The major challenges facing slovak road and railways infrastructure: current conditions, administration and priorities

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to assess the current condition of bridges in Slovakia with an emphasis on two key determinants: the ownership and administration of structures and their structural health condition. The study combines official data from the Road Database of the Slovak Road Administration (SSC), available information from the Slovak Railways (ŽSR), findings of the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (NKÚ SR), and analytical outputs of the Value for Money Division (UHP). The paper presents an analysis of data related to ownership, administration, categories of current health condition, and accompanying documentation, providing a transparent overview of where the highest risks are concentrated. These infrastructures were identified for the purposes of the REMAKE 3D project. As part of this project, several activities were undertaken to collect information and data; however, such information is often inaccessible or does not exist. The paper includes details about bridge ownership based on a comparison of owner databases, a BIM model of bridge M7441, and an example of image processing for defect detection. The conclusion and discussion section outlines proposals for future research.