Comparative study of bridge management programmes and practices in the USA and China

The bridges of the USA and China are inventoried, inspected and maintained by governmental agencies, promoting efficient national infrastructure and safety through the development of bridge management technology. This paper provides a brief comparison between the USA and China concerning the ability to implement foreign bridge management technology by analysing the regulatory practices in the bridge management process and the bridge management systems in each country. The goal is to investigate possible synergistic approaches to enhance bridge monitoring through comparing the two largest bridge inventories in the world.