Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/894232
November 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 32 bridge maintenance staff and equipment to do more preventive maintenance." 3. ARIZONA, 1.5 PERCENT Arizona has 4,809 interstate/state bridges, of which 66 are rated SD. Using the Good/Fair/Poor rating system, 63 percent of the interstate/state bridges in the state are rated Good, while 1.5 percent are rated Poor. 4. FLORIDA, 1.9 PERCENT With a total of 11,976 bridges in both interstate/state and local systems, Florida DOT says 244 of them are considered SD. The state is using several preventive maintenance techniques to prolong bridge life, says John Clark, state bridge maintenance and repair engi- neer, including installing deck overlays, sealing con- crete decks and installing cathodic protection systems. 5.UTAH, 2.0 PERCENT "At this time, all but two state-owned SD structures are programmed for rehabilitation or replacement, includ- ing several that are under construction now or will be in the current year," says Rebecca Nix, bridge manage- ment engineer with the Utah DOT. The state's greatest challenge is staying ahead of its aging bridge inven- tory, Nix says. "More focus needs to be placed on ex- tending the life of Fair condition bridges to prevent a rapid increase in Poor condition bridges," she reports. Asked what one thing would help improve bridges in the state, she mentioned a better understanding of the use of non-destructive testing for an accurate evalu- ation of bridge condition. This would help the Utah DOT to "better scope needed repairs and prioritize their treatments," she says. The five states with the highest percentage of all bridges rated "Poor." 1. RHODE ISLAND, 26.6 PERCENT. The Rhode Island DOT reports it has 6,680,195 square feet of interstate/state bridge deck, and 24.02 percent of this bridge deck area was rated SD. It closed and slated for repair one to three bridges because of deficiency, structural failure or collapse. The state expects to com- plete four new bridges in the next fiscal year, start 21 and plan another 27, according to Craig Nazareth with the department. Rehabilitation techniques used include superstructure replacement and strengthening. 2. IOWA, 19.8 PERCENT Most of the problems with Iowa bridges rest in local systems, where 25 percent of the bridges are consid- ered SD. If just considering interstate/state bridges, only 1.2 percent would be classified SD. Currently, 37.6 percent of bridges in all systems are rated Good, 42.6 percent are rated Fair, and 19.8 percent are rated Poor. According to Scott Neubauer, Iowa DOT bridge maintenance and inspection engineer, preventive maintenance techniques used by the state include washing/cleaning bridge decks or the entire bridge, installing deck overlays, and sealing and replacing leaking joints. 3. PENNSYLVANIA, 18.2 PERCENT When asked to rate the bridges in his state on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being excellent), Michael Winslow with the Pennsylvania DOT said "2." "We are near the worst in the country in terms of having the most SD bridges by count and percentage," he said. The state is planning to replace 182 bridges this fiscal year. It closed more bridge inventory | continued Preservation techniques used 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Scour countermeasures Seal/replace leaking joints Deck overlay Seal concrete deck Steel beam/girder end work Wash/clean bridge deck Cathodic protection Lubricate bearing devices 35 35 34 31 26 18 16 11 36 total responses