The Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual (BIRM) is a comprehensive manual on programs, procedures, and techniques for inspecting and evaluating a variety of in-service highway bridges.  BIRM serves as the basis of a comprehensive National Highway Institute training program in bridge-safety inspection. The present course is based on BIRM’s Chapter 7, Inspection and Evaluation of Bridge Decks and Areas Adjacent to Bridge Decks, and discusses

1. timber decks;
2. concrete decks;
3. fiber reinforces polymer decks;
4. steel decks;
5. deck joints, drainage systems, and lighting and signs; and
6. safety features.

This course is intended primarily for civil, construction, and structural engineers, and would be of particular interest to consulting engineers or to engineers serving in government organizations concerned with the safety of bridges. This course is based on Chapter 7 (Inspection and Evaluation of Bridge Decks and Areas Adjacent to Bridge Decks) of the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, Publication No. FHWA  NHI 12-049 December, 2012.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, you'll be able to:

• Be familiar with design characteristics for timber, concrete, and steel decks;
• Know wearing surfaces for timber, concrete, and steel decks;
• Be cognizant of protective systems for timber, concrete, and steel decks;
• Understand principles of common defects for timber, concrete, and steel decks;
• Be acquainted with inspection procedures and locations for timber, concrete, and steel decks;
• Recognize the principles of evaluation for timber, concrete, and steel decks;
• Know principles of identification and appraisal for safety components;
• Understand principles of safety feature inspection;
• Be acquainted with safety features design criteria; and
• Recognize the principles of crash testing criteria in ensuring component safety.