Construction

Review of Local Agency Bridge Inspection Program

Word Version (143 kb) | PDF Version (51 kb)

BIOH - Bridge Inspection Organizational Head
BITL - Bridge Inspection Team Leader
BITM - Bridge Inspection Team Member

1. Qualifications of Inspection Personnel
   • Who is the head of the bridge inspection organization?

     A

     Title:

   • Who inspects bridges for the agency?

     B	BITL / BITM Title:
     C	BITL / BITM Title:
     D	BITL / BITM Title:
     E	BITL / BITM Title:

   • How many years of bridge inspection experience?

     Years of Experience
     	0-1	2-5	6-9	10 or more
     A
     B
     C
     D
     E

   • Is the BIOH/BITL a Registered Professional Engineer?

     a.	BIOH:	Yes _____ No _____ PE #: _____ State: _____
     b.	BITL:	Yes _____ No _____ PE #: _____ State: _____

   • OR, is the BIOH/BITL qualified for registration as a professional engineer under the laws of this State?

     a.	BIOH:	Yes _____ No _____
     b.	BITL:	Yes _____ No _____

   • Is the BITL currently certified as a Level III or Level IV Bridge Safety Inspector under the National Society of Professional Engineers' program for National Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET).

     Yes _____ No _____

   • What training have bridge inspectors received in bridge inspection?

     BRIDGE INSPECTOR TRAINING (Dates)
     	2-week BITC	Br. Insp'n Refresher	Fracture Critical	Underwater Inspection	Stream Stability & Scour	BMS Inspection	Other
     A
     B
     C
     D
     E

   • Please indicate the bridge inspection assignments (experience) for the BITL.

     Assignments (Experience)
     No. of Months	Job Title	Brief Description of Duties

   • How often is the BITL at the bridge site during inspection?

     _____ Always
     _____ Most of the time
     _____ Occasionally
     _____ Never

2. Available Resources
   • How many bridges is the agency responsible for inspecting?

     	Total	Fracture Critical	Underwater	Other Special Inspections
     NBI Bridges
     Bridges < 20 ft
     TOTAL

   • How many inspections were performed during the last calendar year?

   • How many inspections are scheduled for the upcoming calendar year?

   • Indicate the percentage of time spent on the listed duties in the last calendar year:

     	Bridge Inspection and Rating	Bridge Design	Bridge Construction	Bridge Maintenance	Other
     A						100%
     B						100%
     C						100%
     D						100%
     E						100%

   • How long does it normally take to reinspect the following structure?
     (exclude travel time and bridge load capacity rating time)

     Three simple spans with total length of 200 feet, multi girder or beam, reinforced concrete deck, over local street. Structure is about 20 years old.

   • Does the BIT inspect the following structures:

     	Yes	No	N/A	If yes, how many?
     Major Bridges
     Fracture Critical Bridges
     Underwater Components of Bridges

   • Are other sections (personnel) called for assistance when inspecting the following structures?

     	Yes	No	Comments
     Major Bridges
     Fracture Critical Bridges
     Underwater Components of Bridges

   • What is the status of, and who conducts, evaluations of the following?

     	No. Required	No. Complete	Who Performs?	No. Posted or Scour Critical
     Load Ratings
     Scour Evaluations

   • How many bridges require posting, but have not yet been posted? If so, why not?

   • Have action plans been developed for those bridges determined to be scour critical?
     (Please attach a copy of one.)

3. Inspection Records
   • What type of information is recorded about each inspection?

     		Yes	No
     a.	Time spent on inspection
     b.	Temperature
     c.	Weather
     d.	Inspectors' signatures
     e.	Other (Please specify)

   • Are previous inspection reports available at the site for review?
     1. _____ Yes
     2. _____ No
   • Are the bridge plans carried to the bridge site for review if necessary, or are they readily available for review in the bridge office?

     	Yes	No
     Bridge site
     Bridge office

   • What forms are used to record the inspection data? (Choose all that apply)

     _____ (STA) BIS Inventory Data Coding Form
     _____ Bridge Inspection Report Form
     _____ Laptop program
     _____ Other (specify)

   • List the bridges and files evaluated during this review:

     	Bridge Name	Structure ID	Bridge No.
     Bridge A
     Bridge B
     Bridge C
     Bridge D
     Bridge E
     Bridge F

   • Please summarize the results of reviewing individual bridge inspection reports and files for a sampling of bridges:

     	Bridge A	Bridge B	Bridge C	Bridge D	Bridge E	Bridge F
     Coding Accuracy
     Inv. Data Accuracy
     Narrative
     Sketches
     Photographs
     Maint. Needs Ident'd
     Load Ratings
     Posting Docum.
     Scour Calcs

     G- Good; F- Fair; P- Poor; DNA- Does Not Apply; CNE- Could Not Evaluate

     Comments

4. Inspection Procedures
   • Are written inspection procedures prepared for the BIT?

     _____ Yes
     _____ No

   • What written procedures are available at the bridge site or bridge office?

     	Yes	No	Describe
     a. General
     b. Special Feature Inspection
     c. Fracture Critical Inspection
     d. Underwater Inspection
     e. Major Bridge Inspection
     f. Other

   • Do you have any special procedures for any specific bridges that your team inspects?

     _____ Yes (Please specify)
     _____ No

     (Whenever it is determined that the BIT uses specific written procedures for a bridge, the review team should obtain a copy and attach it to this questionnaire

   • Who determines the depth of inspection if there are no written procedures?

     a. BITL
     b. Head of bridge inspection unit
     c. Other (specify)

   • How are new written procedures distributed?

     a. Training session
     b. Mail
     c. General Meetings
     d. Other (Please specify)

   • Do BITMs have specific duties conveyed to them by the BITL?
     1. _____ Yes
     2. _____ No

     Comments:
      

5. Inspection Equipment
   • What equipment does your team have available for "hands on" access to bridge members?

     	Yes	No
     a. Ladder
     b. Aerial Lift Platform ("manlift")
     c. Underbridge Inspection Unit (Snooper, UBIT)
     d. Boat
     e. Scaffolding
     f. Climbing Gear
     g. Other

   • How accessible is the equipment?

     (A) How many bridges need a UBIT?
     (B) How many bridges is it used on?
     (C)	Readily Accessible	Must be Scheduled	Must be Rented or billed to Others	Always Difficult to Obtain
     a. Ladder
     b. Aerial Lift Platform ("manlift")
     c. Underbridge Inspection Unit (UBIT)
     d. Boat
     e. Scaffolding
     f. Other:

   • Does the Agency ever use NDT (excluding visual)? If yes, complete 4 and 5 below; if no, skip 4 and 5.

     _____ Yes
     _____ No

   • If your answer to question (3) is yes, please indicate who is responsible for NDT?

     a. Bridge Unit
     b. Maintenance Unit
     c. Materials Testing Unit
     d. Other
     e. Don't know

   • Who determines the frequency of NDT?

     a. Bridge Unit
     b. Maintenance Unit
     c. Materials Testing Unit
     d. Other
     e. Don't know

   • What equipment does the BIT normally carry with them to the inspection site?

     	Yes	No
     Extension ladder
     Measuring tape
     6' folding rule
     100' fiberglass tape
     Geologist hammer
     Inspection mirror
     Flashlight
     Thermometer
     Plumb bob
     Camera
     2'-0" level (carpenter)
     Brush hook/machete
     First Aid kit
     Wire brush
     Calipers
     Shovel
     Screw driver
     Pliers
     Wrenches
     Incremental borer
     Deck sounding chains
     Hip boots & waders
     Paint stick/keel
     Scraper
     Feeler gauge
     Probing rod
     Vertical clearance measuring rod

     List additional items below

6. Follow-up Procedures
   • Do Agency maintenance personnel accompany the BIT on inspections?

     _____ Always
     _____ Occasionally
     _____ Most of the time
     _____ Never

   • Are recommendations for maintenance or repairs identified on the bridge inspection form?

     _____ Yes
     _____ No

   • Does the BIT assess whether previous maintenance problems have been corrected?

     _____ Yes
     _____ No

   • How do you call the attention of maintenance personnel to routine bridge maintenance problems?

     _____ Written procedure
     _____ Verbally
     _____ Regularly scheduled meetings

   • How is the BIOH notified of needed repairs, and how and to whom are completed repairs communicated?

   • Who does the BITL notify when emergency repairs are necessary?

     _____ Bridge Section
     _____ Maintenance Section
     _____ Other
     _____ Not required to notify anyone

   • If a bridge requires emergency repairs, is this noted as part of the inspection report or as a separate document?

     _____ BIR
     _____ Separate document
     _____ Not documented

   • What procedures and documentation are in place to insure timely correction of emergency needs?

   • Who checks proper placement of signs (load posting, clearance, speed restriction, narrow bridge etc.)?

     _____ BIT
     _____ Bridge Section
     _____ Maintenance Section
     _____ Other
     _____ Don't know

   • What is the annual bridge maintenance budget?

Review Summary

Summary Comments
 

Inspection Report Evaluation Form

• Please indicate whether the following information is included in the most recent inspection report:

  	Yes	No	N/A
  a. Narrative Section
  b. Sketches of cracks, spalls exposed rebar, etc.
  c. Bridge Photographs
  d. Maintenance needs identified
  e. Emergency repairs required
  f. Posting signs documented

• Are the sketches identified in (1b) of sufficient detail to track changes in the bridge (joint opening measurements, widths of cracks etc.)?

  a. _____ Yes
  b. _____ No

• Do the condition and appraisal ratings from the current inspection report agree with the condition and appraisal ratings on the Agency's most recent SI&A sheet? (This question evaluates if the inspection data is reliably captured into the State's bridge inventory database.)

  c. _____ Yes
  d. _____ No

• Does the inspection form list the members of the BIT?

  e. _____ Yes
  f. _____ No

• Is the inspection form signed and dated?

  g. _____ Yes
  h. _____ No

• What are the dates of the previous 5 routine inspections?

  _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Inspection File Evaluation

• Written Procedures

  Are written inspection procedures required for this bridge? If no, skip the rest of this section

• Evaluate the following:

  Critical inspection locations identified

  Inspection frequencies identified

  Inspection methods identified

  Discussion of deficiencies to look for

  Special equipment needs identified

• Load Rating Calculations

  What is the method used for calculating the load rating?

  Is the HS truck used with the Load Factor method to determine Inventory & Operating Ratings?

  What are the calculated ratings:

  	Inventory	Operating
  Type 3		(25.0 Tons)
  Type 3-S2		(36.7 Tons)
  Type 3-3		(43.2 Tons)
  HS Truck

  What is the recommended load posting? Is it physically posted?

  Is the load rating signed and stamped by a registered P.E.?

• Scour Evaluation

  Has scour been evaluated in accordance with acceptable practice?

  If the bridge is scour critical, has a written action plan been developed addressing:

  • Monitoring
  • Installation of temporary countermeasures
  • Permanent countermeasures