Like pavements, many of us have a bad habit of building great bridges and then failing to protect them from deterioration. The result can be a progressive decay of bridge elements to the point that costly rehabilitation or replacement of the bridge are required earlier than our planned life cycle. Just like pavements, we can extend the useful life of our bridges and enjoy better performance by utilizing low cost preservation techniques and technologies.
The Transportation System Preservation Technical Services Program (TSP∙2) is a great resource for training and technical information related to the preservation of pavements and bridges. Their bridge preservation website is rich with videos and other training resources. For example, their bridge preservation video library allows you to search by topics, such as asset management, corrosion mitigation, deck preservation, joints/bearings, products/materials, paint/coatings, scour mitigation, sub/superstructure, timber structures, and more. They even have a category specific to local agencies.
A great example of those resources is a recorded presentation entitled Bridge Deck Preservation Treatment Options. It provides an overview of preservation options and then spends some time talking about best practices and forensics of problems that reinforce the need for those best practices. This resources is a great starting place for those new to some of these important bridge preservation techniques.
After you watch that presentation, you will likely be hooked and hungry for more. To learn more about deck preservation, use the video library to navigate to the deck preservation list and you will see dozens of recorded presentations (and oftentimes, the presentation slides in PDF form) on topics like ultra-high performance overlays, evaluation methods, polyester polymer overlays, thin polymers, waterproofing, membranes, polymer resins, contractors’ perspective, and hydrodemolition to name a few.
Of course, the other categories may be your immediate interests and you will find dozens more informative presentations there as well.
But TSP∙2’s resources don’t end there. For example, they offer Bridge Preservation Training for Local Agencies, an onsite training at no cost to the hosting agency. Participants will gain a general understanding of why preservation is important, what activities are available and an idea of cost and degree of difficulty with performing the work. As part of the presentation, several case‐studies will be highlighted to show how local agencies have obtained funding for preservation. A variety of examples have been developed to help participants understand the importance of incorporating these bridge preservation activities into their work plan. Topics as diverse as deck sealing, patching, bridge washing, joint repair, and spot painting are covered. Contact Travis Kinney at Travis.J.Kinney@ODOT.STATE.OR.US or at (503) 986‐4010 for more information on the training workshop. 
There is still more. There are bridge preservation pocket guides on topics like bridge cleaning and thin-polymer overlays. These guides and phone apps are intended for use in the field to ensure projects are done correctly the first time.
There is even a bridge preservation blog that you can explore. You will also see information about their regional partnerships; in our case it would be the Northeast Bridge Preservation Partnership (NEBPP). Any interested agency, organization, company, or group may join and participate in the activities of this Partnership by contributing funds to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), or by paying fees to attend the annual workshop and conference.
So if you have bridges, large or small, take a little time out to explore the TSP∙2 website to sample the resources and connect with colleagues across the region for a more robust program to protect the great bridges you build.
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