Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/440012
E ach year we survey state and local transportation offi cials on how many structurally defi cient (SD) and functionally obsolete (FO) bridges are in their systems. Late last year, they gave us the tally: Nearly 21 percent of bridges now are considered both SD and FO. Believe it or not, this is good news, because the percentage of SD/FO bridges has dropped incrementally in the past fi ve years from a high of 23 percent in 2010. But funding still remains the big- gest hurdle to improving this num- ber even further. W. Kyle Stollings, director of the maintenance division for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, says insuffi cient fund- ing certainly will have a "tremendous impact on getting structures reha- bilitated or replaced" but, states also need to "get away from the 'worst fi rst' mentality and focus more on system preservation." Adam Matteo, P.E., assistant state bridge engineer for the Virginia De- partment of Transportation, agrees. He notes that insuffi cient funding will restrict important work in the coming year – that "our desire to keep ahead to the upcoming infl ux of structures that will require re- placement or major rehabilitation is greatly affected by lack of funds and personnel." That being said, Matteo points, "[We] need to change the emphasis of replacing structures with the goal of keeping the good structures good through performing preventive and EquipmentWorld.com | January 2015 49 bridge inventory | by Tina Grady Barbaccia INVENTORY 2014 INVENTORY INVENTORY 2014 2014 Bridge Funding remains the No. 1 impediment to improving structurally defi cient and functionally obsolete bridges, but time restric- tions and a greater need for preventive maintenance are also problematic. Methodology: The Randall-Reilly Bridge Inventory has been conducted since 1979. Bridge engineers from every state and Washington, D.C., are sent a survey with both qualitative and quantitative questions. The Federal Highway Adminis- tration, in consultation with the states, has assigned a suffi ciency rating, or SR, to each bridge 20 feet or more that is inventoried. The qualitative data are gathered through a questionnaire about major issues concerning bridge conditions and maintenance. The data was col- lected through October 2014.