ARTICLE
By Mike McManus, Director of Engineering Construction & Industry Relations - published in MMQB August 5, 2024 Most of us take the safety of our nation’s bridges for granted. The track record of bridge safety in recent years has been due to a systematic approach to inspecting the nation’s bridges in every state in the Union. This regular inspection of our bridges was started due to a well-known bridge collapse over 50 years ago. The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, on December 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The tragedy brought nationwide attention to the issue of bridge safety. At the time of the collapse, the number of highway bridges in the country was unknown and there was no systematic inspection program to monitor the condition of our highway bridges. That changed with the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1968. By 1971, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) had established the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS). This new standard required each state Department of Transportation (DOT) to inspect all bridges in the state every two years and standardized the qualifications of bridge inspectors. The program has been very successful. In 2000, the percentage of bridges in poor condition was 11.9%. By 2022, the percentage of bridges in poor condition had dropped to 6.9%. In California, those inspections are carried out by Caltrans’s Office of Structure Maintenance and Investigations. The bridge inspectors are responsible for maintaining the safety and integrity of 26,000 bridges owned by the state and local government. Of those 26,000 bridges, 13,300 bridges are state highway bridges maintained by Caltrans and 13,400 are on local roads maintained by the local government. These inspectors are also responsible for inspecting the state highway tunnels and overhead sign structures. There are 103 tunnels and 19,000 overhead sign structures on state highways. Most inspections are considered “routine” and are at two-year intervals. The purpose of these inspections is to determine the physical and functional condition of the bridge, or tunnel. The average age of the state’s highway bridges is 50 years. Caltrans has been saying for some time that bridge rehabilitation is picking up steam, which is good news for bridge contractors. Caltrans is now beefing up its inspection efforts due to some changes made in 2022 to the NBIS. Caltrans is increasing its budget for the Office of Structure Maintenance and Investigations by $8.5 million annually, which will fund 28 more inspectors for a new total of 170 and some new specialized equipment to make the inspectors more efficient. The change to the NBIS is twofold. FHWA has increased the number of items that the DOTs must report about each bridge, significantly increasing the inspection effort and reporting on each bridge. The DOTs must also do more “in-depth” inspections with inspectors having to get a “hands-on” look at various elements of some bridges which will take more time and special equipment to reach the underside of bridges. The inspection frequency of some bridges will increase. Bridges in poor condition must now be inspected every 12 months. Sixty non-redundant steel bridges must also be inspected at 12-month intervals. With the passage of SB1 in 2017 and the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, there has been money to start improving the condition of the state’s highway bridges. But so far, it seems that the process of permitting, developing, and advertising projects for bids has not kept pace with the decline of our aging bridges. The percentage of bridges rated in “good” condition in 2018 was 60.3%, that percentage has fallen as of 2023 to 44.1%. The percentage of bridges rated in “fair” condition in 2018 was 35.7%; that percentage has risen to 51.1% as of 2023. The percentage of bridges in “poor” condition has stayed steady, 4.0% in 2018 and 4.8% in 2023.
By Mike McManus, Director of Engineering Construction & Industry Relations - published in MMQB August 5, 2024
Most of us take the safety of our nation’s bridges for granted. The track record of bridge safety in recent years has been due to a systematic approach to inspecting the nation’s bridges in every state in the Union. This regular inspection of our bridges was started due to a well-known bridge collapse over 50 years ago. The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, on December 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The tragedy brought nationwide attention to the issue of bridge safety. At the time of the collapse, the number of highway bridges in the country was unknown and there was no systematic inspection program to monitor the condition of our highway bridges. That changed with the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1968. By 1971, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) had established the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS). This new standard required each state Department of Transportation (DOT) to inspect all bridges in the state every two years and standardized the qualifications of bridge inspectors. The program has been very successful. In 2000, the percentage of bridges in poor condition was 11.9%. By 2022, the percentage of bridges in poor condition had dropped to 6.9%. In California, those inspections are carried out by Caltrans’s Office of Structure Maintenance and Investigations. The bridge inspectors are responsible for maintaining the safety and integrity of 26,000 bridges owned by the state and local government. Of those 26,000 bridges, 13,300 bridges are state highway bridges maintained by Caltrans and 13,400 are on local roads maintained by the local government. These inspectors are also responsible for inspecting the state highway tunnels and overhead sign structures. There are 103 tunnels and 19,000 overhead sign structures on state highways.
Most inspections are considered “routine” and are at two-year intervals. The purpose of these inspections is to determine the physical and functional condition of the bridge, or tunnel. The average age of the state’s highway bridges is 50 years. Caltrans has been saying for some time that bridge rehabilitation is picking up steam, which is good news for bridge contractors.
Caltrans is now beefing up its inspection efforts due to some changes made in 2022 to the NBIS. Caltrans is increasing its budget for the Office of Structure Maintenance and Investigations by $8.5 million annually, which will fund 28 more inspectors for a new total of 170 and some new specialized equipment to make the inspectors more efficient. The change to the NBIS is twofold. FHWA has increased the number of items that the DOTs must report about each bridge, significantly increasing the inspection effort and reporting on each bridge. The DOTs must also do more “in-depth” inspections with inspectors having to get a “hands-on” look at various elements of some bridges which will take more time and special equipment to reach the underside of bridges. The inspection frequency of some bridges will increase. Bridges in poor condition must now be inspected every 12 months. Sixty non-redundant steel bridges must also be inspected at 12-month intervals. With the passage of SB1 in 2017 and the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, there has been money to start improving the condition of the state’s highway bridges. But so far, it seems that the process of permitting, developing, and advertising projects for bids has not kept pace with the decline of our aging bridges. The percentage of bridges rated in “good” condition in 2018 was 60.3%, that percentage has fallen as of 2023 to 44.1%. The percentage of bridges rated in “fair” condition in 2018 was 35.7%; that percentage has risen to 51.1% as of 2023. The percentage of bridges in “poor” condition has stayed steady, 4.0% in 2018 and 4.8% in 2023.