From: Occupational Health & Safety
The rule includes requirements for the tunnel inventory, as well as inspection procedures and the qualifications and training of tunnel inspectors.
By Jerry Laws
The Federal Highway Administration’s bridge inspection program tallies the number of bridges in each state and how many of them are structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The latest data (2014) show a total of 539,059 bridges, 26,117 of which (about 5 percent) were structurally deficient and 71,908 functionally obsolete. And because we’re driving more than ever—a record 987.8 billion miles during the first four months of 2015, FHWA reported June 24—it stands to reason these bridges, deficient or not, are handling more traffic than ever. The numbers support Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s urging that Congress boost spending on transportation infrastructure.
Using a rule based on its existing national bridge inspection standards, FHWA soon will have a National Tunnel Inventory and more data about the condition of highway tunnels. OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) completed its review of the proposed National Tunnel Inspection Standard rule in June 2015, and DOT’s regulatory agenda indicates the final rule was to be published during July 2015.