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STATE FISCAL YEAR 2013-14 ANNUAL REPORT BRIDGE MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION PROGRAMS

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Inspection Using an Under Bridge Inspection Unit (UBIU)

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 25th Annual Report on the New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) Bridge Management and Inspection Programs is hereby submitted to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to Section 231.6 of the Highway Law as amended by Chapter 781 of the Laws of 1988 (the “Graber Bill”). The report presents information on the status of NYSDOT’s Bridge Inspection, Bridge Safety Assurance and Bridge Management programs with emphasis on program accomplishments during State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2013-14. This report also provides a summary of the status and condition of all highway bridges in the State. NYSDOT is in substantial compliance with State and Federal requirements related to the inspection of bridges. The required highway bridge data was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) following FHWA mandate and data requirements. NYSDOT provided comprehensive bridge inventory and inspection data to all highway bridge owners for use in managing their bridge networks. The average condition rating of all highway bridges in the State is 5.36 on the scale of 1 - totally deteriorated to 7 - new condition, used in the New York State Bridge Inspection System. NYSDOT defines a deficient bridge as one with a Bridge Condition Rating of less than 5 on this scale. A deficient condition rating does not mean the bridge is unsafe. When any potentially unsafe conditions are identified they are addressed and resolved through NYSDOT’s Bridge Inspection Flagging Procedure. A comparison of highway bridge conditions between SFY 2012-13 and SFY 2013-14 shows:

• The overall percentage of deficient bridges decreased from 35.96 percent to 35.62 percent.

• The overall percentage of deficient bridge deck area increased slightly from 54.55 percent to 54.65 percent.

• The percentage of deficient State-owned bridges decreased slightly from 33.61 percent to 33.47 percent.

• The percentage of deficient State-owned bridge deck area decreased from 48.49 percent to 48.15 percent.

To ensure that NYSDOT is making good decisions in the effort to preserve, maintain, operate and enhance the safety and condition of the transportation system, four guiding principles have been identified to meet customer needs. The primary objective of these principles, commonly referred to as the “Forward Four,” is to maximize the life of our existing infrastructure and maintain safety. The Forward Four are: 1) Preservation First; 2) System Not Projects; 3) Maximize Return on Investments, and 4) Make It Sustainable. Using Asset Management principles, NYSDOT will continue to work to preserve the functionality of the system. Within the framework of this approach, NYSDOT is implementing a Comprehensive Asset Management (CAM) program. The CAM program has identified short-term objectives by establishing a hierarchy of priorities: (1) Demand Response; (2) Preservation; (3) Enhance Safety; (4) System Renewal; and (5) Strategic Enhancement. Demand response activities address, in an expedited time frame, repair of the condition of critical elements discovered during

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scheduled bridge inspections. These efforts are crucial in keeping bridges in the “poor” category, (for a description of bridge condition categories, please refer to Section II F in this report), in service and accessible to the traveling public. A key component of the Forward Four approach is a preservation-focused bridge program. A preservation program is used to minimize the number of bridges transitioning from “good” to “fair” and “fair” to “poor” categories. A trade-off of this approach is that fewer funding resources are available to address needed replacement or major rehabilitation of “poor” bridges. Using bridge inspection and safety assurance data and the CAM program, NYSDOT developed a Bridge Program for SFY 2013-14 that improved 91 bridges at a cost of about $889 million. This Bridge Program is in addition to the locally administered Federal-aid program that improved 46 bridges at a cost of about $149 million. Preventive maintenance activities by NYSDOT and contract forces addressed more than 6,012 bridges at a cost of about $151 million.

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INTRODUCTION The condition of New York State’s (NYS) bridges, the status of the bridge safety and inspection programs and the accomplishments of the bridge portion of the SFY 2013-14 Highway and Bridge Program are included in this report, which is organized into the following sections:

I. Bridge Inspection Program II. Bridge Data (SFY 2013-14) III. Comprehensive Bridge Safety Assurance Program IV. Bridge Program Status V. Bridge Management

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I. BRIDGE INSPECTION PROGRAM

A. General Information on Bridge Inspection New York State is home to more than 17,400 highway bridges: About 44 percent of them are owned by NYSDOT; roughly 50 percent are owned by local government agencies; and the rest are owned by authorities such as the New York State Thruway Authority, commissions such as the Capital District State Park Commission, and railroads such as CSX Corporation. NYSDOT is responsible for ensuring that all highway bridges in the State are inspected following State and Federal mandates. NYSDOT inspects its own highway bridges and those owned by localities, railroads, and commissions that do not collect tolls. Ultimately, NYSDOT inspects about 94 percent of the highway bridges in the State. Tolling authorities and commissions are responsible for their own inspections and are required to submit their inspection data to NYSDOT. NYSDOT’s bridge inspection program meets or exceeds Federal requirements. New York State requires all highway bridges to be inspected at least every two years and is one of the few states requiring bridge inspection teams to be headed by licensed professional engineers with bridge-related experience. In addition, underwater inspections are performed at least every five years. All bridges are analyzed for their capacity to carry vehicular loads. Bridges that cannot safely carry heavy vehicles are posted with weight limits. Based upon inspection and load-capacity analysis, any bridge that cannot safely carry vehicular traffic is closed.

B. NYS Bridge Condition Rating System To evaluate and to report on the structural condition of bridges in the State, NYSDOT uses a numerical inspection condition rating scale, ranging from 1 - totally deteriorated to 7 - new condition. During each general inspection, the inspector rates components/elements of each bridge span according to the extent of deterioration and its ability to function structurally, relative to when it was newly constructed or designed. These element rating values are combined, using a weighted average formula to compute an overall Bridge Condition Rating value for each bridge. This formula assigns greater weights to ratings of bridge elements having the greatest structural importance and uses lesser weights for minor structural and nonstructural elements. If a bridge has multiple spans, each element common to multiple spans is rated on a span-by-span basis - the lowest individual span element rating is used in the overall condition rating formula.

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II. BRIDGE DATA (SFY 2013-14) A. 2013 General Bridge Inspections

• 9,219 state or local government owned bridges received general inspections.

• 526 public authority bridges were inspected. B. 2013 Underwater Diving Inspections

• 195 state or local government-owned bridges received diving inspections. • One public authority bridge received diving inspection.

C. 2012-13 vs. 2013-14 Bridge Load Postings and Closures by Owner

Bridges Posted 12-13 Posted 13-14 Closed 12-13 Closed 13-14

State 62 (0.8%) 70 (0.9%) 21 (0.3%) 19 (0.2%)

Local 725 (8.4%) 717 (8.3%) 90 (1.1%) 73 (0.8%)

Total 787 (4.8%) 787 (4.8%) 111 (0.7%) 92 (0.6%)

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D. 2013 Flagged Bridges

There were 670 red flags (309 on State bridges and 361 on local bridges) issued in 2013. Red flags identify potentially hazardous structural conditions, requiring the owner to take prompt, certified, corrective actions within 6 weeks, to resolve the flag condition. These actions include repair, posting or closure. For comparison, in 2012, there were 633 red flags (291 on State bridges and 342 on local bridges) issued.

E. R-Posted Bridges

An R-Posted bridge is one that, based on design or condition, does not have the reserve capacity to accommodate most vehicles over legal loads but still can carry legal loads safely. These bridges are identified with signage that states “No Trucks with R Permits.” To ensure public safety, vehicles permitted to exceed certain weight restrictions are prohibited from crossing R-Posted bridges. NYSDOT continues to make progress toward reducing the number of R-Posted bridges by using detailed analysis and/or load-testing methods and assigning priority for rehabilitation or replacement based on the results. At the end of 2013, 116 State bridges were R-Posted, down from 123 in 2012.

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F. Deficient Highway Bridges (as of March 31, 2014)

NYSDOT defines a deficient bridge as one with a Bridge Condition Rating of less than 5 on the scale of 1 to 7. A deficient condition rating indicates the presence of sufficient deterioration and/or loss of original function that requires corrective maintenance or rehabilitation to restore the bridge to its fully functional, nondeficient condition. It does not mean that the bridge is unsafe. When any potentially unsafe conditions are identified, they are addressed and resolved through NYSDOT’s Bridge Inspection Flagging Procedure. In most cases, bridges have enough excess or reserve structural capacity to accommodate some deterioration or degradation of structural function.

1. Number of Bridges:

Owner Number of Bridges

Number Deficient

3/31/14 % Deficient

3/31/13 % Deficient

State 7,688 2,573 33.47% 33.61%

Local Government 8,606 3,038 35.30% 35.92%

Others 1,194 618 51.76% 51.38%

Total 17,488 6,229 35.62% 35.96%

2. Square Feet of Deck Area: (in thousands of square feet)

Owner Deck Area Area Deficient

3/31/14 % Deficient

3/31/13 % Deficient

State 79,801 38,425 48.15% 48.49%

Local Government 30,925 15,963 51.62% 51.88%

Others 26,971 20,867 77.37% 75.29%

Total 137,697 75,255 54.65% 54.55%

Note that the above data is from 2013 (2012 data) and 2014 (2013 data) Official Bridge Condition Reports. Others include authorities, commissions, and railroads.

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The previous tables show that between March 31, 2013, and March 31, 2014:

• The overall percentage of deficient bridges decreased from 35.96 percent to 35.62 percent.

• The overall percentage of deficient bridge deck area increased slightly from 54.55 percent to 54.65 percent.

• The percentage of deficient State-owned bridges slightly decreased from 33.61 percent to 33.47 percent.

• The percentage of deficient State-owned bridge deck area decreased from 48.49 percent to 48.15 percent.

The figures on the following page show the State and local historical trend of deficient bridges since 1991, by deck area. The figures use NYSDOT’s bridge Condition Rating (CR) performance measure aggregated into the following categories:

• Good: Bridges in good condition that generally require preventive preservation actions such as bridge washing, deck sealing and bearing lubrication; [Green, CR greater than 5.8]

• Fair–Protective: Bridges in fair condition that generally require relatively minor preservation actions, such as, bearing repairs, joint repairs, zone and spot painting and girder end repairs; [Yellow, CR between 4.9 (inclusive) and 5.8 (inclusive)]

• Fair–Corrective: Bridges in fair condition that generally require moderate preservation actions, such as, bearing replacement, deck replacement, and major substructure repairs; [Orange, CR between 4.4 (inclusive) and 4.9] and

• Poor: Bridges in poor condition that generally require major rehabilitation or replacement [Red, CR less than 4.4].

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Federal Bridge Rating Scale The Federal bridge rating scale addresses both structural condition and functional adequacy, using different criteria than the NYSDOT inspection condition rating scale. Federal ratings also are determined by NYSDOT bridge inspectors during general bridge inspections, using the guidance provided by FHWA. Federal bridge ratings are based on an overall condition assessment of a bridge’s three or four major components. Federal ratings are used to identify bridges that do not meet contemporary FHWA standards. Those bridges are classified as either “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete.” According to FHWA, bridges are considered “structurally deficient” if significant load-carrying elements are found to be in poor or critical condition due to deterioration and/or damage. Other factors are that the bridge has inadequate load capacity or repeated bridge flooding causes traffic delays. The fact that a bridge is “structurally deficient” does not mean that it is unsafe. When left open to traffic, a “structurally deficient” bridge typically requires significant maintenance and repair to remain in service and eventual rehabilitation or replacement to address the deficiencies. To remain in service, structurally deficient bridges are often posted with weight limits. “Functionally obsolete” refers to a bridge’s inability to meet current standards for managing the volume of traffic it carries, not its structural integrity. For example, a bridge may be “functionally obsolete” if it has narrow lanes, no shoulders, or low clearances. Under the Federal rating scale, 38.84 percent of New York’s bridges were considered deficient in 2013 (11.91 percent “structurally deficient” and 26.92 percent “functionally obsolete”).

III. COMPREHENSIVE BRIDGE SAFETY ASSURANCE PROGRAM A. General

NYSDOT utilizes a proactive Bridge Safety Assurance (BSA) Program based on identifying vulnerabilities related to design type, materials, traffic loads, geographic and weather conditions, and other extreme events that might cause a bridge failure. This is intended to eliminate or to reduce the vulnerability of bridges to catastrophic failure. Five modes of bridge failures are determined significant for the bridge population in New York State -- hydraulic, steel details, collision, concrete details and earthquake. These failure modes represent potential risks, based on historical failure information and the fact that some existing bridges were built to what are now considered outdated standards. The BSA Program provides vulnerability information. This information helps NYSDOT to identify those bridges that need priority attention due to a high vulnerability. The BSA program also assists in determining the scope of work for bridges being addressed through the normal capital and maintenance programs.

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Hydraulics assessment work has been extended to non-state-owned bridges. Special precautions were taken in communicating with non-state bridge owners in this regard, as established procedures developed for state-owned bridges may not apply to non-state-owned bridges. Updated National Bridge Inspection Standards require the development of a Plan of Action (POA) for each bridge classified as “scour critical.” As a result, POAs were developed for a total of 791 bridges. As of October 31, 2014, all state and non-state POAs are complete. Bridge Hit Mitigation NYSDOT has taken many steps to reduce the number of bridge strikes on highways and parkways. There are several reasons for these occurrences, such as improper storage of equipment on the vehicle, violations of height-posting signs, illegal travel on parkways, limitations with commercially available trip-planning software and a lack of information online about restricted highways. Some of the mitigation measures implemented to date include: CB Wizard broadcasts over two CB radio channels at the most frequently hit bridge locations; continued outreach to the trucking industry and rental agencies; improved signage on entrance ramps to parkways; development of a regional GIS database of low bridge clearances in collaboration with mapping companies to aid in development of a commercial GPS navigation system for truckers; distribution of a brochure to educate truckers about the consequences of driving on parkways; a Sirius Satellite Radio broadcast to provide answers for truckers; and a NYCDOT radio ad to introduce the new slogan “Check It or Wreck It.” NYCDOT, in conjunction with NYSDOT and Westchester County Department of Public Works, has placed large “no truck” symbols on the overhead approach signs to a parkway with frequently hit bridges. Since the placement of the symbols, the number of bridge hits on the parkway has decreased. NYSDOT also has increased the number of “Cars Only, No Trucks” pavement markings to on ramp approaches to parkways. Since the installation of the markings, there has been a significant decrease in the number of impacts to the bridge immediately after the on-ramps. The 511NY map also is being expanded to include truck height restrictions. NYSDOT will continue to seek opportunities to supplement signage, markings, other technologies and outreach. Five Over Height Vehicle Detection Systems were installed at parkway ramps in Westchester County. There are contracts in place to install more systems in Queens and Bronx counties, and Long Island. These are placed at chronic entry points for over height trucks. The system will alert the driver of the over height vehicle that they do not belong on the parkway and that if they continue, they will strike a bridge. It will advise the driver to wait for police to respond to the scene. Concurrently, the system will notify the staff at the regional Transportation Management Center (TMC) of the unauthorized entry.

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B. Load Rating

Structural load rating, which is an evaluation of the live-load carrying capacity of a bridge, is performed by NYSDOT and consultant engineering staff. A computer model of the bridge is created to reflect the current conditions that influence the load-carrying capacity of the bridge as documented in the current inspection report and bridge plans. This Level II load rating of the bridge also is done after every biennial inspection. NYSDOT processed 9,652 of these load ratings in 2013. For newly designed bridges and those that undergo major rehabilitation, a very detailed Level I load-rating analysis is performed and certified by a Professional Engineer. There were 320 Level I load rating evaluations performed in 2013.

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IV. BRIDGE PROGRAM STATUS SFY 2013-2014 NYSDOT Bridge Program

Project Type Number of Bridges Cost (Million $) (Bridge Share Only)

New/Replacement 28 $631

Rehabilitation/Widening 56 $257

Bridge Removal 7 $1

Totals 91 $889

Note: The above table does not include the locally administered Federal-aid program of $149 million (19 new and replacement bridges with a bid cost of $14 million and 27 bridge rehabilitations with a bid cost of $135 million)

SFY 2013-2014 NYSDOT Preventive Maintenance Program

Project Type Number of Bridges Cost (Million $)

Preventive Maintenance by Contract 2,767 $59

Repair by Contract 166 $59

Preventive Maintenance by State Forces 1,498 $9

Repairs by State Forces 1,581 $24

Totals 6,012 $151

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V. BRIDGE MANAGEMENT

The Bridge portion of the Statewide Capital Program was developed by NYSDOT’s regional and main office bridge managers using statewide guidance relative to strategic goals provided by executive management. Bridge Program Needs As can be seen from the graph, NYSDOT estimates 2,093 bridges will become deficient within the next five years if proper preventive maintenance treatments are not applied in a timely manner. This would eventually require costlier actions to restore conditions. For the same time period, an additional 1,315 bridges will slide into the “poor” category. These bridges are already showing signs of significant deterioration. The poor category is the population of bridges that have a higher likelihood of load postings, red structural flags, and unplanned closures.

Managing Current Fiscal Constraints NYSDOT has implemented a deliberate and strategic approach to manage our assets in an efficient and cost effective manner. System safety is an integral part of this approach. Our asset management efforts to preserve, maintain, operate, and enhance the safety and condition of the transportation system utilizes four guiding principles. The primary objective of these principles, commonly referred to as “Forward Four,” is to maximize

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the life of our existing infrastructure and maintain safety. The Forward Four are: 1) Preservation First; 2) System Not Projects; 3) Maximize Return on Investment; and 4) Make It Sustainable. Using Asset Management, NYSDOT will continue to work to preserve the functionality of the system. Within the framework of this approach, NYSDOT has implemented a Comprehensive Asset Management (CAM) program. The CAM program has identified short-term objectives by establishing a hierarchy of priorities: (1) Demand Response; (2) Preservation; (3) Enhance Safety; (4) System Renewal; and (5) Strategic Enhancement. Demand Response activities address, in an expedited time frame, repair of the condition of critical elements discovered during scheduled bridge inspections.