National Bridge Inspection Standards NBIS Gary Moss P

National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) Gary Moss, P. E. Office of Bridge Technology Federal Highway Administration

Office of Bridge Technology Bridge Inspection - Outline • National Bridge Inspection Standards-NBIS • National Bridge Inventory – NBI – USDOT uses the NBI component data to allocate Bridge funds to the States and monitor national bridge condition trends. • States collect NBI data and additional component and more detailed element level data for their bridge management programs July, 2009 NBIS Overview 2

Office of Bridge Technology Silver Bridge, West VA 1967 July, 2009 NBIS Overview 3

Office of Bridge Technology NBIS – The Law • Federal Aid Highway Act of 1968 • 23 United States Code (USC) – Section 151 - National bridge inspection program • Secretary of transportation tasked with establishing national bridge inspection standards for the proper safety inspection and evaluation of all highway bridges in consultation with the State transportation departments. July, 2009 NBIS Overview 4

Office of Bridge Technology NBIS – The Law – (1) method for the inspections. – (2) establish time period between inspections. – (3) establish qualification for inspectors. – (4) require State to maintain. • (A) written reports of highway bridge inspections. • (B) current inventory data for all highway bridges. (NBI) – (5) establish a procedure for national certification of highway bridge inspectors. July, 2009 NBIS Overview 5

Office of Bridge Technology Latest NBIS Final Rule 23 CFR Part 650 Subpart C • Published on December 14, 2004 • But much more • NHI Training - BIRM • AASHTO Manual For Condition Evaluation of Bridges • NBI Coding Guide July, 2009 NBIS Overview 6

Office of Bridge Technology NBIS Final Rule July, 2009 NBIS Overview 7

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 301 (NEW) : Purpose – Regulation sets the national standards for the proper safety inspection and evaluation of all highway bridges in accordance with 23 U. S. C 151 July, 2009 NBIS Overview 8

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 303: Applicability • Pertains to all highway bridges located on public roads – Publicly owned bridges over 20 feet. –Public road: any road or street under the jurisdiction of and maintained by a public authority and open to public travel July, 2009 NBIS Overview 9

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 303: Applicability • Does not pertain to: – Non-highway bridges, such as pedestrian and railroad bridges – Bridges on “private roads” X • Encourage private bridge owners to inspect their highway bridges in accordance with the NBIS – Tunnels – Sign support structures, high mast lighting, retaining walls, etc. – Private Highway Bridge on Public Road. July, 2009 NBIS Overview X X 10

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 305 (NEW): Definitions - 33 commonly used bridge inspection terms are defined including: • inspection types: Initial, Routine, FC, U/W, In-depth, Hands-on, etc. • training • quality assurance • quality control • bridge inspection experience July, 2009 NBIS Overview NBIS 11

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 307: Bridge Inspection Organization • State Transportation Departments must inspect, or cause to be inspected, all bridges within their boundaries, except for bridges owned by Federal agencies • Federal agencies are responsible for inspection of bridges within their jurisdiction (NEW) July, 2009 NBIS Overview 12

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 307: Bridge Inspection Organization • State Transportation Department (or Federal Agency) is responsible for statewide… • • policies & procedures quality control/quality assurance maintaining inventory reports, load ratings, and other requirements – Delegation of functions is outlined • does not relieve State of responsibility – Must have program manager July, 2009 NBIS Overview 13

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 309: Qualifications of Personnel • Enhances and clarifies the qualifications of personnel. (PM, TL, Inspector) • Provides 2 ways to be a Program Manager (PM) – – July, 2009 Be a registered PE, or have 10 years bridge inspection experience; and Successfully complete an approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course (NEW) NBIS Overview 14

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 309: Qualifications of Personnel • Provides 5 ways to be a team leader (TL) – Meet qualifications of a PM; or – Have 5 years bridge inspection experience and successfully complete an approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course; or – Be a NICET certified Level III or IV Bridge Safety Inspector and successfully complete an approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course (NEW); or July, 2009 NBIS Overview 15

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 309: Qualifications of Personnel • Have all the following (NEW): – Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET accredited college or university – Successfully pass the NCEES FE exam – Have 2 years bridge inspection experience – Successfully complete an approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course; or July, 2009 NBIS Overview 16

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 309: Qualifications of Personnel • Have all the following (NEW): – Associate’s degree in engineering or engineering technology from an ABET accredited college or university – Have 4 years bridge inspection experience – Successfully complete an approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course July, 2009 NBIS Overview 17

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 309: Qualifications of Personnel • Load rating qualification – individual responsible must be PE (NEW) • U/W diver qualification – must take training or U/W inspectors course (NEW) July, 2009 NBIS Overview 18

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 309: Qualifications of Personnel Training • Through National Highway Institute (NHI) which is a branch of FHWA. – We have developed many courses for Inspectors. – One of which is an approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course which is two weeks long which is given by NHI. The course is based on a the Bridge Inspectors Reference Manual a 1800+ page document that can be downloaded for free. July, 2009 NBIS Overview 19

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 311: Inspection Frequency Ø Sets a frequency that is not to be exceeded for: – Routine Inspections – Underwater Inspections – Fracture Critical Member (FCM) Inspections – Damage, In-Depth, and Special Inspections July, 2009 NBIS Overview 20

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 311: Inspection Frequency • Routine Inspections – Interval not to exceed 24 months – Establish criteria for level and frequency of inspection for bridges requiring inspection at less than 24 month intervals – Interval can be extended to 48 months with FHWA approval July, 2009 NBIS Overview 21

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 311: Inspection Frequency • Underwater Inspections – – – Interval not to exceed 60 months Establish criteria for level and frequency of inspection for bridges requiring inspection at less than 60 month intervals Interval can be extended to 72 months with FHWA approval (NEW) July, 2009 NBIS Overview 22

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 311: Inspection Frequency • FCM Inspections – Interval not to exceed 24 months (NEW) – Establish criteria for level and frequency of inspection for bridges requiring inspection at less than 24 month intervals July, 2009 NBIS Overview 23

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 311: Inspection Frequency • Damage, In-Depth, and Special Inspections – Establish criteria for level and frequency of inspection for bridges requiring these inspections July, 2009 NBIS Overview 24

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 313: Inspection Procedures • Inspect each bridge in accordance with the procedures in the AASHTO Manual – Provide at least one TL on-site during each initial, routine, in-depth, FCM, and underwater inspection • Rating and load posting: – Rate according to the AASHTO Manual – Post or restrict bridges according to the AASHTO manual or State law July, 2009 NBIS Overview 25

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 313: Inspection Procedures • Documentation: – Prepare bridge files in accordance with the AASHTO manual – Maintain reports and relevant maintenance data – Record findings and results on standard forms July, 2009 NBIS Overview 26

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 313: Inspection Procedures • Identify bridges with FCMs, requiring underwater inspection, and those that are scour critical – FCM Bridges: Identify location of FCMs and describe the inspection frequency and procedures – Underwater: Identify location and describe underwater elements and describe the inspection frequency and procedures – Scour Critical: Prepare a plan of action to monitor deficiencies and address critical findings (NEW) July, 2009 NBIS Overview 27

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 313: Inspection Procedures • Identify inspection procedures, training, and experience required to inspect complex bridges • Assure QC/QA procedures are used to maintain accuracy and consistency (NEW) – Include field reviews of inspection teams, bridge inspection refresher training for PMs and TLs, and review of inspection reports July, 2009 NBIS Overview 28

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 313: Inspection Procedures • Establish procedures to assure critical findings are addressed timely – Notify the FHWA of actions taken to resolve findings (NEW) July, 2009 NBIS Overview 29

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 315: Inventory • Prepare and maintain an inventory of all bridges subject to the NBIS Ø Collect and retain SI&A data according to the Coding Guide July, 2009 NBIS Overview 30

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 315: Inventory • Enter SI&A data into inventory within 90 days for State and Federal bridges and 180 days for all other bridges for: – Routine, in-depth, FCM, underwater, damage and special inspections from date of inspection – Bridge modifications that alter previous data and new bridges after completion of the work – Changes in load restriction or closure status July, 2009 NBIS Overview 31

Office of Bridge Technology Section 650. 317: Reference Manuals • AASHTO Manual For Condition Evaluation of Bridges, 2 nd edition, 2001 and 2003 revisions incorporated by reference (NEW) – makes AASHTO Manual a part of regulation – AASHTO Manual has lots of ‘shoulds’; means do it unless there is justification not to! NBIS takes precedence over AASHTO Manual July, 2009 NBIS Overview 32

Office of Bridge Technology • http: //www. fhwa. dot. gov/bridge/nbis. htm July, 2009 NBIS Overview 33

Questions? Gary Moss, P. E. 202 -366 -4654 Bridge Programs Federal Highway Administration