# Comparison of Condition Rating Systems for Bridges in Three European Countries
## 3 Slovakia
### Current State of Slovak Road Bridges  
Similar to other European countries, the structural state of Slovak road bridges is getting worse. Insufficient inspections and neglected maintenance which should be provided by the administrators negatively contribute to this fact. According to the statistics from the Slovak Road Administration (SSC), overall, 8266 road bridges were in the administration of several subjects which use the same condition rating system [16]. The classification of objects on Slovak roads is listed in Table 5. In Slovakia, highway and motorway bridges are maintained by the National Highway Company (Naronda dialnicna spolocnost', abbr. NDS). Bridges on roads of Category I. are administrated by the Slovak road administration (\"Slovenska sprava ciest\", abbr. SSC). Eight Slovak regions (Vyssie izemne celly, abbr. VUC) own bridges on roads of Category II. and III. The distribution of these bridges between regions is very uneven. For instance, the regions of Presov (Eastern Slovakia) and Banska Bystrica (Central Slovakia) own approximately 1000 bridges each. On the other hand, the region of Bratislava (Western Slovakia) administrates only 130 bridges [20]. Other bridges are owned by municipalities or private subjects. Consequently, NDS owns 11% and _SSC_ 23% of road bridges. Eight VUCs are responsible for approximately 66% of road bridges in Slovakia [21]. The classification of road bridges by road category can be seen in Figure 4. The deteriorating condition of bridges can be observed primarily on roads of Categories II. and III. Importantly, two-thirds of bridges which are owned by the regions (VUC) are older than 50 years. Moreover, almost one-third of them are older than 70 years [20].  
Figure 5a illustrates the evolution of the classification of Slovak road bridges from the year 2000 to 2021. Figure 5b shows the number of bridges in condition classes from V. to VII. significantly increased since the year 2010 [21]. For example, in the year 2021, more than 26% of road bridges belonged to these classes. This fact is alarming and demands immediate attention. In such cases, the safety of the structure is threatened, and demountable temporary bridges must be mounted. As a result, this inevitably leads to additional costs for the administrators [22].  
Figure 4: Classification of road bridges by road type, adjourmed to 1 January 2022.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**Type of Object** & **Number** & **Length of Pavement** & **Type of Object** \\ \hline Bridges & 8266 & 305,191 & 3090,582 \\ Underpasses & 1209 & 236,65 & 228,557 \\ Sluice & 28,836 & 332,638 & - \\ Railway crossings & 591 & 6803 & 42,082 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 5: Classification of objects on Slovak roads, adjourmed to 01.01.2022 [21].  
The current situation in Slovakia, especially with precast girder bridges, shows the need for new diagnostic methods. Bridges in Podbiel, Nizna, and Trstena are among the most recognized cases illustrating this alarming situation. Moreover, in the summer of 2020, a footbridge in Spisska Nova Ves collapsed. Similarly, a road prestressed concrete bridge near the village of VelKa Lodina failed too. Early detection of serious problems can prevent an emergency situation that could endanger people's lives and cause economic damage [23]. The collapses of some prestressed concrete bridges are shown in Figure 6.