Risk Classification and Preliminary Safety Evaluation for a Network of Existing RC Bridges: An Application of the Italian Guidelines 2020

Existing national road and highway bridges require periodical inspections and, in some cases, urgent structural measures. The Italian Guidelines for risk classification and management, safety assessment and monitoring of existing bridges (LG20) outline a procedure for estimating approximately the risk associated to bridges, by defining for each of them an Attention Class, on the basis of hazard, vulnerability and exposure parameters. For each Attention Class, consequential actions in terms of surveys/monitoring/verifications are required, in order to prevent inadequate levels of damage. A set of 4 existing RC bridges are considered herein as case study. The static scheme is simply supported beam. Initially, the Attention Classes are obtained. Then, the preliminary safety evaluation is provided. Based on the outcomes, a priority classification of the bridges to be further investigated is estimated. Potentials and criticisms of the LG20 are also discussed in the work.