This paper presents a result of a series of general investigations into the damage control seismic design of steel bridges in which the objective of the performance is to preserve the function even after severe (level 2) earthquakes. To this end, it has been shown that one of the most efficient ways is to install energy dissipation devices in bridges, such as buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) or shear panel dampers (SPDs). In this paper, BRBs are selected. An idea of high-performance BRBs that is expected to withstand major earthquakes three times without being replaced is proposed, and their required demands are clarified. Furthermore a series of performance tests and analyses are carried out to verify the proposals.