ABSTRACT
Before the 1960s, little emphasis was given to inspection and maintenance of bridges in the United States. This chapter focuses only on the basic, fundamental requirements for maintenance inspection and rating. In order to maintain the nation’s bridge inventory, Federal Highway Administration requests all state agencies to submit data on the Structure Inventory and Appraisal (SI&A) Sheet. The primary purpose of bridge inspection is to maintain the public safety, confidence, and investment in bridges. When some maintenance work alters the dimensions of the structure, new dimensions should be obtained and reported. Hands-on involvement of the team leader is necessary to maintain the proper level of inspection and to make independent checks of condition appraisals. Bridges spanning over waterways, especially rivers and streams, sometimes provide major maintenance challenges. In order to maintain a bridge for an indefinite period, live-load-carrying capacity available for frequently passing vehicles needs to be estimated at service.
