ABSTRACT
Bridges are the major elements of road network which should always be in good working condition. Good working conditions can be achieved by routine, periodic and emergency maintenance after the bridge construction. For this study Bokse River Bridge is selected which is located in Jalbire village development committee of Sindhupalchok district along the Balephi (Arniko Highway-Asian Highway) to Jalbire in Nepal. The objective of this work is to find the overall condition of the bridge and suggest the repair and maintenance by special inspection and assessment of the bridge condition.
Bokse River Bridge is a single span bridges having 14.40 m length. There are four longitudinal girders and seventeen cross girders.
The bridge deck has only steel plate and no wearing course surface for the traffic movement. Steel plates are rested on the cross and longitudinal girders and size of the cross girders are lesser than longitudinal girders.
For the inspection and maintenance of bridge, the work was divided into two major parts namely desk study and field work. The relevant data related to the bridge was collected during desk study then in the field study the detail survey was done.
Most of the components of the bridge were rusted. Decking plate, stringer beam and cross girders were buckled and the approach slab was spalled and rebars were exposed. The substructure and foundations were in good condition.
For the finite element analysis of this bridge SAP 2000 was used. As per IRC 6:2014, IRC class A vehicle was used as the live load. LRC: SP: 74–2007, Guidelines for Repair and Rehabilitation of Steel Bridges could be used for the maintenance of the bridge.
Based on the inspection of the structural elements of the Bokse River Bridge, the bridge is in poor condition and needs attention as soon as possible. From the repair and maintenance of the bridge, life of the bridge can be extended.
In this paper, inspection of bridge, geological condition, maintenance design and preventive measures are discussed in detail.
