Long-Term Analysis for Short-Span Bridges

There has historically been a healthy competition between material types for new bridge construction. In personal discussions over the years with officials from state departments of transportation and local county engineers on effective and economical bridge construction, a frequent question that arises is the difference in life-cycle costs (LCC) between steel and concrete girder bridges. Both the concrete industry and the steel industry cite various anecdotal LCC advantages using their assumptions on cost and maintenance for their materials. Even though owners want to consider LCC in bridge design decisions, they are unconvinced with anecdotal discussions they want evidence. This is where a life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) comes in. An LCCA is an economical method to compare design alternatives over the entire life of the structure. An LCCA determines the "true cost" of bridge alternatives, considering the time value of money, for an equivalent monetary comparison.