Load Testing and Structural Monitoring of a Reinforced Concrete Mid-century Bridge

The need for a new methodology able to allow infrastructure managers to prioritize maintenance interventions and to efficiently implement the structural monitoring of bridges is currently being addressed, at a regional level, by Regione Lombardia (RL) and the Politecnico di Milano (PoliMI). In the framework of the ongoing research project between PoliMI and RL, this paper presents the activities conducted on a mid-century reinforced concrete bridge located in the Brescia province. Preliminary results from a diagnostic campaign are hereby presented and considered for the definition of an up-to-date knowledge level of the infrastructure. Numerical validation of the first data collected by the installed structural monitoring system is finally proposed, focusing on the dynamic characteristics of the structure and its static response to imposed live loads.