Inspection tools are listed in the

FHWA Bridge Inspector's Reference Manual

, 2022, in Section 2.4 - “Inspection Equipment.” Record inspection equipment used during the inspection under SNBI Item B.IE.12 – Inspection Equipment. Use hard hats, safety vests, traffic cones, vehicle safety strobes, and “BRIDGE INSPECTION AHEAD”, “SURVEY CREW AHEAD”, or “ROAD WORK AHEAD” advance warning signs for all bridges being inspected. Conduct inspections with minimal disruption to traffic flow. Inspections shall be done in a safe manner and in accordance with guidelines in

FHWA Bridge Inspector's Reference Manual

, 2022.

Notify the District at least two months in advance of any work in which any person or equipment will be within twenty-five (25) feet of any railroad track. The District will coordinate with the appropriate Railroad Representative to determine if a flagman needs to be present and whether the Engineer needs to implement any special protective safety measures. Provide proof of certification of completion of the on-line Safety Awareness Course.

Inspect the bridges within the assigned inspection area only and verify the bridge locations. Notify the District Bridge Inspection Office a minimum of two weeks in advance with the locations and dates when inspections will be performed. Verify that the alpha-numeric location description and the coordinates in the database are accurate, meaning located on the bridge. If the coordinates are missing, or not accurate, then collect new coordinates. Collect the coordinates by a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and provide the results in a decimal format, carried out to 8 places beyond the decimal. Sub-meter, differentially corrected data is not required. If an error or omission is discovered, notify the District Bridge Inspection Office. An Inspection Team Leader that has been approved by the Bridge Division must be present at each bridge site during the bridge inspection.

New bridges located by the Engineer require approval from the District Bridge Inspection Office before an identification number is assigned, the bridge is inspected, or the bridge is added to the inventory. Create a new bridge record in the Bridge Inspection Management System, and input all data required to ensure a complete and accurate record. Inventory or inspect a bridge that is under construction only with the approval of the District Bridge Inspection Coordinator.

Complete and submit inspection reports within 60 days of the date of inspection. Enter condition ratings and other coding changes, along with reports and sheets as detailed below into AssetWise. Bring to the attention of the District Bridge Inspection Office immediately, both verbally and in writing, the bridges needing special consideration (which includes ANY bridge in which the engineer lowers the condition rating to a 3 or lower, or recommends closure). In such situations, notify the Bridge Division Inspection Branch in writing. If the inspection indicates significant deterioration of any structural element, include documentation such as notes, measurements, load ratings, load posting recommendations, sketches, and photographs.

Verify that coding for Item 113 - Scour Critical Bridges [Scour Condition Rating (Item B.C.11)] matches the scour documentation on file for the bridge according to the current inspection conditions and TxDOT scour documentation requirements.

If a critical finding is discovered, the District Bridge Inspection Office shall be notified immediately by phone. The Engineer shall report Critical Findings from within AssetWise using Maintenance Module. Once passed from “Open” to “District Bridge Review,” an automated email is generated and sent to the district (bridge and maintenance staff) and . Include supporting information in the email notification.

If there is a recommendation to change the load posting status of a bridge structure (installation of a new load restriction, revision of an existing load restriction, or the removal of a load restriction), submit the recommendation to TxDOT as soon as the calculations are complete, but not more than 30 days after the date of the inspection. Include in the recommendation to change the load posting the recommended posting level, the most recent Bridge Inspection Record, load rating calculations, pictures, the as-built plans (if available) used in the calculation of the load posting recommendation, and completed Bridge Load Posting Recommendation Form 1083R. Send on-system load posting recommendations, along with the supporting documentation, to BRG_Load_Posting@txdot.gov and notify the District Bridge Inspection Office by email that a load posting recommendation has been sent to the Bridge Division.

The consultant project manager shall maintain a phone number and an Internet email address. Immediately notify the Inspection Branch of the Bridge Division, and the district, of any changes. The Bridge Division will use email for notification of all bulletins, policy changes, and updates sent out to the consultant project managers. The State routinely will send emails to the consultant project managers in an effort to keep the Bridge Inspection operations uniform throughout the state.

Bridge Inspection consultants must have a Quality Assurance and Quality Control program in place to ensure their work, and the work of their subproviders is of high quality. Submit a plan detailing the program to the Inspection Branch of the Bridge Division for review and approval prior to beginning the first work authorization of any contracted work. This program may be reviewed and audited by the Bridge Division on a random basis. Requests to update the program may be necessary should issues arise.