| Abstract |
Canada's transportation infrastructure faces an aging crisis that threatens economic connectivity and public safety. With replacement costs for major urban bridges reaching hundreds of millions of dollars and causing significant service disruptions, extending asset life through strategic management is essential for building a resilient nation.
This presentation examines the development of a Bridge Management Plan for Vancouver's Granville Street Bridge, a structure carrying 60,000 vehicles daily over one of the city's most vibrant public spaces. The approach addresses a challenge common across Canadian municipalities: how to maximize the service life of aging critical infrastructure while managing public safety risks, budget constraints, and complex stakeholder environments.
Through stakeholder interviews and operational analysis, we worked collaboratively to identify opportunities for enhancement in roles, responsibilities, financial tracking, and maintenance prioritization—areas where many municipal bridge programs seek continuous improvement. The project delivered comprehensive recommendations for more holistic bridge management alongside a detailed Inspection and Maintenance Plan that provides refined approaches to inspection practices and defect prioritization.
The approach establishes an inspection cycle that balances comprehensive condition assessment with resource efficiency, while prioritization methods provide clear line of sight to levels of service and consequence of failure, complementing traditional condition ratings. The planning process integrates activities across multiple time horizons, ensuring bridge management decisions align with strategic asset objectives and organizational levels of service. Standardized component identification and documentation practices enable consistent tracking and communication across multidisciplinary teams and inspection cycles.
These plans support the evolution of bridge management toward proactive asset stewardship, providing transparent decision-making tools that connect daily operations to long-term capital planning.
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