Inspection and rehabilitation of cable-stayed bridges in the State highway network
Abstract
This article describes the experience of recent years in the inspection and the rehabilitation on cable-stayed bridges belonging to the State Roads Network, which is directly managed by the General Directorate of Roads under the Ministry of Transport.
In recent years, the General Directorate of Roads has promoted the performance of numerous inspections of bridges in its road network. Thanks to these inspections, it was possible to detect significant deterioration in four of its oldest cable-stayed bridges: the Amposta bridge, the Fernando Reig bridge, in Alcoy, the Centenario bridge in Seville and the international bridge over the Guadiana river, in Ayamonte. This early detection has made it possible to carry out or project, in said structures, the actions of rehabilitation and replacement of cable stay necessary to guarantee the safety of users.
Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the importance of carrying out special inspections on cable-stayed bridges built in Spain, which are already reaching their first 30-40 years of useful life; in order to detect the need to replace or substitute some of its most vulnerable elements, such as the cable stay system.