Over the last 50 years there have been major road building programmes in Western Europe to cope with the increasing growth in traffic. But in most countries the main motorway construction programme is now coming to an end and attention is switching to maintenance of the existing stock. Many of the bridges built in these road programmes are showing signs of deterioration after only a few decades in service, as a result of increasing loads, physical and chemical attack. By contrast highway structures in Eastern Europe tend to be older, have been neglected and are in need of major rehabilitation.