Federal Highway Administration

Secretary of Transportation Announces Rule To

Speed Up Design-Build Process

Tim Davis/www.conphoto.net

The Secretary of Transportation has announced a new rule that would help to speed up the design-build process for all bridges nationwide. This rule allows certain design work to begin while the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process is under way, still ensuring that the full range of alternatives is considered. Using this process, states are able to expedite the contract award process and start preliminary design while ensuring the objectivity of the NEPA decision-making process. The new rule also removes the floor (required minimum dollar amount) on design-build contracts. This rule implements a provision in Section 1503 of the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) concerning Design Build contracts. 

To read the Secretary of Transportation's press release, click here.  

Secretary of Transportation Offers Financial Assistance

On Aug. 10, the Secretary of Transportation announced that she has made $50 million available to Minnesota to pay for clean-up and recovery work, including clearing debris and re-routing traffic, as well as for design work on a new bridge.  In addition, she has made an additional $5 million available to reimburse Minneapolis for the increased cost of transit operations during the time that the bridge has been out. 

Click here to learn more.

Secretary of Transportation Issues Statement in Response to NTSB Update

The Secretary of Transportation has issued a statement cautioning all states to carefully consider the additional weight placed on bridges during bridge construction or repair projects. Secretary Mary Peters stated: "Though it has not yet indicated any definitive cause of the Minneapolis I-35W collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has indicated that the stress on the gusset plates may have been a factor, and that one possible stress may be the weight of construction equipment and materials on the bridge....Given the questions being raised by the NTSB, it is vital that states remain mindful of the extra weight construction projects place on bridges". 

Click here to read the Secretary of Transportation's full statement.

Federal Highway Administration Issues Technical Advisory

Based on the Secretary of Transportation's statement, the Federal Highway Administration has issued a Technical Advisory to all states.  "Technical Advisory 5140.28 - Construction Loads on Bridges" was issued Aug. 8 and states:  "In the ongoing investigation of the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, the National Transportation Safety Board has identified construction equipment and materials loading on the bridge as part of their review. While no conclusions have been reached, in an abundance of caution, we strongly advise the State Transportation Agencies and other bridge owners who are engaged in or contemplating any construction operation on their bridges to ensure that any construction loading and stockpiled raw materials placed on a structure do not overload its members." 

Click here to read the full Technical Advisory.

Federal Response, Recovery and Rebuilding Effort  

The Secretary of Transportation has sent a team to Minnesota to coordinate the federal response, recovery and rebuilding effort related to the I-35W bridge collapse.   

Click here to read the news release. 

Audio File of Department of Transportation News Conference

Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters held a Washington D.C. news conference on Aug. 3 on the Minneapolis tragedy.

Click here to listen to the audio recording of her statement and the news conference.

Message from the Secretary of Transportation
The Secretary of Transportation has strongly advised all states to immediately inspect all of their steel deck truss bridges. Note that this action from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration does not apply to all steel truss bridges, but just to steel deck truss bridges.

Click here for more information.

National Bridge Inspection Standards

Each public bridge in America is required to be inspected at least every two years. These bridge inspections must follow the National Bridge Inspection Standards, which are overseen by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Each state is responsible for inspecting the public bridges in its jurisdiction and may inspect the bridges themselves or hire consulting engineers to do the inspections for them. To learn about the history of bridge inspection, the National Bridge Inspection Standards, the qualifications required to be a bridge inspector, or the inspection process itself, click on the link below for FHWA information on the National Bridge Inspection Standards.

Click here to view information.

National Bridge Inventory

The states must report the results of bridge inspections to the FHWA. The FHWA compiles the information on all of the bridges. The FHWA Web site provides compiled information by state on bridges classified as "Structurally Deficient*" or Functionally Obsolete**." The 2006 bridge list can be viewed by clicking the link below. (The column headings are defined as follows: "COUNT" is the number of public bridges in that state; "SD" is the number of bridges classified as "Structurally Deficient" in that state; "FO" is the number of bridges classified as "Functionally Obsolete" in that state; "BOTH" is the combined number of bridges classified as "Structurally Deficient" and "Functionally Obsolete" in that state.)

Click here to view inventory summary data.

*According to the FHWA Report, "Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: 2006 Conditions and Performance," structural deficiencies are characterized by deteriorated conditions of significant bridge elements and reduced load-carrying capacity.

**According to the FHWA Report, "Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: 2006 Conditions and Performance," functional obsolescence is a function of the geometrics [i.e. lane width, lack of a shoulder, truck clearance heights] of the bridge not meeting current design standards.