Inventory of Highway Infrastructure Problems Through Bridge Inspection

Abstract

Today, bridge inspection is a very systematic procedure. In order to assist in this effort, national bridge inspection standards have been developed for the use of various state and county agencies. This paper presents an overview of the inspection procedures used and investigates problems associated with the implementation of inspection standards. It recommends that additional funds are required to train inspectors and to purchase equipment necessary to perform thorough inspections. The study was conducted in a typical region on the Gulf Coast. On‐system inspections revealed deteriorations that were, for the most part, cosmetic in nature. The deficiencies encountered were found not to greatly affect the structural integrity of the facilities under investigation. However, the off‐system inspections revealed that 41.2% of the structures in this category have a load‐carrying capacity below H10. In addition, 8.3% of off‐system bridges were recommended for closure. Various recommendations that can be followed to upgrade structures with substandard ratings are also provided. In addition, the findings indicate that rural‐type bridge infrastructure may be in poor condition compared with urban‐type bridge infrastructure.