The purpose of this paper is to present WASDOT guidelines and procedures for the post-earthquake safety evaluation of bridges. Development of these procedures is intended to promote uniformity in the rating of bridge damage such that two individuals examining the same bridge will arrive at essentially the same conclusion regarding a structureÆs safety and its posting category.

The scope of this paper deals primarily with the technical aspects of making bridge structural safety evaluations and does not deal with organizing and managing inspection work. Local authorities must provide management and administration of inspections. The three levels of inspection used by WASDOT are discussed and example assessment forms are included. Resources needed and a list of tools recommended for inspection work is given.

Post-earthquake inspection procedures to be followed for inspecting any concrete, steel, or timber bridge, and the specific procedures to follow for inspecting a given bridge element are summarized and illustrated by examples of real earthquake damage.

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