Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/748269
prioritization be discussed." The second impact, she adds, was the decision to no longer fund local bridges with federal funds to allow for more direct control at the state and local level. "We will be completing projects that were programmed through 2018, but will then shift to totally funding local bridge projects with state funds." Finally, Schultz says the agency is encouraging local entities to reha- bilitate their bridges and extend their life, rather than "just let them die." "We cannot afford to replace all of the aging structures, and need to implement maintenance programs to extend their lives," she says. The New Mexico DOT began set- ting aside $14 million per year for bridge preservation projects back in 2013, prompted in part by the fact that the average bridge age in the state is approaching 50 years. "The objective of the funding is to extend the service life of these bridges by proactively spending limited funding on actions that minimize deterioration," says Jeff Vigil, NMDOT bridge manage- ment engineer. "Road salts are used EquipmentWorld.com | November 2016 19 HOW THE STATES STACK UP ARIZONA 7,714 9 % 1 TOTAL BRIDGES: 159 SD: 536 MINNESOTA 13,964 10.3 % 2 867 566 UTAH 2,986 11.7 % 3 64 285 NEW MEXICO 3,793 13.9 % 4 221 307 WISCONSIN 14,116 14.1 % 5 1,230 762 FO: BOTTOM 5 STATES/AREAS HIGHEST PERCENT SD/FO DISTRICT of COLUMBIA 254 68.5 % * 51 TOTAL BRIDGES: 10 SD: 164 RHODE ISLAND 773 52 % 50 192 210 HAWAII 1,112 42.7 % 49 61 414 NEW YORK 17,498 37.7 % 48 1,948 4,643 WEST VIRGINIA 7,162 37 % 47 1,276 1,375 FO: TOP 5 STATES LOWEST PERCENT SD/FO *From the Federal Highway Administration's 2015 National Bridge Inventory INVENTORY Bridge condition ratings Through consultation with states, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has assigned a sufficiency rating to each inventoried bridge mea- suring 20 feet or more. Factors for these ratings are outlined in the current FHWA report, "Recording and Coding Guide for Structures Inventory and Appraisal SI&A of the Nation's Bridges." A structurally deficient (SD) bridge is rated as such when its components, including the deck, substructure, superstructure or culvert, are rated in poor condition. It does not imply the bridge is not safe. A functionally obsolete bridge (FO) does not meet current designs standards and may have lanes or shoulders that aren't wide enough, or has vertical clearances that are too low. FHWA is moving toward rating bridges as good, fair and poor as a means of further standardizing the rating system for its National Bridge Inventory. Some states use their own methodologies that may differ from other states in establishing these ratings. Establishing the new rating system levels the play- ing field and avoids confusion that SD and FO bridges may cause, FHWA says.