The Highway Bridge Program An Overview of the

The Highway Bridge Program An Overview of the Program Details for Federal Agencies Edgar P. Small, Ph. D. Senior Structural Engineer FHWA - Office of Bridge Technology

History of the Program • 1950’s and 1960’s: No National Level Bridge Safety Inspection Program – Interstate Construction Boom Underway – Programs, where in-place, were responsive

History of the Program • Change resulted from catastrophe: – Dec. 1967: Silver Bridge Collapse – Chain-link suspension design – Catastrophic failure from instantaneous fracture – 46 Fatalities

Congressional Order • Secretary of the DOT shall work with the States to develop a national-level bridge safety inspection program – Developed by 1972 – Required biennial bridge inspection of structures on the federal-aid system – Provided funding for replacement of structures through the Special Bridge Replacement Program.

Continual Enhancement/Expansion • 1978 STAA (P. L. 95 -599) • 1982 STAA (P. L 97 -424) • 1987 Surface Transportation & Uniform Relocation Assistance Act (P. L. 100 -17) • 1991 – Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (P. L. 102 -240) • 1998 – Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century (P. L. 105 -178) • 2005 – Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (P. L. 109 -59)

How Does The Program Work • • • Federally-Supported STATE program Described in 23 USC 144 (23 CFR 650) Authorization: SAFETEA-LU Appropriations Annually Funds Distributed by Formula – Based on the Deficient Deck Area & Cost of Rehab & Replacement in Each State

Eligible Bridges & Activities What is a Bridge? • A structure, including supports, erected over a depression or an obstruction, such as water, a highway or a railway, having a track or passageway for carrying traffic or other moving loads, and having an opening measured along the center of the roadway of more than 20 feet between undercopings of abutments or spring lines of arches, or extreme ends of the openings for multiple boxes; it may include mutiple pipes where the clear distance between the opening is less than half of the smaller continguous opening.

Eligible Bridges & Activities • Bridge Eligibility is based on Sufficiency Rating and Deficiency Status – Sufficiency Rating: “Numerical rating based on structural adequacy and safety, essentiality for public use, serviceability and functional obsolescence. ” – Deficiency: Structural Deficiency, which is based upon NBI condition ratings or Functional Obsolescence, based on NBI appraisal ratings.

Eligible Bridges & Activities What bridges are eligible for funding? • Deficient with Sufficiency Rating within defined limits

Eligible Bridges & Activities What activities are eligible? • On Eligible Bridges: Rehab, Replacement, Painting, Application of calcium magnesium acetate, sodium acetate/formate, or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions. • On All Bridges, irrespective of Eligible Status: Seismic Retrofit, Scour Mitigation, Systematic Preventative Maintenance

State Level Planning and Programming Now, States will have money provided through apportionment and an understanding of the needs within the system, based on eligibility NEXT STEP: DETERMINE WHERE THE MONEY WILL BE SPENT - System used developed by the State

Opportunities for Federal Agencies • Federal bridges MAY be funded through the Highway Bridge Program. Keep in mind: – Funding plan at the discretion of the State DOT – All projects must be in the STIP to be funded

Opportunities for Federal Agencies – 23 USC 144 requires a minimum of 15% to be spent on the off-system unless waiver granted • Waivers permitted by law – Highway Bridge Program Funds require a match (in general: 80% federal funds, 20% match)

Matching Federal Funds with Federal Funds • In the past, this has been problematic for the Highway Bridge Program (23 USC 120(k)) • SAFETEA-LU has changed this to read: – USE OF FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY FUNDS – Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the funds appropriated to any Federal land management agency may be used to pay the non-Federal share of the cost of any project the Federal share of which is funded under this title or chapter 53 of title 49.

THANK YOU For Additional Questions Please Contact Us: Edgar Small – (202) 366 -4622 Thomas Everett – (202) 366 -4675