FLOOD09724

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Culvert Inspection Manual Supplement to the Bridge Inspectors Training Manual
• Date: 5/1/1986
• Prepared For: Federal Highway Administration
• Prepared By: Office of Engineering
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

descriptions of each number on the appraisal rating scale as well as a
description of each item are provided in the Coding Guide. The following SI&A
appraisal items apply to culverts:

(1) Item 67 -structural condition
(2) Item 6B--deck geometry
(3) Item 70--safe load capacity
(4) Item 71--waterway adequacy
(5) Item 72--approach roadway alignment

4-3.3 Maintenance Rating Systems.

It is usually necessary to evaluate the condition of more items than those
rated on the SI&A forms because the SI&A condition items cover such broad
components. For example SI&A item 62 covers all structural components of a
culvert. Additionally, the SI&A numerical rating system is not well suited
for evaluating minor items. Minor items are essentially limited to ratings of
"N","9", "B", or "7" since the other rating numbers imply a significant impact
on the overall integrity or safety of the structure. Therefore, a modified
rating system should be used for rating the condition of items added to
supplement the SI&A items. Since items are added primarily to identify
potential maintenance problems, the modified rating scale should be oriented
toward maintenance.

A sample maintenance rating system is shown in exhibit 40. The rating system
shown provides a numerical scale that is related to the urgency of maintenance
action required as well as the action which should be taken by the inspector.

It is important to note that the inspector basically has three courses of
action depending on the severity of conditions found. Each of these actions
involves noting the condition of the culvert components in the inspection
report. When no immediate maintenance actions are required, the note in the
report is all that is necessary. When a high priority should be assigned for
correcting problems found during the inspection, some type of special
notification to maintenance personnel is recommended. When immediate action
is required to address a hazardous situation or preserve the integrity of the
structure, maintenance personnel should be notified on an emergency basis.

Care must be exercised when using different rating systems, particularly when
combining the ratings given to supplemental items to arrive at ratings for
SI&A items. SI&A item ratings usually represent a composite rating of a group
or broad category of supplemental items. The SI&A ratings should not merely
be an average of the ratings assigned to the supplemental items but should be
based on the inspector's judgment. A low rating in one supplemental item will
usually control the composite rating. The inspector should ask the same
questions discussed in section 4-3.1.

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