The various versions of the latest transportation legislations require including national performance reporting in network management in order to secure a proper performance. Transportation bridge investments need to achieve performance targets that make progress toward the national goals of safety, structural condition, and system reliability. While the legislation outlines a performance-based investment approach, it does not provide specific instructions. To comply with the legislation requirements, practical implementation of performance in bridge network management is in need of further research. Additionally, limited allocation of scarce resources requires reflecting engineering, societal, and financial justifications. It is essential to advance a comparative approach with a concurrent focus on individual bridge systems as well as the network and subset levels. Additionally, current practices need further development of the interactions within recording and reporting strategies, operational diagnostic methodologies, quantitative evaluation measures, and more. This Special Issue intends to offer an important contribution in support of discussion and direction of new concepts in the structural performances of bridges.
Keywords: Bridges; Bridge construction; Bridge design; Deterioration; Life cycles; Materials; Performance characteristics; Evaluation; Structural behavior.