Florida Administrative Code › 14 - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION › 14 - Departmental › Chapter 14-48 - SAFETY INSPECTION OF BRIDGES › Section 14-48.0011 - Safety Inspection of Bridges

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Purpose.
				The purpose of this rule is to establish standards for safety inspection of
				bridges, as well as certification requirements for bridge inspectors.
(2) The
Manual for Bridge
				Evaluation
, Third Edition, with 2019 Interim Revisions, published by
				the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
				(AASHTO), is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule.
				Copies of this manual are available from the AASHTO Bookstore website:
https://bookstore.transportation.org
.
				Additionally, a copy of this manual is available for public inspection during
				regular business hours at the Florida Department of Transportation, Office of
				Maintenance, 605 Suwannee Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, and at the
				Florida Department of State, Administrative Code and Register Section, Room
				701, the Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida 32399. Posting of this manual on the
				Internet for purposes of public examination would violate federal copyright
				law.
(3) The Federal Highway
				Administration
Recording and Coding Guide for the Structure Inventory
				and Appraisal of the Nation's Bridges
, December 1995, is incorporated
				herein by reference at:
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13081
.
(4) Training Course. Bridge inspectors must
				complete and pass the final examination for the Safety Inspection of In-Service
				Bridges course provided by the National Highway Institute. Information
				regarding this training can be obtained by contacting the National Highway
				Institute at its website:
https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/home.aspx
.
(5) The Department will certify persons with
				a minimum of five years bridge construction or maintenance inspection
				experience working in a responsible capacity, who have completed the training
				course as bridge inspectors. The five years experience must include at least
				one year of experience conducting bridge safety inspections which meet the
				requirements of the National Bridge Inspection Standards, 23 C.F.R., Part 650,
				Subpart C, Rev. 12/09, incorporated herein by reference at:
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13079
.
				To receive bridge inspection experience, the inspections must have been done
				under the supervision of an onsite P.E. or CBI. Also incorporated herein by
				reference is the
Bridge Inspector's Reference Manual
, U.S.
				Department of Transportation Publication No. FHWA NHI 12-049, December, 2012,
				which is available at:
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13084
.
				The other four years shall include credit for any combination of the following:
				engineering education, structure design, bridge construction, bridge
				maintenance, materials testing, or additional bridge safety inspection. Credit
				for engineering education is as follows:
(a)
				An individual who holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited
				college or university, which is determined to be substantially equivalent by
				the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and has passed the
				National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Fundamentals of
				Engineering Exam, will receive 3 years credit;
(b) An individual who holds an associate's
				degree in engineering or engineering technology from an accredited college or
				university, or is determined to be substantially equivalent by the
				Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, will receive 1 year credit.
The Application for Bridge Inspection Certification, DOT Form
				  850-010-16, Rev. 06/09, is incorporated herein by reference at:
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13080
and can be downloaded from the Department's Procedural Document Library website
				  at: https://pdl.fdot.org/.