Proposal for an effective decision support system for the pre-selection of the type of concrete highway bridges

In the preliminary design phase of a concrete highway bridge project, a critical question arises concerning the pre-selection of the most suitable bridge type. The answer is related not only to cost-effectiveness, but also to the satisfaction of a number of conflicting compliance criteria. Therefore, the development of a reliable decision support system with respect to that kind of selection is an important research objective. In the context of this study, all contemporary construction capabilities for concrete highway bridges are defined. Furthermore, certain evaluation criteria governing the design of bridges are established. These criteria are then weighted and incorporated within two multicriteria analysis methods. Through the application of these methods, the respective optimal selection of the bridge type can be achieved, among a number of potentially suitable alternatives. Additionally, the implementation of the proposed decision support system was deemed necessary in a case study of a famous bridge in Greece.