Section 3: Highway Bridge Program

Overview/Goal

The Highway Bridge Program (HBP or Category 6 ON/OFF
) is a fiscally constrained funding program outlined in the UTP under Category 6: Structure Replacement and Rehabilitation. The purpose of the Highway Bridge Program is to replace or rehabilitate existing On-system
and Offsystem poor bridges that are
located on public highways, roads, and streets.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Highway Bridge Program, (HBP or Category 6 ON/OFF), a bridge must meet the following requirements:

Bridge must meet the Ten-Year Rule

Bridge must be in Poor condition

Bridges in fair condition will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Allowable funding for HBP bridge replacement and rehabilitation projects is limited to the following Bridge Division directives:

Eligible structure costs are broken out separately for bridges in the project estimate. Bridge Costs
are the structural items (mostly TxDOT Standard Specifications 400 Items) listed separately for bridges in the project estimate. The approach roadway is the actual approach roadway called for in the plans.

Eligible costs are based on the project estimate submitted with the final PS&E package submitted for Bridge Division prior to letting.

Project costs beyond the eligible Category 6 ON/OFF funding limit required for the project, must come from other available funding categories.

Though the need to maintain traffic can often be justified, full closure for replacement of an off-system bridge is the preferred process. If the Owner requires a phased replacement instead of a closure, without TxDOT District and Bridge Division agreement, then the Owner will be required to cover all the additional cost related to the phasing.

Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques should be considered to help lessen the required closure times on both On-system and Off-System structures.

On-System Project Funding

The entire On-System project funding is approved up to the most reasonable termination point for approach work, not to exceed 400-ft average approach roadway length (800-ft total approach length). Items not eligible for federal funding are excluded and must be funded by another funding source.

If the project limits exceed the allowable length of approach road, as described above, then the following equation (% RD/BRG) is used to determine the maximum allowable Category 6 funds for projects up 15 million dollars.

{% Road/Bridge Equation}: {[(Bridge Costs) x 1.25] + (Mobilization + SW3P + Traffic Handling and Barricades + Removal of the Old Structure + Approach Rail + Bridge Approach Slabs)}.

Costs are limited to no more than 25 % Road/Bridge, and not greater than 2 times the cost of the Bridge Items.

All On-system Projects over 15 million dollars will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine the amount of Category 6 funds available, as well as any additional funding that is required to cover the funding gap.

For On-system Project, if both statements below are true, it is recommended to add an additional category of funding showing one dollar in TxDOT Connect. This will allow for easy identification of Category 6 projects that may be at risk of having a funding gap.

Total initial estimate of the project is more than two time the bridge cost.

The project has more than 800 feet of approach roadway work.

Off-System Project Funding

The entire Off-System project funding is approved up to the most reasonable termination point for approach work, not to exceed 150-ft average approach roadway length (300-ft total approach length). Items not eligible for federal funding are excluded and must be funded by another funding source.

{% Road/Bridge Equation}: {[(Bridge Costs) x 1.25] + (Mobilization + SW3P + Traffic Handling and Barricades + Removal of the Old Structure + Approach Rail + Bridge Approach Slabs)}.

Costs are limited to no more than 25 % Road/Bridge, and not greater than 2 times the cost of the Bridge Items.

All Off-System Projects over 15 million dollars will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine the amount of Category 6 funds available, as well as any additional funding that is required to cover the funding gap.

Outcome of Project

Replacement or rehabilitation projects under the HBP must
remove the bridge’s deficiency classification. Exceptions to this requirement are off-system historic structures that meet the guidelines of the Historic Bridge Manual
, or projects with approved design exceptions. See the Roadway Design Manua
l for more information about design exceptions.

Disposition/Use of Existing Bridge

Whenever a deficient bridge is replaced or its deficiency otherwise alleviated through the use of HBP funds, the bridge shall either be dismantled or demolished.

Bridges replaced with federal funds that are identified as historically significant may be preserved for adaptive reuse with federal fund participation up to the estimated demolition cost.

See the Historic Bridge Manual
for additional information.

Ineligible Work

The costs of long approach fills, causeways, connecting roadways, interchanges, ramps, and other extensive earth structures, when constructed beyond the attainable touchdown point, are not eligible under the HBP.

Statewide Prioritization and Programming

The following process is used on a yearly basis to prioritize and program HBP projects:

Bridge Division reviews the list of programmed bridges using HBP funds and coordinates with District and the Financial Management Division to verify projects in plan development and
projects
that
are programmed within the 24-month letting schedule.

Bridge Division develops a list of eligible bridges for the District to review and submit for consideration for HBP funds.

Bridge Division prioritizes the newly submitted bridges and ranks them according to their overall
status:

Prioritizing
Bridges that are:

P
oor
Condition

Fair Condition and L
ess than 26’ wide
(inside of rail-to-inside of rail)

Fair Condition and S
cour Critical

Fair Condition and S
hort spans over water with a
history of debris accumulation resulting in scour.

Fair Condition and have either Steel or timber piles

Consideration is given to bridges that are eligible for replacement or rehabilitation and can be included with other planned projects along the same route to take advantage of the traffic control and mobilization costs of the contractor.

Bridges are selected in this order until funding is exhausted within the year(s) that have available funding.

Bridges not selected for a requested fiscal year due to funding constraints
, are added to the following year for consideration and prioritized until funds are exhausted.

This process is repeated for each year of the five-year HBP program listing until funds for all fiscal programming years have been exhausted.

Bridge Division encourages bridge projects selected within the first four years be developed with a
n

AVL date
within the first two years of the program. This allows projects to be moved into the current fiscal year and be let for construction should another project be delayed.

**Table 2-1: Highway Bridge Program Selection Process Schedule**
Program Time	Month	Time Frame	Action Items
List Development	August	1 month	BRG develops lists of all eligible HBP projects.
Program Call	September	1 month	District select s new candidates and update s current estimates and lettings.
Project Selection	October	1 month	BRG develops list of District candidate s
Selection Comments	November	2 weeks	District comment s on selections
Program Call Finalized	December - January	1.5 months	BRG prepares final call list
Final list sent to FIN	January	End of month	BRG sends final HBP list to FIN.
TXDOTCONNECT Updates	February	1 month	District submit s TXDOTCONNECT changes and creates new CSJs.

Administration of Off-System Highway Bridge Program Projects

When planning involves an off-system bridge project, particularly those under the Highway Bridge Program, coordination with the local government is essential.

Prior to a project gaining CONSTRUCT authorization, the appropriate local government should be contacted, and its interest in participating in the project established.

If the local government expresses interest in the project and the project has CONSTRUCT authorization, an appropriate Advance Funding Agreement (AFA) must be executed between the state and local government before any work, either preliminary engineering or construction, can be performed. In addition to specifying the responsibilities of the parties in the performance and funding of the work, the agreement defines the contributions of the local government for its share of the project funding responsibilities. Local government contributions must be defined in the AFA and may be in the form of advance payments (escrow payments) or work performed under the Participation Waived/Equivalent-Match Project Program (PWP/EMP). The PWP/EMP is described in more detail at the end of this section. Questions about the standard agreement form should be directed to the appropriate Bridge Division project manager.

Funding participation levels for local governments are set in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and the TxDOT Project Development Process Manual. The estimated participation costs
are based on the estimate of total
project costs made at the time of the agreement or the execution of an amendment to the original agreement.

For Category 6 OFF projects that are not yet CONSTRUCT-authorized, exercise judgment in communicating with the local government. Avoid expectations of imminent project construction. A project must be CONSTRUCT-authorized to be let for construction. A project cannot be let until a local government either remits escrow payments for its required participation in the project or provides a written agreement on how it will meet its participation requirement.

The funding
participation of the local government may be adjusted where the project is located within a county that meets the statutory definition of being an “economically disadvantaged county” (EDC). Such adjustments of local government participation due to EDC classification are based on applications submitted by the local government through the District office, to the Transportation Planning and Programming Division (TPP). Information on the newest EDC program list is located on TPP’s web page
.

The local match requirement for off-system bridge program projects may be waived by participation in the PWP/EMP. For participation in the program to be considered, the local government must agree to use local funds
to perform structural or other safety improvement work on other load-carrying deficient bridges or cross-drainage structures in its jurisdiction. The work performed as part of the PWP/EMP shall prioritize repairs or strengthening of bridges on the National Bridge Inventory as identified in inspection reports, over proposed work on cross drainage structures.
Such work must have a dollar value at least equivalent to the required local match participation or local participation as adjusted under the EDC provision.

The PWP/EMP requirements defined in 43 TAC Part 1 Chapter 15 Subchapter E Section
15.55(d) must be fully met in initiating and processing such a waiver. Adhere to the following sequence of events for inviting, reviewing,
and approving the waiver on an authorized federal off-system bridge program project:

The District
notifies the Local Government of the availability of waivers subject to specified conditions and invites submittal of requests.

The Local Government makes such a request.

The District
receives and considers the completed request for waiver from the Local Government according to requirements of 43 TAC Part 1 Chapter 15 Subchapter E
15.55(d).

If the request for waiver meets all requirements and approval is appropriate, the District
advises the Local Government in writing of approval.

If the request for waiver does not meet all requirements of 43 TAC Part 1 Chapter 15 Subchapter E
15.55(d) or approval is otherwise not appropriate, the District
informs the Local Government, stating the reason(s) for disapproval of the waiver request.

Execute an appropriate agreement for the project.

The District
keeps a file of all correspondence and documentation pertaining to the waiver and related equivalent-match project(s). Include in this file the subsequent documentation received from the Local Government pertaining to completion of the equivalent-match project work.

If the District
has not been notified by the Local Government that the equivalent-match work has been completed within the specified three-year period, the District
inquires as to the status of the work. If it is determined that the work has not been accomplished and no significant progress has or is being made toward such accomplishment, then the five-year period for exclusion of the Local Government from such waivers may be invoked, or an extension requested from the Bridge Division.

Requests for Remedial Work on Completed Off-System Highway Bridge Program Projects (UTP Category 6 OFF)

During its post-construction service life, all bridges will eventually require maintenance. Thus, one of the provisions of the usual advanced funding agreement executed between the state and local government on these projects’ states: “After the project has been completed, the local government shall accept full ownership and operate and maintain the facility authorized by the agreement for the benefit of and no charge of toll to the public.”

However, there may be instances where a local government will approach the District
requesting repair or other remedial action by TxDOT on a completed off-system bridge project with the local government requesting the remedial action due to poor design or design error.

The presence of design deficiency should be determined by a review of all the pertinent information and facts. This review shall include all deliverables and design notes.