ABSTRACT
Rehabilitation of existing road bridges is presently an urgent issue of bridge engineers and responsible authorities in many European countries. The final report of the COST Action 345 (2004) indicates that there are about l million existing bridges in 27 European countries covered by the Action. The best estimates of the replacement costs of these bridges reach up to about 400 milliard Euros. Reinforced concrete road bridges comprise a significant portion of this amount. Present expenditures on maintenance and rehabilitation are limited and seem to be inadequate.
