Section 15: Bridge Emergency Response and Notification

Response and Notification Procedure

Districts are required to communicate on-system bridge-related emergencies that result in traffic restrictions lasting four or more hours to Administration, FHWA, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), and Bridge Division. The DMV may need to reroute previously approved permitted vehicles depending on the extent of the closure. Districts should also follow this process to report off-system bridge-related emergencies when they are made aware of such incidents.
Email groups have been established that include the appropriate Administration, Bridge Division, and FHWA personnel. Include the following information and contacts:
  • Subject Line: Bridge Incident Notification – [Facility Carried] over [Feature Crossed] – [NBI#]
  • Structure number
  • Facility carried
  • Feature crossed
  • Date of damage
  • Approximate time of incident
  • Current status of bridge
  • Damage summary
  • Photos of damage
  • Actual Clearance (Include for over-height vehicular impacts only)
  • Signed Clearance (Include for over-height vehicular impacts only)
  • Estimated Load Height (Include for over-height vehicular impacts only)
To:
  • BRG_Notification (BRG_Notification@txdot.gov)
  • District Engineer
  • tx-fhwabridge@dot.gov
  • MCD_SizeWeight@TxDMV.gov (exclude for off-system bridge notifications)
  • MCD_Permit-Restriction@TxDMV.gov (exclude for off-system bridge notifications)
  • DMV_ENF_MC@TxDMV.gov (exclude for off-system bridge notifications)
The District Designee, along with maintenance personnel, will work together to fill out either the Bridge Incident Reporting Form (for vehicular impacts) or the Permit Restriction Application (for non-vehicular impacts). Provide the District Permit Coordinator the form for review and submission to TxDMV and Bridge Division. Events warranting an emergency response should be reported within 8 hours of the incident.

Definition and Background

Bridge vehicular and non-vehicular emergencies create significant threats to public safety and highway infrastructure. Vehicular impact events include over-height impacts, column and rail impacts, and deck punch-through incidents. Non-vehicular emergencies include, but are not limited to, flooding, fires, and slope failures. These events result in serious damage to bridges and cause traffic congestion due to travel lane restrictions. Similarly, Critical Findings from bridge inspections can result in full or partial closures that significantly affect traffic. Any impact or other emergency to a bridge resulting in traffic restrictions expected to last longer than 4 hours is considered a reportable incident and must be reported. It is imperative that the proper response and notification procedure be implemented, in order to communicate bridge emergencies in a way that is both uniform and effective. An effective response procedure will quickly inform authorities of these events, help restore traffic restrictions to normal conditions, and expedite the rehabilitation of bridge structures.

Roles and Responsibilities

District Designee: The District Engineer will designate one primary and one backup person responsible for the overall response and notification of bridge emergencies that result in full or partial closures. This will typically be the District Bridge Engineer and District Bridge Inspection Coordinator but may vary from District to District.
The District Designee is responsible for the following:
  1. Send the notification as soon as it is practical do so, but no more than eight hours after occurrence. The first priority should be the onsite emergency response. Do not delay the field response for the sake of completing this notification process.
  2. In conjunction with maintenance personnel, conduct an initial assessment of the bridge site. For vehicular impacts, investigate the impact location and consider any reduction in structural capacity. Consider closing traffic lanes under the bridge due to the possibility of falling debris and/or risk of partial or total collapse. For non-vehicular incidents, observe the extent of damage and the need for traffic restrictions. Contact Bridge Division (Construction and Maintenance Branch Manager or Field Operations Section Director) as necessary for assistance with the assessment.
  3. Work to support District Permit Coordinator in completing the Bridge Incident Reporting Form (for vehicular impacts) or the Permit Restriction Application form (for non-vehicular impacts).
  4. Send details on closure to district maintenance staff responsible for reporting closures in the Highway Conditions Reporting System (HCRS).
  5. Document the event
    in AssetWise
    .
  6. Monitor condition and send follow-up notification to distribution list when the facility is re-opened.
Bridge Division is responsible for the following: Assists Districts with the assessment of damage and determination of potential traffic restrictions. Bridge Division will provide engineering support as necessary.
District Permit Coordinator is responsible for the following: Submitting the Bridge Incident Reporting Form (for vehicular impacts) or the Permit Restriction Application (for nonvehicular impacts) to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles as soon as the bridge has been assessed and the lane/load limits determined (24 hours maximum).

Documentation and Record Keeping

Any repair plans submitted to remedy the damage should be uploaded to the Bridge Inspection Management System. If the condition rating needs to be lowered for Items 58-62 or 65, then a Damage Inspection Report should be completed, and appropriate steps completed in the Bridge Inspection Management System to document the damage and substantiate the change in the rating.