Provides the results of an audit of the Fed. Hwy. Admin. (FHWA) to improve its oversight of states¿ bridge inspections, load ratings, and max. weight postings. FHWA should encourage states to use more detailed data to manage their bridge programs. Shortly after the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people, the Sec. of Transportation asked whether FHWA¿s Nat. Bridge Inspection Program delivered the highest level of bridge safety. Objectives for this audit were to evaluate FHWA¿s: (1) implementation of data-driven, risk-based oversight to target bridge safety risks most in need of attention, particularly those related to load ratings and postings; and (2) promotion of state use of bridge management systems. Table.

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 700: A Comparison of AASHTO Bridge Load Rating Methods documents an analysis of 1,500 bridges that represent various material types and configurations using AASHTOWareTM Virtis® to compare the load factor rating to load and resistance factor rating for both moment and shear induced by design vehicles, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) legal loads, and eight additional permit/legal vehicles.