To ensure the safety of bridges in the country Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Ministry launched the Indian Bridge Management System.
IBMS is developed to create an inventory of all bridges in the country and rate their structural condition so that timely repair and rehabilitation work can be carried out based on the criticality of the structure.
Minister Nitin Gadkari said that “IBMS aims to prepare a data base of all bridges in the country and detailing their structural condition so that timely action can be taken to repair the structures or build new ones in their place.”
IBMS is the largest platform in the world with database that could exceed 1,50,000 bridge structures. So far 1,15,000 bridges have been inventorized, of which 85,000 are culverts and the rest are bridges.
Further inspection will be carried out wherever required to improve the operational availability of the structure, enhance its life and prioritize repair and rehabilitation work. The data will help to decide which bridge needs critical attention, or which needs to be rebuilt.
Gadkari also informed that the states of Rajasthan and Maharashtra have taken initiatives to work on Railway Over Bridges.