The collapse of the Polcevera Viaduct at Genoa, Italy, demonstrated that good designs are not sufficient to guarantee long lives for bridges. Bridges should be monitored continuously for the detection of damage and deficiencies and for planning timely maintenance programs. This Journal dedicated a special issue to the monitoring and evaluation of existing bridges. The papers selected and published are introduced in this foreword.

中文翻译：

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桥梁的监控和评估：意大利Polcevera高架桥倒塌的教训

意大利热那亚Polcevera高架桥的倒塌表明，好的设计不足以保证桥梁的长寿命。应该持续监测桥梁，以发现损坏和缺陷并计划及时的维护计划。该杂志专门介绍了对现有桥梁的监控和评估。选择和发表的论文在此前言中进行介绍。