ABSTRACT
Proper management of a bridge includes making it as durable as possible and
should be considered in detail at the design stage. Wood (1996), however, has
observed that of the time allocated for a complete bridge design and specifi-
cation, bridge engineers spend typically 1% of the time on durability design,
yet durability faults contribute to over 99% of the deterioration defects in
concrete bridges. In Chapter 1 reference was made to the appalling condition
of many of the worlds bridges simply by neglecting this fundamental
requirement of durability. Hopefully we have all learned from our mistakes
and there is now a culture of prevention rather than cure relating to our
bridge defects. At the heart of this culture is the desire to produce bridges
which are durable.
