Sensitivity analysis of seismic vulnerability class assessment under uncertainty

Most developed countries worldwide are dealing with road networks characterized by many bridges approaching their service life. Prioritization of maintenance and repair activities is of critical importance for public administrations, bridge managers and decision makers to guarantee an adequate structural and functional performance. Since their publication in 2020, the Italian “Guidelines for risk classification and management, safety assessment and monitoring of existing bridges” promote a multi hazard bridge prioritization based on simplified risk indicators fostered by documental data and visual inspections. These risk indicators are fostered by documental information and visual inspections, which play a prominent role in bridge assessment whilst inherently affected by epistemic uncertainty in engineering judgment and data collection process. This paper is aimed at analyzing the influence of incomplete and unreliable information on the assessment of the seismic vulnerability class defined by the Guidelines. The practical applications of the paper discuss the impact of uncertainties in expert-based and documental datasets for the optimal management of critical bridges within the Italian transportation network.