THE KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED FROM THE MAIN INSPECTIONS OF PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES IN PREŠOV

The maintenance and inspection of bridges is often a neglected component of necessary technical bridge care. One of the factors contributing to this can be the insufficient financial resources available for repairs under town and municipality administration where financial resources may be restricted. The most severe problem is the underestimation of the importance of bridge inspections. Preventive measures, in the form of regular inspections, can reveal structural issues caused by constructional defects during production or by changing external conditions. We can nevertheless still prioritize and effectively use financial resources for repairs. The knowledge obtained during inspections is an essential part of the draft process for new bridges and lessons learned on maintaining them effectively. This study sums up the most severe faults on selected pedestrian bridge structures and provides findings acquired during the inspections. This article presents findings from the inspection of pedestrian bridges in Prešov, Slovak Republic: Segmental pedestrian bridge next to the University of Prešov; Pedestrian bridges over the railway line in the direction of Rusínska ‒ Lesík Delostrelcov; Pedestrian bridge over the Torysa river on Mukačevska street. Main inspections have been carried out in the first half of 2021 by the company ProPonti s.r.o, in cooperation with the Department of Concrete Structures and Bridges (KBKM) STU Bratislava. Based on the executed main inspections, we can sum up the main following findings: immediate grouting and repassivation of the prestressing reinforcement can prevent a significant shortening of the service life, despite substantial manufacturing error; in the case of segmental constructions, a detailed inspection of the interior of the chambers as well as the condition of the prestressing reinforcement located in cement mortar is needed on a regular basis; for all types of structures, it is important to monitor the function of the bridge´s drainage system and any water penetration manifested by wet stains and efflorescence. Such problems must be solved immediately and will, in turn, significantly reduce the contamination of concrete with salts, greatly extending the service life of the bridge.