PSI - Issue 78

Fausto Alimenti et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1326–1333

1329

prioritize further investigations, checks, and controls, as well as to plan necessary maintenance and structural interventions, without aiming for the accuracy of a comprehensive risk analysis (Capogna et al., 2023). Subsequent levels include Level 3, the Preliminary Safety Assessment; Level 4, the Detailed Safety Assessment; and Level 5, which involves evaluating the overall resilience of the road network (Viti et al., 2024). The application of these Guidelines has highlighted various interpretative issues, sometimes leading to discretionary approaches that are not reconcilable with the Agency's needs for uniformity, supervision, and certification. Therefore, within its competences, ANSFISA has proposed "Operating Instructions" to provide an interpretative and guidance document. These instructions aim to establish a common and uniform approach to the multi-level procedure, ensuring consistency from the census of assets to the determination of the overall Attention Class, which then triggers subsequent safety checks (Renzi et al., 2023). The VISIT methodology, as discussed in the previous section, plays a crucial role in this multi-level approach. Positioned directly after the initial census phase (Level 0), the VISIT triage is highly suitable for efficiently inspecting entire sections of the network and identifying which assets require more focused attention. This allows for an optimal and rapid assessment, providing a robust and scientifically based tool for prioritizing interventions in line with the objectives of the Italian Bridge Guidelines. The Fabre Consortium, an Italian scientific alliance for risk assessment and monitoring of civil infrastructural systems, has actively collaborated with ANAS s.p.a. in implementing these Italian Guidelines for a large bridge inventory across the Italian territory, particularly focusing on structural foundational and seismic risk classification (Salvatore et al., 2024). 4. The bridge certification renewal The renewal of static testing for bridges represents an innovative and decisive method for ensuring the certainty of an infrastructure's usability. This approach goes beyond mere inspection, providing a definitive assessment of a structure's current capacity and safety, particularly crucial given the aging nature of many bridges. Significant experience in this field has been gained within the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, which manages an extensive network of approximately 1700 bridges, ranging from provincial to state roads. This comprehensive inventory includes various structural typologies, from simple isostatic slabs to complex hyperstatic bridges and those with post-tensioned cables (Sedlak, 2019). Since the early 1990s, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano initiated a thorough activity to census and archive documentation for all bridges under its jurisdiction, including existing design documentation, material test results, and new surveys. This extensive effort included conducting load tests to verify trafficability and update load capacities for older bridges. By 1998, the archive for approximately 990 provincial bridges was completed, with each bridge possessing documentation and a static certificate issued by a qualified engineer, specifying the maximum transitability load. The management of these structures, including their safety and maintenance, falls under the responsibility of the managing entity, which is required to maintain an myriad of all statically tested structures and ensure their monitoring and maintenance (Sedlak, 2019). In 1998, when the Province took over the management of state roads from ANAS, an additional 712 bridges came under its responsibility. For many of these, especially those built in the early 1900s, documentation was difficult to obtain. The systematic census, testing, and archiving activities continued until 2011, by which point the bridge archive was complete, including static testing for all state bridges. To manage this significant structural heritage, the Infrastructure Division of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano established a dedicated "Bridge Service." This service is responsible for the unified management of all static checks and bridge certifications, as well as for developing a prioritized list of necessary interventions for the annual work program (Lenisa and Montagner, 2011). In November 2011, in collaboration with the division responsible for bridge surveillance and inspection, the Bridge Service developed its own technical regulations: "Technical provisions on the static and periodic testing and control of road bridges" (Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, 2011). These regulations define the procedures and frequency of controls to be carried out on bridges throughout their lifespan on state and provincial roads in Bolzano, complementing existing norms for the static testing of new or renovated bridges, and for their conservation, maintenance, and evaluation. The managing entity is explicitly obligated to census bridges, archive relevant data (including updates for new constructions), maintain descriptive data, certifications, inspection records, static calculation reports, and details of subsequent interventions, all commensurate with the bridge's importance. Furthermore, the managing entity must carry out all vigilance and inspection activities