Damages to structures accumulate under the influence of several factors such as the aging of structure material. These accumulated damages usually decrease the reliability and function of the structures as originally designed. This paper focuses on introducing several evaluation techniques-life cycle predication, safety evaluation, design optimization, and the latest theories of reliability of structures. The reliability theory (the foundation of bridge appraising) employs the concept of estimating to reflect the bridge reliability as closely as possible. The method also considers the uncertainties of the loading and resisting forces in order to evaluate their influences on structure reliability. Applying the bridge component reliability to system reliability is an important research issue. In this paper, the optimization in bridge engineering is also discussed. Traditionally, the bridge structure is the only issue considered in optimizing bridge engineering. This paper discusses other factors-the relation between a bridge and its environment, workers casualties, and expenses during the construction process.