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STATE FISCAL YEAR 2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT BRIDGE MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION PROGRAMS

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Alexander Hamilton Bridge, New York City

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 24th Annual Report on the New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) Bridge Management and Inspection Programs is hereby submitted to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to Section 231.6 of the Highway Law as amended by Chapter 781 of the Laws of 1988 (the “Graber Bill”). The report presents information on the status of NYSDOT’s Bridge Inspection, Bridge Safety Assurance and Bridge Management programs with emphasis on program accomplishments during State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2012-13. This report also provides a summary of the status and condition of all highway bridges in the State. NYSDOT is in substantial compliance with State and Federal requirements related to the inspection of bridges. The required highway bridge data was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) following its mandate and data requirements. NYSDOT provided comprehensive bridge inventory and inspection data to all highway bridge owners for use in managing their bridge networks. The average condition rating of all highway bridges in the State is 5.36 on a scale of 1 (totally deteriorated) to 7 (new condition) used in the New York State Bridge Inspection System. NYSDOT defines a deficient bridge as one with a Bridge Condition Rating of less than 5 on this scale. A deficient condition rating does not mean the bridge is unsafe. When any potentially unsafe conditions are identified they are addressed and resolved through NYSDOT’s Bridge Inspection Flagging Procedure. A comparison of highway bridge conditions between SFY 11-12 and SFY 12-13 shows:

• The overall percentage of deficient bridges decreased slightly from 35.98 percent to 35.96 percent.

• The overall percentage of deficient bridge deck area increased from 54.10 percent to 54.55 percent.

• The percentage of State-owned deficient bridges increased from 33.01 percent to 33.61 percent.

• The percentage of State-owned deficient bridge deck area increased from 47.72 percent to 48.49 percent.

To ensure that NYSDOT is making good decisions in the effort to preserve, maintain, operate and enhance the safety and condition of our transportation system, four guiding principles have been identified to meet customer needs. The primary objective of these principles, commonly referred to as the “Forward Four,” is to maximize the life of our existing infrastructure and maintain safety. The Forward Four are: 1) Preservation First; 2) System Not Projects; 3) Maximize Return on Investment, and 4) Make It Sustainable. Using Asset Management principles, NYSDOT will continue to work to preserve the functionality of the system. Within the framework of this approach, the Department is implementing a Comprehensive Asset Management (CAM) program. The CAM program has identified short-term objectives by establishing a hierarchy of priorities: (1) Demand Response; (2) Preservation; (3) Enhance Safety; (4) System Renewal; and (5) Strategic Enhancement. Demand response activities address, in an expedited time frame, repair of the condition of critical elements discovered during

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scheduled bridge inspections. These efforts are crucial in keeping bridges in the “poor” category (for a description of bridge condition categories, please refer to Section II F in this report) in service and accessible to the traveling public. A key component of the Forward Four approach is a preservation-focused bridge program. A preservation program is used to minimize the number of bridges transitioning from “good” to “fair” and “fair” to “poor” categories. A trade-off of this approach is that fewer funding resources are available to address needed replacement or major rehabilitation of “poor” bridges. Using bridge inspection and safety assurance data and the CAM program, NYSDOT developed a Bridge Program for SFY 12-13 that improved 264 bridges at a cost of about $656 million. This Bridge Program is in addition to the locally administered Federal-aid program that improved 104 bridges at a cost of about $323 million. Preventive maintenance activities by NYSDOT and contract forces addressed more than 7,500 bridges at a cost of about $240 million. Governor Cuomo’s NY Works program allotted $212 million to address bridge deck and structural replacement or rehabilitation needs on 112 bridges. The improvements better preserve the State’s infrastructure and guard against the need for costlier, in-depth construction. An additional $687 million was allocated for nine Signature transportation projects of regional or statewide significance throughout the State that had been delayed due to resource constraints. The largest NY Works project for the NYSDOT is the $500 million replacement of the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York City.

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INTRODUCTION The condition of New York State’s (NYS) bridges, the status of the bridge safety and inspection programs and the accomplishments of the bridge portion of the SFY 2011-12 Highway and Bridge Program are included in this report, which is organized into the following sections:

I. Bridge Inspection Program II. Bridge Data (SFY 12-13) III. Comprehensive Bridge Safety Assurance Program IV. Bridge Program Status V. Bridge Management

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I. BRIDGE INSPECTION PROGRAM

A. General Information on Bridge Inspection New York State is home to more than 17,400 highway bridges: About 44 percent of them are owned by NYSDOT; roughly 50 percent are owned by local government agencies; and the rest are owned by authorities (such as the New York State Thruway Authority), commissions (such as the Capital District State Park Commission) and railroads (such as CSX Corporation Inc.). NYSDOT is responsible for ensuring that all highway bridges in the State are inspected following State and Federal mandates. NYSDOT inspects its own highway bridges and highway bridges owned by localities, railroads and commissions that do not collect tolls. Ultimately, NYSDOT inspects about 94 percent of the highway bridges in the State. Tolling authorities and commissions are responsible for their own inspections and are required to submit their inspection data to NYSDOT. NYSDOT’s bridge inspection program meets or exceeds Federal requirements. New York State requires all highway bridges to be inspected at least every two years and is one of the few states requiring bridge inspection teams to be headed by licensed professional engineers with bridge-related experience. In addition, underwater inspections are performed at least every five years. All bridges are analyzed for their capacity to carry vehicular loads. Bridges that cannot safely carry heavy vehicles are posted with weight limits. Based upon inspection and load-capacity analysis, any bridge that cannot safely carry vehicular traffic is closed.

B. NYS Bridge Condition Rating System To evaluate and to report on the structural condition of bridges in the State, NYSDOT uses a numerical inspection condition rating scale, ranging from 1 (totally deteriorated) to 7 (new condition). During each general inspection, the inspector rates components/elements of each bridge span according to the extent of deterioration and its ability to function structurally, relative to when it was newly constructed or as designed. These element rating values are combined, using a weighted average formula to compute an overall Bridge Condition Rating value for each bridge. This formula assigns greater weights to ratings of bridge elements having the greatest structural importance and uses lesser weights for minor structural and nonstructural elements. If a bridge has multiple spans, each element common to multiple spans is rated on a span-by-span basis; the lowest individual span element rating is used in the overall condition rating formula.

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II. BRIDGE DATA (SFY 12-13) A. 2012 General Bridge Inspections

• 9,647 State or local government owned bridges received general inspections.

• 527 public authority bridges were inspected. B. 2012 Underwater Diving Inspections

• 220 State or local government-owned bridges received diving inspections. • 24 public authority bridges received diving inspections.

C. 2011-12 vs. 2012-13 Bridge Load Postings and Closures by Owner

Bridges Posted 11-12 Posted 12-13 Closed 11-12 Closed 12-13

State 65 (0.8%) 62 (0.8%) 21 (0.3%) 21 (0.3%)

Local 745 (8.7%) 725 (8.4%) 94 (1.1%) 90 (1.1%)

Total 810 (5.1%) 787 (4.8%) 115 (0.7%) 111 (0.7%)

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D. 2012 Flagged Bridges

There were 633 red flags (291 on State bridges and 342 on local bridges) issued in 2012. Red flags identify potentially hazardous structural conditions, requiring the owner to take prompt (within 6 weeks), certified, corrective actions to resolve the flag condition. These actions include repair, posting or closure. For comparison, in 2011, there were 639 red flags (268 on State bridges and 371 on local bridges) issued.

E. R-Posted Bridges

An R-Posted bridge is one that, based on design or condition, does not have the reserve capacity to accommodate most vehicles over legal loads but still can carry legal loads safely. These bridges are identified with signage that states “No Trucks with R Permits.” To ensure public safety, vehicles issued permits to exceed certain weight restrictions are prohibited from crossing R-Posted bridges. NYSDOT continues to make progress toward reducing the number of R-Posted bridges by using detailed analysis and/or load-testing methods and assigning priority for rehabilitation or replacement based on the results. At the end of 2012, 123 State bridges were R-Posted, down from 129 in 2011.

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F. Deficient Highway Bridges (as of March 31, 2013)

NYSDOT defines a deficient bridge as one with a Bridge Condition Rating of less than 5 on the scale of 1 to 7. A deficient condition rating indicates the presence of sufficient deterioration and/or loss of original function and requires corrective maintenance or rehabilitation to restore the bridge to its fully functional, nondeficient condition. It does not mean that the bridge is unsafe. When any potentially unsafe conditions are identified, they are addressed and resolved through NYSDOT’s Bridge Inspection Flagging Procedure. In most cases, bridges have enough excess or reserve structural capacity to accommodate some deterioration or degradation of structural function.

1. Number of Bridges:

Owner Number of Bridges

Number Deficient

3/31/13 % Deficient

3/31/12 % Deficient

State 7,674 2,579 33.61% 33.01%

Local Government 8,606 3,091 35.92% 36.49%

Others 1,195 614 51.38% 51.34%

Total 17,475 6,284 35.96% 35.98%

2. Square Feet of Deck Area: (in thousands of square feet)

Owner 3/31/13 Total

3/31/13 Deficient

3/31/13 % Deficient

3/31/12 % Deficient

State 79,526 38,564 48.49% 47.72%

Local Government 30,962 16,063 51.88% 52.74%

Others 27,195 20,474 75.29% 74.32%

Total 137,683 75,101 54.55% 54.10%

Note that the above data is from 2012 (2011 data) and 2013 (2012 data) Official Bridge Condition Reports. Others include authorities, commissions, and railroads.

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The tables above show that between March 31, 2012, and March 31, 2013:

• The overall percentage of deficient bridges decreased slightly from 35.98 percent to 35.96 percent.

• The overall percentage of deficient bridge deck area increased from 54.10 percent to 54.55 percent.

• The percentage of State-owned deficient bridges increased from 33.01 percent to 33.61 percent.

• The percentage of State-owned deficient bridge deck area increased from 47.72 percent to 48.49 percent.

The figures on the following page show the State and local historical trend of deficient bridges since 1991, by deck area. The figures use NYSDOT’s bridge Condition Rating (CR) performance measure aggregated into the following categories:

• “Good”: Bridges in good condition that generally require preventive preservation actions such as bridge washing, deck sealing and bearing lubrication; [Green, CR greater than 5.8]

• “Fair – Protective”: Bridges in fair condition that generally require relatively minor preservation actions, such as, bearing repairs, joint repairs, zone and spot painting and girder end repairs; [Yellow, CR between 4.9 (inclusive) and 5.8 (inclusive)]

• “Fair – Corrective”: Bridges in fair condition that generally require moderate preservation actions, such as, bearing replacement, deck replacement, and major substructure repairs; [Orange, CR between 4.4 (inclusive) and 4.9] and

• “Poor”: Bridges in poor condition that generally require major rehabilitation or replacement [Red, CR less than 4.4].

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Federal Bridge Rating Scale The Federal bridge rating scale addresses both structural condition and functional adequacy, using different criteria than the NYSDOT inspection condition rating scale. Federal ratings also are determined by NYSDOT bridge inspectors during general bridge inspections, using the guidance provided by FHWA. Federal bridge ratings are based on an overall condition assessment of a bridge’s three or four major components. Federal ratings are used to identify bridges that do not meet contemporary FHWA standards. Those bridges are classified as either “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete.” Bridges are considered “structurally deficient,” according to FHWA, if significant load-carrying elements are found to be in poor or critical condition due to deterioration and/or damage, the bridge has inadequate load capacity, or repeated bridge flooding causes traffic delays. The fact that a bridge is “structurally deficient” does not mean that it is unsafe. A “structurally deficient” bridge, when left open to traffic, typically requires significant maintenance and repair to remain in service and eventual rehabilitation or replacement to address the deficiencies. To remain in service, structurally deficient bridges are often posted with weight limits. “Functionally obsolete” refers to a bridge’s inability to meet current standards for managing the volume of traffic it carries, not its structural integrity. For example, a bridge may be “functionally obsolete” if it has narrow lanes, no shoulders, or low clearances. Under the Federal rating scale, 39.54 percent of New York’s bridges were considered deficient in 2012 (12.45 percent “structurally deficient” and 27.08 percent “functionally obsolete”).

III. COMPREHENSIVE BRIDGE SAFETY ASSURANCE PROGRAM A. General

As a direct result of the failure of the Thruway Bridge over the Schoharie Creek in 1987, the New York State Legislature mandated that NYSDOT undertake a comprehensive program of bridge safety assurance. NYSDOT was directed to go beyond inspection-driven actions and to develop a proactive approach to bridge safety, based on identifying vulnerabilities related to design type, materials, traffic loads, geographic and weather conditions, and other extreme events that might cause a bridge failure. NYSDOT initiated a comprehensive Bridge Safety Assurance (BSA) Program in 1990 intended to eliminate or to reduce the vulnerability of bridges to catastrophic failure. Six modes of bridge failures were determined significant for the bridge population in New York State -- hydraulic, overload, steel details, collision, concrete details and earthquake. These failure modes represent potential risks, based on historical failure information and the fact that some existing bridges

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were built to what are now considered outdated standards. The BSA Program provides vulnerability information for each bridge that is not readily available from normal bridge inspection activities. The vulnerability rating developed for each bridge identifies those bridges that need priority attention due to a high vulnerability; it also assists in determining the scope of work for bridges being addressed through the normal capital and maintenance programs. Hydraulics assessment work has been extended to non-State-owned bridges. Special precautions were taken in communicating with non-State bridge owners in this regard, as established procedures developed for State-owned bridges may not apply to non-State-owned bridges. Updated National Bridge Inspection Standards require the development of a Plan of Action (POA) for each bridge classified as “scour critical.” As a result, POAs are being developed for a total of 764 bridges. As of October 31, 2013, 102 of 103 State POAs have been completed and 638 of 661 non-State POAs are complete. Bridge Hit Mitigation NYSDOT has taken many steps over the past year to reduce the number of bridge strikes on highways and parkways. There are several reasons for these occurrences, such as improper storage of equipment on the vehicle, violations of height-posting signs, illegal travel on parkways, limitations with commercially available trip-planning software and a lack of information online about restricted highways. Mitigation measures implemented to date include: CB Wizard broadcasts over two CB radio channels at the most frequently hit bridge locations; improved signage on entrance ramps to parkways; increased outreach to insurance companies, map providers, GPS manufacturers, and the motor carrier and trucking industry to collaborate on solutions; distribution of a parkways brochure to educate truckers about the consequences of driving on parkways; and placement of “No Truck” symbols on the overhead signs on the approaches to parkways with frequently hit bridges. The 511NY map also is being expanded to include truck height restrictions. NYSDOT will continue to seek opportunities to supplement signage, pavement markings, explore other technologies and expand outreach. Bridge Inspection Reliability Study Research was conducted to document quantitatively the variability of condition scores associated with the New York State bridge inspection program to improve the consistency of the program. Data consistency is important because it is used for prioritizing bridge maintenance, repair, and replacement activities. Four bridges were selected and inspected independently by 20 teams. Analysis showed data collected during the inspections was very consistent. Several recommendations were made to further improve consistency through modifications to the Bridge Inspection Manual and training of inspectors. Many of these recommendations have been implemented.

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B. Load Rating

Structural load rating, which is an evaluation of the live-load carrying capacity of a bridge, is performed by NYSDOT and consultant engineering staff. A computer model of the bridge is created to reflect the current geometric, material, deterioration and any other condition that influences the load-carrying capacity of the bridge as documented in the current inspection report and bridge plans. This Level II load rating of the bridge also is done after every biennial inspection. NYSDOT processed 10,136 of these load ratings in 2012. For newly designed bridges and those that undergo major rehabilitation, a very detailed load-rating analysis is performed and certified by a Professional Engineer. There were 559 Level I load rating evaluations performed in 2012.

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IV. BRIDGE PROGRAM STATUS SFY 2012-2013 NYSDOT Bridge Program

Project Type Number of Bridges Cost (Million $) (Bridge Share Only)

New/Replacement 39 $106

Rehabilitation/Widening 218 $547

Bridge Removal 7 $3

Totals: 264 $656

Note: The above table does not include the locally administered Federal-aid program of $323 million (35 new and replacement bridges with a bid cost of $180 million, 16 bridge rehabilitations with a bid cost of $136.5 million, minor bridge work on 51 bridges at a bid cost of 2.4 million and 2 bridge removals at a cost of $3.6 million

SFY 2012-2013 NYSDOT Preventive Maintenance Program

Project Type Number of Bridges Cost (Million $)

Preventive Maintenance by Contract 4,222 $76

Repair by Contract 414 $137

Preventive Maintenance by State Forces 1,477 $8

Repairs by State Forces 1,395 $19

Totals: 7,508 $240 Note: If more than one activity is performed on the same bridge, it is double counted. Thus some bridges are double counted. Efforts are underway to eliminate double counting for future reports. ). Minor bridge work is included under preventive maintenance.

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V. BRIDGE MANAGEMENT

The Bridge portion of the Statewide Capital Program was developed by NYSDOT’s regional and main office bridge managers using statewide guidance relative to strategic goals provided by executive management. Regional planners use a Bridge Needs Tool and the Bridge Needs Assessment Model (BNAM 2008) to support the development of the Bridge Program. The Bridge Needs Tool also is available to assist in forecasting future program needs and costs. Bridge Program Needs As can be seen from the graph, NYSDOT estimates 2,154 bridges will become deficient within the next five years if proper preventive maintenance treatments are not applied in a timely manner. This would require costlier actions to restore conditions. For the same time period, an additional 1,694 bridges will slide into the “poor” category. These bridges are already showing signs of significant deterioration. The poor category is the population of bridges that have a higher likelihood of load postings, red structural flags and unplanned closures.

As stated earlier, NYSDOT has implemented a preservation-focused capital program. A preservation program is used to minimize the number of bridges transitioning from “good” to “fair” and “fair” to “poor” categories. A trade-off of this approach is that fewer resources are available to address bridges in the “poor” category.

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Managing Current Fiscal Constraints NYSDOT has implemented a deliberate and strategic approach to manage our assets in an efficient and cost effective manner. System safety is an integral part of this approach. Our asset management efforts to preserve, maintain, operate, and enhance the safety and condition of the transportation system utilizes four guiding principles. The primary objective of these principles, commonly referred to as “Forward Four,” is to maximize the life of our existing infrastructure and maintain safety. The Forward Four are: 1) Preservation First; 2) System Not Projects; 3) Maximize Return on Investment; and 4) Make It Sustainable. Using Asset Management, NYSDOT will continue to work to preserve the functionality of the system. Within the framework of this approach, NYSDOT has implemented a Comprehensive Asset Management (CAM) program. The CAM program has identified short-term objectives by establishing a hierarchy of priorities: (1) Demand Response; (2) Preservation; (3) Enhance Safety; (4) System Renewal; and (5) Strategic Enhancement. Demand Response activities address, in an expedited time frame, repair of the condition of critical elements discovered during scheduled bridge inspections. NY Works Program Governor Cuomo’s NY Works program allotted $212 million to address bridge deck and structural replacement or rehabilitation needs on 112 bridges. That included 32 bridge projects contracted through the design-build process and 80 bridges through the traditional design-bid-build process. Construction of these projects was substantially completed in early 2014. The NY Works program focuses on improving the condition of roads and bridges from fair to good to extend their service life. The improvements better preserve the state’s infrastructure and guard against the need for costlier, in-depth repairs. An additional $687 million was allocated for nine Signature transportation projects of regional or statewide significance throughout the State that had been delayed previously due to resource constraints. Some of those projects are ongoing. The largest NY Works project for the Department is the $500 million replacement of the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York City. Groundbreaking for that project is expected in 2014.