National Academies Press: OpenBook

Bridge Inspection Practices (2007)

Chapter: Chapter One - Introduction

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter One - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Bridge Inspection Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14127.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter One - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Bridge Inspection Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14127.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter One - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Bridge Inspection Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14127.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter One - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Bridge Inspection Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14127.
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3TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES AND INFORMATION SOURCES This synthesis on bridge inspection practices is based on infor- mation collected from department of transportation (DOT) source documents including inspection manuals, blank inspec- tion forms, technical memoranda, job announcements, and training course descriptions; from a standard questionnaire distributed to DOTs in the United States and Canada; and from individualized questionnaires sent to countries that participated in the 2003 FHWA/AASHTO scan trip on bridge preservation (Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, and the United Kingdom). Responses to the standard questionnaire were obtained from 28 U.S. state transportation agencies and six Canadian trans- portation agencies. U.S. respondents were Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Canadian respondents were the provinces of Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec and the cities of Edmonton and Ottawa. Bridge inspection manuals or other documentation were obtained from U.S.DOT Eastern Federal Lands and the following 26 U.S. state transportation agencies: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Min- nesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vir- ginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Bridge inspection manu- als were obtained from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario. The synthesis also presents information obtained from the following foreign transportation agencies: Danish National Roads Directorate, Finnish National Roads Administration, French National Roads Directorate, German Federal High- ways Research Institute, Norwegian National Roads, Swedish Roads Administration, South African National Roads Lim- ited, and the United Kingdom Highways Agency. Because this synthesis lacks information from the major- ity of Canadian provinces and territories, the main body of the text does not include Canadian information. However, it does include an appendix (Appendix C) that presents the set of Canadian information that was obtained. Where the syn- thesis offers findings on “foreign practices,” these findings do not include Canada. Standard manuals and guides used in U.S. bridge inspec- tion are included in Table 1. Table 2 lists inspection manuals from foreign sources. OVERVIEW OF INSPECTION PRACTICES Road Agencies Most nations included in this synthesis have road agencies at three administrative levels: national, state, and local (see Table 3). National agencies perform relatively few bridge inspections. Instead, inspections are delegated to state DOTs in U.S. practice, to inspection consultants in many foreign nations, and to federal states or departments, respectively, in Germany and France. Inspection Personnel Most U.S. state DOTs have a central office inspection pro- gram manager, district program managers, and inspection team leaders based in districts. Some DOTs have central teams for statewide work on underwater inspections, emer- gency inspections, or quality assurance inspections. U.S. federal regulations do not require a professional engi- neering (PE) license for inspection program managers or inspection team leaders. Instead, a PE license obviates federal requirements for bridge inspection experience both for pro- gram managers and for team leaders. Many U.S. state DOTs require a PE license for inspection program managers and some state DOTs require a PE license for inspection team leaders. Many state DOTs require bridge inspection experi- ence for all inspection team leaders, and do not accept a PE license as a substitute. U.S. federal regulations establish qualifications for inspec- tion team leaders and for divers, but not for other inspection team members. Foreign practice recognizes two or three lev- els of qualification of inspectors, and relates qualification to inspection type (see Table 4). CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

4Publisher Document Commonly Recognized (CoRe) Structural Elements (2001). Manual for Condition Evaluation of Bridges, 2nd ed. (2000). Movable Bridge Inspection, Evaluation, and Maintenance Manual (1998), 608 pp. AASHTO Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals, 4th ed. (2001), 272 pp. Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, FHWA NHI 03-001(2002), 1,762 pp. Bridge Scour and Stream Instability Countermeasures Experience, Selection, and Design Guidance, 2nd ed., NHI-01-003 (2001). Culvert Inspection Manual, FHWA-IP-86-2 (1986). Highway and Rail Transit Tunnel Inspection Manual, FHWA-IF-05-002 (2005), 112 pp. Inspection of Fracture Critical Bridge Members, FHWA-IP-86-26 (1986), 232 pp. Recording and Coding Guide for the Structural Inventory and Appraisal of the Nation’s Bridges, FHWA-PD-96-001 (1995), 124 pp. FHWA Underwater Inspection of Bridges, FHWA-DP-80-1 (1989). USDA Timber Bridges Design, Construction, Inspection, and Maintenance (1992), Forest Service. Nation Document Denmark Inspection of Bridges (1994), Danish National Road Directorate, 175 pp. Finland Guidelines and Policy for Bridge MR&R Operation Guidelines for Bridge Inspection Bridge Inspection Manual Bridge Repair Manual (SILKO–Guidelines) Germany Highway Structures Testing and Inspection, DIN 1076 (1999), Deutsche Norm, 10 pp. Preservation and Maintenance (n.d.), Construction and Housing, German Federal Department of Transportation, 23 pp. Guideline for the Structural Design and Equipment of Bridges for Monitoring, Inspection and Maintenance (1997), German Federal Department of Transportation, 6 pp. Recording and Assessment of Damages, Guideline RI-EBW-PRÜF, 1998. ASB Structure Inventory, (coding manual for SIB–Bauwerke) (1998). Norway Handbook for Bridge Inspections (2001), Norwegian Public Roads Administration, 339 pp. United Kingdom Requirements for Inspection and Management of Bridges, BD 62/94 and BD 63/94. Canada, Alberta BIM Inspection Manual, Version 3 (2005), Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation. BIM Inspection Manual—Level 2, Version 1 (2004), Alberta Transportation, 153 pp. Canada, Ontario Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (2000), Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 380 pp. TABLE 1 STANDARD MANUALS AND GUIDES USED IN U.S. BRIDGE INSPECTION TABLE 2 INSPECTION MANUALS—FOREIGN SOURCES Nation National Agency State/Provincea Local United States FHWA State DOTs County, municipal Denmark National Roads Directorate Regional road agencies Municipal agencies Finland Road Administration Municipal agencies France National Road Directorate Inter-departmentalb road agencies (11) Conseil Général Germany Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs State road agencies (16) County, municipal, and rural Norway Public Roads Administration (PRA) PRA regions (5) Local road agencies South Africa National Roads Agency Limited Provincial departments of transport (9) Municipal transport agencies Sweden Roads Administration Regional road agencies (7) Municipal road agencies United Kingdom Highways Agency Highways Agency maintenance areas (14) Local road agencies aNumber of agencies in parentheses. bA French department is similar to a U.S. state. TABLE 3 ROAD AGENCIES, ADMINISTRATIVE LEVELS

5Nation Inspector Inspections United States Team leader All Bridge inspectors Principal inspections—6 years Road foreman Annual inspection Denmark Roadman Daily inspection Engineer—Certified bridge inspector Basic inspection—5 years Certified bridge inspector General inspection—5 years Finland Road foreman Annual inspection Certified inspector Detailed inspection—6 years Inspection agent IQOA—3 years France Road maintenance agent Annual inspection Bridge inspector Major test—6 years Germany Road maintenance crew Superficial inspection—3 months Senior bridge inspector Verification inspections—QA Bridge inspector Principal inspection—5 years South Africa Maintenance personnel Annual inspection Bridge inspector Major inspection—6 years Sweden Maintenance contractor Annual inspection Supervising engineer Principal inspection—6 years United Kingdom Bridge inspector General inspection—3 years IQOA = Image de la Qualité des Ouvrages d’Art (Image of the Quality of Bridges, Walls, and Tunnels). TABLE 4 BRIDGE INSPECTORS Bridge Inspections U.S. federal regulations define eight types of bridge inspec- tion. Three are periodic: routine inspection, fracture-critical member inspection, and underwater inspection. U.S. state DOTs establish more detailed guidelines providing for peri- odic use of hands-on inspection, close-up access, and collec- tion of quantitative data. State DOTs establish guidelines for short-interval, interim inspections in response to bridge defects, conditions, or load posting. State DOTs also establish guidelines for long-interval, in-depth inspections for selected bridge types and bridge elements. Foreign road agencies de- fine between four and eight types of inspection. Each foreign agency defines two or three routine inspections at different intensities and at different intervals. Ninety-five percent of U.S. routine inspections are per- formed at intervals of 24 months or less. Foreign road agencies perform detailed inspections at 5- or 6-year intervals in com- bination with less detailed check inspections at intervals of 1 to 3 years. Most U.S. state DOTs use two-person teams for bridge inspections. At a few DOTs, routine inspections are made by individual inspectors. Equal numbers of state DOTs either rotate inspection teams to new bridges periodically or prefer that inspection teams inspect the same set of bridges each cycle. Most U.S. state-owned bridges are inspected by state DOT personnel. Inspection consultants perform underwater inspections, inspections of some large bridges, and inspec- tions of local agency bridges. Foreign road agencies dele- gate many inspections to consultants or to maintenance contractors. Quality Control and Quality Assurance At most U.S. state DOTs, the inspection program manager guides quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) poli- cies and execution. U.S. state DOTs make QC reviews of inspection reports. QC verifies that inspection reports are accurate and complete; that there are sufficient notes, sketches, and photographs of conditions; and that recommendations for maintenance are appropriate. Most U.S. DOTs use peer team leaders to review inspec- tion reports. At some DOTs, the district inspection manager or other staff performs additional QC review of a sample of inspection reports. Some DOTs make specific QC reviews for inspections of bridges that have poor conditions, signifi- cant defects, or posting for load. For a sample of bridges, QC/QA programs often include field activities such as: • Independent inspection by a peer inspection team. • Verification by a peer team of the current inspection report. • Joint audit of the current inspection report by a peer team and the inspector of record. • Site visit by an inspection supervisor to an inspection team at work. • Inspection of control bridges as part of periodic work- shops or training. QA activities usually focus on a DOT region or on a local bridge owner. QC activities usually focus on a team leader or inspection team. Focus determines how samples of bridges are selected and where findings on quality are directed. QA

review collects a sample of bridges in a region and discusses findings in a close-out meeting with region staff. QC collects a sample of bridges for a team, and discusses findings with the team and their immediate supervisors. QA activities verify that inspection personnel are quali- fied, that staff and equipment are adequate for the workload, that bridge files and bridge lists are maintained, and that there is appropriate follow-up on significant findings. Intervals for QA review range from 12 months to 48 months. 6 Refresher training for bridge inspectors is a part of QA at most U.S. state DOTs. Foreign practice delegates most QC responsibilities to con- sultants performing inspections. Road agencies require and re- view consultants’ QC plans as part of contract administration. Foreign QA activities center on periodic advanced train- ing that usually includes inspection of control bridges and discussions among inspectors at the training.

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TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 375: Bridge Inspection Practices examines bridge inspection practices in the United States and selected foreign countries. The report explores inspection personnel (staff titles and functions, qualifications, training and certification, inspection teams, and the assignment of teams to bridges), inspection types (focus, methods, and frequency), and inspection quality control and quality assurance. The report also reviews the uses agencies make of information gathered from bridge inspections, what triggers repairs, and plans for future development of inspection programs.

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