Whole Life Cycle Cost for Chicago Type Bascule Bridges

The whole life cost of a bridge consists of the total investment throughout the life of the bridge. This investment includes the initial construction cost, repair and rehabilitation costs, and all maintenance costs. An ability to determine the whole life cost of a bridge will help agencies evaluate the asset value of existing bridges, make better decisions on the design and construction of new bridges, and choose methods and approaches for rehabilitating existing structures such that the lowest life cycle cost is achieved rather than the lowest initial cost. Toward this end the whole life costs of Chicago trunnion bascule bridges are analyzed and found to be less than five times the initial costs for life spans exceeding 100 years. It was also shown that timely maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation can lower the life cycle cost of a bridge.