The Teodoro Moscoso Bridge provides access to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the most important airport in the Caribbean, both in terms of passenger and cargo movement. It has a length of 2,250m. Of the total length, 2,075m run over the waters of the San José lagoon, 75m over mangroves and the rest over roads bordering the lagoon. In order to evaluate the current condition of the bridge, a systematic methodology was used to get to know the bridge in as much detail as possible. We begin with a review of the existing documentation: construction plans, existing technical reports and traffic data, weather conditions, etc.

The following studies were carried out:

• Climatic actions on the bridge, including hurricane events, of great relevance in Puerto Rico.
• Study on the traffic supported by the bridge, based on toll information. The IMDp is very low, 3% of the total traffic.
• Response of the structure to seismic actions. The bridge has already suffered an earthquake of intensity 6.4 on January 13, 2014. There is no evidence of poor behavior of the bridge against the earthquake.
• Thermal behavior of the bridge, combining the results of the climatic study with the thermographies obtained in the field. Significant temperature gradients are detected in the header, with differences of up to 15ºC between the end exposed to the sun and the interior. On the other hand, the runoff stains from the deck are dry. The dark shades are due to the presence of bacteria and fungi in areas that receive exceptional moisture input.
• Study for the suppression of expansion joints. This study will be developed in depth later.
• Drainage capacity of the platform, to solve the problems mentioned by the maintenance personnel. The longitudinal slope is less than 0.3% in most of the length, and there are two low points in the longitudinal profile. The cross slope is adequate. The design rainfall intensity produces flows in the drains greater than their capacity. Finally, some puddles occur in areas near the drains because the drains are higher than the puddles.
• Evaluation of the durable condition of the materials, one of the most important studies to evaluate the current condition of the bridge. The results of the tests performed in the field are combined with the results of the cores sent to the laboratory to determine the compressive strength of the concrete, chloride penetration and thin film studies.
• Evaluation of the existing signage and containment systems.