Strategies for the management of bridges for vehicular impacts

Abstract

Impacts on bridges by road vehicles are a relatively frequent occurrence and can lead to delays for road users, injuries or fatalities for vehicle occupants and in some cases risks of major incidents from derailments on railway lines carried by highway bridges. This paper gives an overview of the scale of the problem in the UK taken from data gathered by Network Rail and the Highways Agency (HA). The primary reasons for bridge-deck strikes are given and a review is undertaken of various industry good practice guides and strategies to prevent or deal with these incidents. The background to the development of the current design and assessment requirements is given, including some research and development projects undertaken by the HA. The design requirements from the Eurocode for accidental actions and an outline of risk methodology being developed in the proposed UK national annex to the Eurocode are also presented.