rehabilita- network. The average age of the bridges in Brazil has been increas-
tion, and Replacement (MR&R) needs of individual bridges (proj- ing continuously since 1960, which means that the bridges are aging
ect level) or a group of bridges (network level) based on their life despite the limited maintenance budget, due to Brazil’s bottleneck
cycle cost assessment [3]. The BMS enables to a systematic de- economic development in transportation infrastructures [5].
termination of present and future predicted needs, as well as to list As funding to meet the growing needs for new infrastructure and
and prioritize maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement actions Maintenance, Repair, and Rehabilitation (MR&R) of infrastructure
and also provide guidance in the practical use of specific funds becomes more difficult to obtain and maximize the service life of
with possible regards to safety and budgetary constraints. bridges. Tools to assist in optimizing need-based scheduling of
The effectiveness of a BMS relies on quality and accuracy of in- MR&R activities, as well as tools to aid with decision-making strat-
formation contained in bridge inventory and data obtained through egies, are essential to the efforts of DNIT’s Structures Department.
field inspections [4]. The database and inventory allow bridge man- To support performance-based and data-driven planning, a bridge
agers to be fully informed about the conditions of the bridges under management system denominated SGO (Sistema de Gestão de
their control, so that they can make well based decisions about fu- Obras-de-arte) stores bridge data, including bridge characteristics,
ture maintenance and repair activities. In addition to the database, inspection data, and rating information. To improve SGO, DNIT is

Figure 1
Data entry screen of SGO Mobile inspector version

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 C. B. L. OLIVEIRA | M. GRECO | T. N. BITTENCOURT

promoting research to develop deterioration and economic models ing and replacement of components, bridge assessment data is
to predict outcomes and to guide network-level and project-level a crucial input to decision-making. This information together with
decisions and optimal preservation policy. engineering judgment composes the basis for the development of
After the latest implemented version of SGO, in 2004, the new soft- work programs. Infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation de-
ware design has improved advanced computer tools for inspection cision making are based on current and future facility conditions
data entry, prepared to gather inspection information, catalogue [8]. To this end, inspections are conducted to document noticeable
pictures and drawings of basic schemes as well as short videos. changes from a new-condition. It is a widespread practice to quali-
Mobile devices were able to register inspections through SGO Mo- tatively evaluate the condition of a bridge and its elements using an
bile and send the information directly to SGO Web [6]. Figure 1 ordinal scale. The condition of each element is reported according
show the data entry screen of SGO Mobile inspector version and to a condition state (technical evaluation in SGO) or “Index of Con-
the data query module of SGO Web. dition” (IC), which is a quantitative measure of deterioration, safety
Above all technological improvement, the most important advance and serviceability. The IC is determined based on the specific deg-
has been the introduction to a bridge element-level approach. radation or defects apparent at the time of inspection.
Bridges are presented in terms of their structural components, The IC can be assigned by element, by set of bridge elements or
and recording their different types include beams, arches, decks by general structures and reflects the final result of the inspection.
and deck slabs; railings and traffic barriers, bearings, deck joints, Usually, the IC adds a subjective attribute of the structural condi-
piers and columns, abutments, approach slabs, among others. The tion of the bridge, linked with bridge safety. The Brazilian standards
characteristics for each element are assigned, as their geometri- DNIT 010/2004 [9] and NBR-9452/2016 [10] adopted five discrete
cal form, material and structural function. The latest inventory was levels of rating, 1 to 5, from the worst to best state. Frequently,
finished in 2017. It was the most comprehensive national inven- IC=1 and IC=2 are referred to as reaching or having reached an
tory, with 4,732 structures performed at element-level inspection, intervention point, which acts as a trigger to perform an action.
including almost 80% of total road bridge infrastructure. These IC typically represent the need for measures to be taken
soon or immediately. Also, IC=1 could denote reduced structural
1.2 Objectives capacity or serviceability.
Before the SGO latest version, the inspection data evaluated the
DNIT inventory data was organized in a logical outline to give a listed materials, the physical condition of the deck, superstructure,
complete overview of inventory contents. The primary focus is to substructure and infrastructure of bridge, including elements. As a
identify required information, which will improve research methods result there were five IC, one general and four specific attributes
to forecast Brazilian bridges deterioration, so as to enhance SGO. for major regions. The SGO’s third version made it possible to as-
Therefore, possible deterioration agents and damages, its types, sign condition ratings to each bridge element. It also permitted to
frequency and location should be singled out. certify whether or not the component has structural function.
Generally supporting significant MR&R strategies, BMS is based
on a reliable bridge deterioration model [7]. Similarly to BMS, the 3. Bridge deterioration models
deterioration model accuracy depends mainly on registering as
much pertinent information on the bridge as possible. The sin- There are several approaches to forecast bridge deterioration.
gularities of the national inventory it is also essential to develop The models of bridge deterioration are categorized in empirical
a methodology to forecast Brazilian bridges deterioration. These or mechanistic methods. The empirical models are based on ex-
findings will determine the most appropriated method, consider- perimental data, while the mechanistic models are developed from
ing a minimum required accuracy, best suited to national practices analytical models associated to degradation mechanisms. Despite
of inspection of concrete bridges and, mainly, adjusted to avail- the different techniques, these methods could be classified in de-
able data characteristics in SGO. The lack of available information terministic, stochastic and artificial intelligence models [11].
about bridges degradation rates in Brazil prevents managers from The deterministic models of deterioration are the most straight-
being able to predict when these structures will need maintenance forward approach to predict future condition of bridges. They are
services. Therefore, it considerably affects strategic planning and obtained through the use of straight or curved lines, and a regres-
schedule of MR&R actions. sion process sets their shapes and parameters. Stochastic models
Notably, DNIT Transport Programs and Projects costs need to be measure the bridge deterioration process as one or more random
predicted one year in advance, so that the Brazilian Speaker of the variables and attributed occurrence probabilities of a specific state
House of Representatives requests the funds. If DNIT does not within a sample. The third method, artificial intelligence models,
have any predictive tool to foresee the future of the bridge condi- exploits computer techniques that aim to automate intelligent be-
tions, the programmed cost may vary from the real cost needed to haviors [12].
carry out the MR&R required actions. In addition, private compa-
nies would also be able to plan their required actions and associ- 4. Markov chain method
ated costs.
Stochastic deterioration models aim to associate time with deg-
2. Condition index radation process based on one or more random variables. To
researches in the field of bridge deterioration, Markov process
Regarding risk identification, required maintenance, strengthen- is discrete in time and in variables, especially due to the discrete

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Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

nature of IC observed in inspections. Thus, Markov chains, a par- considering that RC bridges face problems due to fatigue caused
ticular case of the Markov Process, are suitable and widely used by repeated loading which can lead to progressive deterioration of
to develop statistical models of deterioration of various types of bond and may cause premature failure. Furthermore, corrosion of
infrastructure materials, such as pavements, bridges, buildings, steel bars can lead to substantial reduction of loading cycles and
among others. In state-based models, the deterioration process is bond failure.
modeled through as a transition from the current state i at an initial Due to slip growth, repeated loading leads to the increase of crack
time to a state j at time given by: width and deflection, which under aggressive environment condi-
(1) tions strongly affect durability of RC structures. For high corrosion
level, if the longitudinal bars and the contact stirrups were severely
The process is independent of type: for any given condition state, a damaged or even ruptured, brittle failure may occur at a very low
fixed probability exists for its transition into another condition state. load. This is quite dangerous in the case of safety-related struc-
The probabilities of a bridge change IC are represented by a matrix tures [14].
(n x n), where n is each IC levels, denominated Transition Prob- Most Brazilian federal highways structures were built over riv-
ability Matrix (TPM): ers, totalizing 3,789 bridges (74%). There were 752 overpasses
through roads and 153 through railways. These bridges show evi-
dences of the characteristics of Brazilian infrastructure: predomi-
(2)
nance of highway traffic as compared to rail traffic and presence
of most of the highways in rural areas of relatively low population
Markov Chains is applied in cases of bridge deterioration based density [15]. Although the available bridges designs were exhaus-
on cumulative and probabilistic damage approach, in which the IC tively investigated, only 22% (1,032 bridges) had their age record-
decreases, after several transition periods, is expected [13]. ed. For the sake of practicality, the bridges were into periods by
existing standards, as determined in The Manual of Road Bridges
5. Brazilian bridges characteristics of the National Road Research Institute (IPR) [16]. Almost 25,7%
(265 bridges) of the total of 1,032 bridges whose age was recorded
The recent Brazilian bridge inventory registered 4,725 bridges. It were constructed before 1960. Most of them (about 531 bridges,
represents more than 80% of the number estimated by various 52% of the total) were built between 1960 and 1975. According to
jurisdictions of federal government. 65.53 km of bridge extension The Manual of Road Bridges, these structures followed Brazilian
were registered by the inventory. The vast majority of the federal Standards number 1, 2 and 6/1960, with a loading capacity of up
highways located in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are directly ad- to 36T (tons per axle), 10 meters total deck width , and 0.90 meters
ministrated by these states. For this reason they were not inspect- high obsolete railings.
ed in this inventory conducted by the DNIT. The majority of the There were 2,025 registers of bridge live load capacity, 74% of
bridges inspected in the DNIT inventory are reinforced concrete which being overloaded, 256 design loading bridges of up to 24kN
(RC) bridges (99.2%). The most used system, more than 58% is (axle load), and 1,260 of up to 36kN. Functionally obsolete due to
reinforced concrete beam (2,764 bridges), followed by reinforced inadequate design, ever-increasing and changing traffic, and ab-
concrete slab, 777 bridges and the post-tensioned system, 622 sence of needed strengthening interventions, are common chal-
bridges. This results in the need of more management attention lenges faced by governments, even in developed countries [17].
Most of the bridges (80% of 4,725 bridges) are over flat surfaces,
and more than 93% are two-way traffic bridges, 65% of the lanes
being equal to or wider than 3.6 meters. However, there are 1,419
(35%) bridges whose lane widths are insufficient - less than 3.6
meters per lane in double lane roads.
Access equipment was not used in the inspections. For this rea-
son, 2,229 bridges (47%) did neither have their bearings checked,
neither had their type registered nor their function and damage
states registered. The most commonly observed functionality de-
ficiency was obsolete railings, registered in 2,095 bridges. The re-
search also registered 2,849 bridges with no shoulders and 3,271
bridges less than 2.5 meters shoulders. Figure 2 gives an overall
idea of the typical cross-section of Brazilian bridges.
Drainage was insufficient in 681 bridges. High levels of heavy ve-
hicle traffic were observed in 2,923 (49%) of the bridges, a fact
which is likely to affect the deterioration rates of the structural el-
ements. These results provide evidence to the facts that weight
vehicle control and planed regular inspections are fundamental
factors to preserve bridge structural integrity. The comparison be-
Figure 2 tween the static effects of the actual traffic of heavy vehicles and
Typical cross-section of Brazilian bridges those generated by the live load model given in the current national

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 C. B. L. OLIVEIRA | M. GRECO | T. N. BITTENCOURT

code NBR 7188/2013[18] raises another concern. The simulation

showed that Brazilian code load models may not adequately repro-
duce the real traffic of heavy vehicles and may, in many cases, be
non-conservative [19].

6. Brazilian bridges inspection results

Inspections were conducted according to the Brazilian Standards
NBR-9542/2016 (2016 version) [9] and DNIT010/2004-PRO [10].
The worst general IC=1, suggesting immediate intervention, was
found in only 8 bridges. Besides, 196 bridges were classified in
IC=2, demanding mid-term interventions, resulting in 4.2% of total
bridges inspected requiring MR&R scheduled actions. Approximate-
ly 38% of inspected structures were evaluated as IC=3 (1,803 bridg-
es), having minor structural damages, and need of maintenance and
regular inspections only, not requiring emergency action.
Figure 5
Finally, 1,987 bridges were evaluated IC=4 and 756 IC=5,
Geographic distribution of bridges inventory
and IC registered in Southeast region

Figure 3
Geographic distribution of bridges inventory Figure 6
and IC registered in North region Geographic distribution of bridges inventory
and IC registered in South region

totalizing 58% of the total with no structural damages, demanding

only maintenance and regular inspection. These records suggest a
positive scenario for the conservation conditions of Brazilian struc-
tures, considering their 40 year-old age average, their exposure
to aggressive agents and the absence of a maintenance program
before the inventory.
The SGO recorded information of geographic coordinates of each
bridge during the inventory. This information was exported to a free
geographic information system application. For the analysis of the
data, the IC of each bridge was assigned in according to the re-
sults of the inspection. The Brazilian federal roadmap was used,
and the bridge coordinates were corrected. Figures 3 to 7 show
the distribution of bridges and their condition, considering Brazilian
geographic and statistical regions.
Figure 4 Ever since the time of the inspection, DNIT has made several
Geographic distribution of bridges inventory bridge interventions according to the observed condition and the
and IC registered in Midwest region average traffic analysis. However, it is essential to understand the

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Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

[20]. For instance, the mechanical behavior intended during the

design phase may not be observed during the structural life,
indeed, and it can change drastically when corrosion effects are
accounted [21]. Therefore, its high occurrence requires more
detailed MR&R actions plan focused on increasing the durability
of these structures and to ensure safety.
Figure 8 show the damages by structural elements. Concrete
deck was the structural that showed more damage incidence,
corresponding to 4,983 of the registered occurrences (31%). Due
mainly to the effects of direct exposure to traffic loads and environ-
mental degradation factors, numeral types of research focus on
the deck system, thus considered the weakest system of highway
bridges [2]. In the same way, the rate at which bridge decks dete-
riorates is an important element used to estimate MR&R costs. Ef-
florescence and leaching of concrete was the most observed deck
defect (38%), followed by water leakage trough concrete cracks
Figure 7
(31%), spalled concrete and exposed steel rebars (20%) and cor-
Geographic distribution of bridges inventory roded steel rebars(6%).
and IC registered in Northeast region The second structural element with high damage occurrence
(2,376 times) was longitudinal girders. They are directly connected
deterioration mechanisms of structural materials and components to the deck to transmit efforts to mesostructure. Spalled concrete
to develop more accurate maintenance and replacement programs and exposed steel rebars totalizing 31%, efflorescence and leach-
to prevent continuous deterioration and to ensure optimal budget ing of concrete, 29% and 16% spalled concrete and steel rebars
spending. exposed and already corroded of total longitudinal girders dam-
age registered. Retaining wall was the third element (1,804 occur-
6.1 Damages incidence rences) with 39% of water leakage through concrete cracks, 32%
efflorescence and leaching of concrete damage.
Most of the numerous damages identified on inspections are
shown in Table 1 and represent 75% of 20,389 defect registers.
They were evaluated according to their severity degree, and for
each incidence, an IC was marked. It is important to emphasize
the importance of damage measure per element in addition to
regular inspections. Regular inspections at element-level provide
significant data which enable researches to develop a deterioration
model of Brazilian bridges, crucial knowledge to life cycle analysis
leading to optimal bridge management.
Most of the prevailing damages were associated with rein-
forcement corrosion and concrete degradation, correspond-
ing to 66% of total registered defects, followed by expansion
joints damages with 9.4%. Reinforcement corrosion constitutes
the major factor of RC structures degradation. It results from
the change of steel mechanical properties, longitudinal crack- Figure 8
ing of concrete cover, change of bond strength between steel Damage frequency by structural RC element
and concrete, loss of serviceability and eventually loss of safety of DNIT bridges inventory

Table 1
Frequence and IC of major damages registered in DNIT bridges inventory
IC
Damage 1 2 3 4 5
Efflorescence and leaching of concrete 5 146 1,798 2,480 21
Damage in expansion joints 1 187 514 1,206 12
Spalled concrete and exposed steel rebars 6 177 1,613 1,730 19
Spalled concrete and exposed and corroded steel rebars 4 140 745 860 10
Water leakage through concrete cracks 4 103 1,371 1,346 6
Steel rebars without cover protection 2 54 277 534 5

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region climate and bordering regions. The Aw classification shows a

tropical environment, often composed of two basics seasons: winter
and summer. However, a winter season is less prominent or even
inexistent. The temperatures remain relatively hot throughout the
year, and there is a heavy annual precipitation concentrated only in
summer season, resulting in dry winter season.
The Southern region has the lowest IC incidence, having only 15
IC = 2 bridges out of 824. It represents only 1.8% of the total num-
ber of bridges in the region. The location of these bridges does
not seem to follow a pattern, but they are mostly related to the Cfa
climate classification. This type of climate is classified as humid
subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and mild winters.
There are precipitations all over the year.
The results of the inspection show that the bridges in the poorest
condition are located mainly in a hot and dry climate. As regions
register an incidence of higher precipitation and low temperatures,
Figure 9 the condition of concrete bridges is better, and the number of bridg-
Köppen-Geiger climate classification es in poor condition decreases. The bridges in the Southern region
and IC distribution follow this course. The Cfa climate is alongside the Cfb classifica-
tion is alongside the Cfa climate in Southern Region and the main
7. Reported deterioration agents effects difference between these classifications is the variation in summer
on IC value analysis temperatures. The Cfb climate region has higher temperatures
than Cfa region. This influence has already been evaluated by
Deterioration of bridge elements depend on several parameters renowned researches and some Brazilian ones as well, such as
related to bridge design, construction, geographical location and research conducted by LENCIONI [22]. This conclusion leads to
environment, and traffic volume. Therefore, it is important to clas- further investigation on the deterioration rates per climatic region,
sify bridges based on the values of these parameters, so that ho- where different deterioration indexes are expected.
mogenous and consistent data can be used to develop deteriora-
tion models with required accuracy. For this reason, filtered data 7.2 Bridge age
records are classified based on the following parameters.
At the inventory shows, only 1,032 bridges are registered with their
7.1 Climate corresponding age in SGO. This is probably due to the non-existence
of the necessary records of the original designs and successive
To investigate a probable relationship between climate charac- MR&R actions. Nonetheless, this age register has crucial importance
teristics and current IC, the geographic coordinates of bridges and is the most frequently used database to present the deterioration
were processed by a geoprocessing system on a Köppen-Gei- rates and to predict the future condition of bridge assets.
ger climate classification. Figure 9 shows compiled information. For the group of bridges having their age listed in the inventory,
Indeed, climatic bridge location is not the exclusive and conclu- the IC probably decreases when bridge age increases. However,
sive deteriorative agent to influence IC. As a result, it is possible
to have contrasted IC values in the same climatic classification.
However, it is possible to verify that some climatic regions have
the largest number of bridges with IC=1 and IC=2 than others.
To better analyze that relationship, these bridges are shown
apart in Figure 10.
The bridges showing the worst IC concentrate mostly in the North-
east region. Of the 2,011 inspected bridges in this region, 6.5%
were classified as IC = 2. It is also possible to verify some road
segments with a sequence of bridges with IC=1 and IC=2. These
bridges were located mainly in the Northeast region with BSh
Köppen-Geiger characteristics. The Bsh classification stands for
a semi-arid climate, with low annual precipitation index only in the
winter season below potential evapotranspiration, resulting in very
dry and hot atmospheric conditions.
In the Southeast region, 35 inspected bridges were evaluated as IC
= 2, representing 3.5% of the 1,006 total bridges inspected in Minas Figure 10
Gerais and Espírito Santo states. It is possible to verify that IC=1 Köppen-Geiger climate classification
and IC=2 scores had meaningful incidence in Aw Köppen-Geiger and IC=1 and IC=2 distribution

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Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

changed. Its future durability conditions will also be substantially

affected. In this case, the bridge age variable must be adjusted in
order to measure deterioration taxes. In contrast, if the bridge age
is not adequate to deterioration measurement rates, it will lead to
a significant deviation of IC bridge predictions, with a misleading
future condition state output [25]. Seen from this perspective, for
deterioration rates the bridge age strongly depends on performed
interventions over the years. Such interventions must be regis-
tered on BMS with characterized MR&R action. Considering the
limited database in SGO and the absence of MR&R actions re-
cords, investigations on Brazilian bridge deterioration rates based
on bridge age and starting from the current IC can lead to unreli-
able results.

7.3 Element type

Figure 11
IC versus Bridge Age The deterioration process shows the complex phenomena of
physical and chemical changes occurring in different bridge

Figure 12
IC distribution of Deck Slab and Longitudinal girders
Figure 13
Figure 11 shows that there is no apparent relationship between IC distribution of cross girders and functional
these variables. Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the deck elements
variables “Bridge age” and “IC” was 0.13 (p-value = 0.000), sug-
gesting that these variables present very low or non-existent cor-
relation for practical purposes. Spearman’s correlation evaluates
the monotonic relationship between two continuous, discrete, or
ordinal variables. It is a non-parametric method that uses only the
stations and makes no assumptions about the distribution of the
data. Correlation values of -1 or 1 imply an exact linear relation-
ship. The zero indicates absence of a monotonic relation [23].
MOSCOSO [24] conducted research that proposed deterioration
models for Brazilian bridges, using estimate deterioration rates of
Nevada bridge assets. To apply these rates to Brazilian bridges,
MOSCOSO analyzed registered ages and found bridges with IC =
5, regardless the old age of them had. According to MOSCOSO,
this finding possibly has its cause possibly in not registered MR&R
actions along this period.
To determine deterioration rates, the age input of a given bridge is
usually changed if maintenance actions resulted in significant IC
changes. For example, if a singular bridge has changed its con- Figure 14
dition state from IC=2 to IC=5 after MR&R action, it is possible IC distribution of columns, abutment and
to infer that its previous conditions in the past have significantly foundation elements

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components. What makes the problem more complex is the fact in a very reduced database to established reliable parameters to
that each element has its own deterioration rate [26]. To achieve determinate models [7]. Moreover, Brazilian IC scale has only 5
probable differences registered in DNIT inventory, the IC frequency levels, resulting in a higher probability of bridge remaining in the
for the three main bridge components, superstructure, mesostruc- same condition state or IC, even after MR&R actions or under
ture and infrastructure, was analyzed and is showed in Figures 12 some deterioration occurrences.
to 14. The results presented the highest amount of characteriza- Widely used in BMS, statistical models based on Markov method
tion in low ICs associated to bridge deck. The low IC incidence have merely computational implementation with relative accurate
tends to decrease as the structural element as more distant from outputs. Despite the fact that DNIT database started the register
the region receiving direct impact of vehicles. Such results confirm of bridge inspections only in 2013, after 4 (four) or more inspec-
recognized scientific studies and suggest particular deterioration tion future cycles, it will be possible to forecast probable future IC
rates to each bridge component. with enough accuracy to provide a more realistic federal budget.
Transition Probabilistic Matrices (TPM) for each deterioration influ-
7.4 Other possible deterioration influences ent agent related in item 7 can be elaborated to estimate specific
deterioration rates using the same method.
Traffic load design is another possible deterioration agent in road Deterioration models methods frequently use bridge age to assign
bridges. DNIT inventory reported related to 2,023 bridges inspect- data future state prediction. However, DNIT data sets do not have
ed according to NBR 7188/2003 [18]. Figure 15 shows a moderate this information, and achieving complete data can present a signifi-
bias to better condition states assigned to designed T45 truckload cant challenge. Despite these usual practices, state-based models
bridges. This result could be justified by newer bridges or reha- as Markov methods, and specifically Markov chains, could result in
bilitation actions on old ones. Besides, bridges design to modern important management results to short-term predictions analysis,
standards and with improved durability characteristics may per- while the information is not complete gathered. For the suggested
form much better than older bridges, in the same operational envi- methodology, time interval will be computed from the first inspection
ronment [27]. Therefore, deterioration rate studies can lead distinct with related IC. As a result, when deterioration curves start from the
results according to bridges load truck design. current bridge current state (IC), it may assume initial values differ-
In addition to this analysis, a high incidence of heavy traffic wheel ent from 5. The method will not indicate a complete model for bridge
loads was reported for 2,149 bridges (45% of total inspected). Due deterioration, but it is able to show the deterioration rates for short
to these Brazilian highways traffic characteristics, the T45 bridges periods of time. The estimated annual bridge MR&R cost estimates
could be more adjusted to current operational loads. The bridges of the Federal budget will also have a real-based index for its most
characterized with heavy wheel load presence follows the IC glob- accurate evaluation. Above all, this approach could be already im-
al distribution: 4.9% with IC=2, 39.6% with IC=3, 36.7% with IC=4 plemented in SGO to achieve acceptable results after few inspection
and 18.8% with IC=5. In fact, to provide a more effective analysis, cycles. After having the routine implemented, SGO can improve its
the data of traffic volume and vehicles characteristics should be use up to a more efficient bridge management system.
recorded in data inventory for each bridge.
The analysis of impact of aggressive environment conditions is 9. Benchmark example
difficult to perform in view of the scarce number of bridges with
this data recorded, only to 69 bridges. In addition, these bridges As benchmark example, a bridge network is selected to demon-
showed the same IC global distribution. For a better prediction ac- strate the advantages of the proposal approach. The information of
curacy, future inspections must contain information on traffic char- bridge network is from Brazilian Road BR-381, knowing as “Rodo-
acteristics, volume, as well as more detailed aggressive environ- via Fernão Dias”, obtained from the Brazilian Agency of Land
mental aggressive conditions.

8. Assumptions
In general, stochastic simulations based on bridge age can hardly
be processed. Despite the availability of bridge age, insufficient
registers of MR&R actions could lead to unsuitable parameters.
To predict future IC, artificial intelligence methods can hardly be
performed based on available SGO information. These methods
rely on more comprehensive data information to link the current
performance with the characteristics of the bridge and the exter-
nal factors to which it is submitted. A bridge having poor durability
characteristics may deteriorate much more rapidly than one with
good durability characteristics. These data description are not in-
cluded in the SGO.
The polynomial regression analysis requires sufficient bridge in-
spections cycles with IC decreases. Bridge condition does not usu- Figure 15
ally change significantly during short-term periods, and it reflects IC distribution versus truck-load design bridge

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Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

Table 2
IC bridges distribution of Fernão Dias road dataset
Year IC=5 IC=4 IC=3 IC=2 IC=1
2008 2 (1%) 268 (91%) 16 (5%) 7 (2%) 0
2009 3 (1%) 216 (73%) 68 (23%) 6 (2%) 0
2010 0 221 (75%) 68 (23%) 4 (1%) 0
2011 0 220 (75%) 70 (24%) 3 (1%) 0
2013 10 (3%) 245 (84%) 36 (12%) 2 (1%) 0
2014 13 (4%) 240 (82%) 39 (13%) 1 (1%) 0
2015 13 (4%) 240 (82%) 39 (13%) 1 (1%) 0

Transport (ANTT). Bridge inspections were carried out from 2008 The Markov chain use was possible because inspections were
to 2015, resulting in 7 cycles, with annual inspections, according to performed annually, resulting in the discrete time necessary to
the Brazilian standards NBR-6123 (old version - 2013) and DNIT apply the method, according to ANTT Road Exploration Program
010/2004, as well as DNIT inventory. The main bridge regions as (PER). Unusually, the inspection cycle from year 2012 to 2013 has
superstructure, mesostructure and infrastructure were evaluated 17 months, which is above the discrete interval of 1 year. There-
with respective IC. The ANTT data was available only in non-edit- fore, this cycle was also removed to estimate Markovian transition
able files reports, and a computational routine was implemented to probability matrix (TPM). The bridge network has 306 bridges, be-
organize data to enable stochastic simulation. ing 292 located in Minas Gerais State and 104 in São Paulo State. Only
To select data more representative of the deterioration pro- RC bridges whose span is over 10 meters were considered in this
cess, a filtered data was implemented according to AGRAWAL approach. After the filtering, 293 bridges were left for stochastic
& KAWAGUCHI [28]. Inspections reports with missing or in- simulation. Thus, there are seven IC for each analyzed bridge,
complete data were removed. For example, IC during periods making longitudinal the data nature.
between two inspections should be the same as the IC at the After inspection report review, special filters needed to be devel-
previous inspection for bridges without MR&R actions. To better oped. Inspectors diverged at components of bridge regions: for
understand rates, all data cycle with IC improvement rejected. some inspectors, abutment was considered as part of mesostruc-
Bridge data with unusual IC drops were disregarded because ture and for others, as part of the infrastructure. Similarly, some
natural deterioration process decreases gradually over time. inspectors disagreed over columns regions. To reliable simulation
However, a sudden drop in IC over two consecutive inspections results, these data were adequate to Brazilian standards. Besides,
may be caused by occasional situations, for example, natural due to small dataset, the TPM was calculated according to the fre-
disasters, traffic accidents, etc. These occurrences do not re- quency approach method [13, 11, 29]. This method considers all
flect normal operational deterioration, peculiar to the database the transition periods at one time, that is, it directly obtains the TPM
showing a one-year inspection interval. Every increased IC to a pij ratios using the following expression:
higher level was not included; this can be considered as a con- (3)
sequence of MR&R actions.
Where Nii is the number of bridges in state i before and after any
transaction period and Ni is the total number of bridges started
with state i at each transition period. Table 2 shows general IC
distribution for 293 bridges on Rodovia Fernão Dias. The resulting
IC distribution differs from DNIT inventory IC distribution, probably
due to the current maintenance program carried out by Rodovia
Fernão Dias administration. Notably, there are more bridges clas-
sified in IC=4.
Routines were implemented to estimate TPM, using the statistical
programming language “R”. As explained in this methodological
application, variable “age” was substituted by “inspection time”,
considering 2008 as starting point. Infrastructure data were not
sufficient to estimate transition probabilities because there were
not enough IC variations, having almost all inspections attributed
IC=5 to this region along the period. Moreover, a reduced 4x4 TPM
was obtained because there was not IC=1 incidence. The TPM is
represented by:

Figure 16
Deterioration model of Fernão Dias Road bridges – (4)
General IC

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 C. B. L. OLIVEIRA | M. GRECO | T. N. BITTENCOURT

was demonstrated that the development of a predictive model of

the future condition state for Brazilian bridges based on the age
of these structures could hardly be implemented, due to the lack
of registered information concerning the bridge construction time
and MR&R actions in SGO’s database. However, future MR&R
action planning depends on the knowledge of future bridge con-
dition. For instance, the article proposed a methodology using
successful Markov chains for short-term predictions, considering
mainly the time of deterioration from the registered condition of
the bridges’ first inspection. It is relevant to attempt to regular in-
terval inspections required to Markov Chains, but if it were a chal-
lenge, the application of methods of backward prediction models
could be implemented [7]. To demonstrate its applicability, the
methodology was applied using Fernão Dias road bridge dataset.
Results using five cycles of IC transitions were able to provide
a satisfactory prediction of bridge future conditions to a dataset.
Figure 17 The new version of Brazilian inspection standards may cause
Deterioration model of Fernão Dias Road bridges – a favorable scenario to the development of this research area.
IC per bridge region The possible use of a guided BMS by standardizes procedures
on the same basis to catalogue inspection data, both for private
Singular TPM was constructed for each bridge region. Deteriora- and public bridge managers, can promote a more integrated
tion rates curves are shown in Figures 16 and 17 for a 50 years national database, necessary to more effective management.
period. It is possible to verify different rates for each bridge re- Analyzes such as those performed on bridges of Fernão Dias
gion, following the founded pattern in the Brazilian inventory. To road presented in this paper are difficult to be carried out due to
measure methodology accuracy, singular TPM was calculated to the lack of data in a suitable system. Furthermore, statistical
considering only the data of the first five inspection cycles (2009 simulations to forecast deterioration at large bridge network re-
to 2014) and predicted IC values for 2015 were obtained through quire a meaningful size for sample space. Despite the challenge
the following expression: of compiled disperse existing data, researches sharing this goal
(5) are being carried out to record existing inspections and estimate
specific bridge deterioration rates.
Where, Nt is the vector of number of bridges in each IC at interval To forecast more reliable deterioration rates that enable mid-term
time t. N0 is a vector of the number of bridges in each IC in a given predictions, potential deterioration agents must be recorded in
year. Equation 5 gives the expected number of bridges in each SGO and must be included in the inspection routine. The current
IC after t years from the initial period. It can be interpreted as ex- traffic must be verified and updated at each inspection. It is im-
pected bridge conditions preview in a specific year, with no MR&R portant to precisely classify all aggressive environment aspects to
actions in a presumed period. Table 3 shows values of the data- enable more specific studies of diverse deterioration rates. In addi-
set and predictive IC using the proposed methodology. The results tion, it is necessary to improve SGO with entries of MR&R actions
obtained from statistical simulation are satisfactory predictors for to be appropriately registered. Above all, inspections procedures
the following year’s bridge condition states of this set and have a must result in organized and standardized information.
practical use to estimate expected costs. With this approach, it is expected in mid-term run to be feasible
to determine deteriorating rates according to age, environmental
10. Conclusions conditions, traffic volume, among other possible incidences of de-
teriorating agents, and to measure different impacts of each agent
The present paper describes the current state of the bridge man- on deterioration rates. In long-term run, adopting optimized plan-
agement procedures, as well as tools developed and implemented ning of needed MR&R actions, the Brazilian Federal Government
by DNIT. The SGO bridge management system provides a rel- will be able to guaranty economic development, maximizing the
evant inventory of catalogued road bridge structures. The overall cost-benefit of these investments to society.
condition of inspected bridges is presented and classified in a com-
prehensive way. The knowledge and availability of these results
are essential for the scientific community. The data provided is vital Table 3
to support current research projects and encourage others works. Number of Bridges Predicted by IC
The appropriate use and analysis of public and official data may using proposal methodology
contribute to a more effective asset management in this area.
IC=2 IC=3 IC=4 IC=5
The inventory of Brazilian bridge conditions was evaluated by
2014 (real) 0 29 237 13
comparing IC value distribution with the presence of deterioration
2015 (real) 1 38 232 8
agents. Possible correlations were found in available data, mainly
2015 (predicted) 1 43 228 7
related to climate region, localization and design classification. It

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Analysis of the brazilian federal bridge inventory

11. Acknowledgments [12] YIANNU, P. C., NEVES, L. C., RAMA, D., ADREWS, J.D,
DEAN, R. Incorporating local environmental factors into
The authors would like to acknowledge the support and data pro- railway bridge asset management. Engineering Structures
vided by the Federal Brazilian Department of Transportation (DNIT) Journal, v. 128, p. 362-373, 2016.
and Brazilian Agency of Land Transport (ANTT). The contents [13] JIANG, Y. Application and Comparison of Regression and
discussed herein are solely based on the scientific observations Markov Chain Methods in Bridge Condition Prediction and
made by the authors, by using publicly available data sources pro- System Benefit Optimization. Journal of the Transportation
vided by DNIT and ANTT. For financial support, the authors would Research Forum, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 91-110, 2010.
also like to thank the Brazilian Research Funding Agencies CNPq [14] PELLIZER, G.P.; LEONEL, E.D.; NOGUEIRA, C.G. Influ-
(Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) ence of reinforcement’s corrosion into hyperstatic reinforced
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