This document discusses strategies for maximizing funding for bridge maintenance projects at the local level. It provides information on federal highway funding programs and explains how federal Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (HBRRP) funds can be used for preventative bridge maintenance activities. The document also shares details of Niagara County, NY's experience developing a bridge maintenance program that utilizes 80% federal funding. Key points covered include eligible maintenance activities, funding requirements, and Niagara County's maintenance activities and costs.

1. NEW YORK STATE
COUNTY HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENTS
ASSOCIATION
Stretching Your Dollars with Bridge Maintenance
August, 2011
Alexandria Bay, New York

2. Understand how the taxes we pay are returned to us for local
projects.
Understand how Federal HBRRP funds can be captured for local
bridge maintenance activities.
Not everyone uses Federal funds for bridge maintenance.
Understand the difference between cyclical maintenance
activities and corrective maintenance/repair projects.
Compare and contrast Federally funded and Locally funded
Bridge Maintenance programs.

3. The Highway Revenue Act of 1956 created the Highway
Trust Fund.
Established to finance
transportation projects,
including the Interstate
Highway System.
Funded by 18.4 cents
excise tax collected from
the purchase of every
gallon of gasoline.

4. The Trust Fund pays for multi-year programs for highways,
highway safety, and transit through a funding and authorization
bill that governs surface transportation expenditures.
The current program: Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)
expired in 2009 but has since
been extended 7 times. The latest
extension will expire on
September 30, 2011.

5. There could be another extension to SAFETEA-LU, an
entirely new program, or States could be left to fend for
themselves until there is a new authorization bill.
A new $339 billion surface transportation bill has received
the unanimous support of the U.S. Senate Environment
and Public Works Committee as of July 21, 2011.
The name of the Senate Bill is “Moving Ahead for
Progress in the 21st Century” or “MAP21”.

6. Like most Federal Programs, the current spending levels are
in excess of the revenue generated by taxes and fees.
If spending continues at
current levels, there is
concern that the Trust Fund
will be depleted in the next
few years unless stabilized
by an infusion of funds from
the Federal Government.
“A New Direction” Transportation Reauthorization Proposal – House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Page 3, July 2011

7. For years, Federal funding given to local municipalities
from the Highway Bridge Replacement and
Rehabilitation Program (HBRRP) had been limited to
bridge replacement or major rehabilitation.
On January 11, 2002 the Federal Highway
Administration opened the door for HBRRP funding to
be used for preventive maintenance activities on
Federal-aid highway bridges.1
1. January 11, 2002 Memo King W. Gee, Program Manager to Division Administrators

8. On October 8, 2004 the Federal Highway Administration
clarified its position on HBRRP funding for preventive
maintenance activities on Federal-aid highway bridges.2
“...Timely preventive maintenance and preservation activities are
necessary to ensure proper performance of the transportation
infrastructure...”
“...Preventive maintenance offers State DOT's a way of increasing
the return on their infrastructure investment...”
2. October 8, 2004 Memo King W. Gee, Program Manager to Division Administrators

9. Prior to this change in
policy, local bridges were
often allowed to
significantly deteriorate
until they were eligible to
receive Federal funding for
bridge rehabilitation or
replacement.

10. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) were created for
urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000 to assure
that Federal funds are expended using a comprehensive planning
process.
For rural or non-urban areas, NYSDOT
is responsible for programming
Federally funded projects.
MPOs develop the Statewide
Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP) which is a list of all transportation
projects in New York proposed for
Federal funding.

11. Owners are required to develop a Bridge
Maintenance Program to access HBRRP funds.
Approved Bridge Maintenance Programs are
eligible for 80% Federal Funding.
There is still a 20 % Local Match required.
Unfortunately, Marchiselli funds are not available for
this program to assist with the local share.

12. A strategy for preventative bridge maintenance
activities that describes:
Cyclical Maintenance Activities that will be planned on
an annual basis;
Corrective Maintenance Activities that will be planned
assuming a cyclical maintenance program has been
developed and implemented;
Approximate unit costs per bridge per activity based
on material and type of bridge;
Proposed frequencies of each activity; and,
Approximate Total Annual Cost of the program.

13. Programmed routine bridge work that is time dependent and does not
address immediate bridge deficiencies.
Includes cyclical activities such as bridge washing, bearing
lubrication, painting, deck sealing, crack sealing, deck overlay, and
substructure concrete sealing.

14. Programmed bridge work that does not involve the evaluation of
different alternatives but addresses specific (not necessarily all)
bridge deficiencies.
Includes joints, bearings, pedestals, bridge seat/pier cap,
columns/stems, channel erosion, flooding, drainage, vertical
down, vertical clearance, overload/load ratings, etc.

15. HBRRP Bridge Maintenance Plans are developed annually by bridge
owners.
The MPOs and NYSDOT Regions revise their Regional Transportation
Improvement Plans (TIPs) every two years.
The STIP is developed every four years with “periodic” updates.
The Federal Transportation Plan is an unknown after September 30, 2011
if SAFETEA-LU expires.

16. There are over 17,406 bridges in New York, of which 7,632 are owned
by NYSDOT. 8,587 are locally owned structures and 1,187 are owned
by commissions, privates or others.
Bridge Ownership in New
York State
NYSDOT has been
developing a Bridge
Maintenance Strategy since New York State Local
the mid 1980s. The program 44% 49%
continues to evolve, showing
very promising results. Other
7%

17. NYSDOT has determined that the implementation of
corrective actions can extend the non-deficient life of a
structure by 30%. 3
Bridge Service Life Extension
Through Effective Maintenance
Treatment
Curve w/ Corrective Maintenance
Costs / Bridge
Curve w/out Corrective Maintenance
30% Good
5.8
$5K
60% Fair
4.4
$250K
Major Rehab or
Replacement Candidates 10% Poor
$3.7M
3. Preventive Maintenance with HBRRP – Accessed 7/29/11, Graph courtesy of Peter Weykamp, NYSDOT Bridge Maintenance Engineer

18. Niagara County is located in NYSDOT Region 5 and is a part
of the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation
Commission (MPO).
Niagara County’s Bridge Maintenance Program is funded with
80% Federal money.
Niagara County tax payers fund 20% the Niagara County
Bridge Maintenance Program.

19. Federally Funded
bridge Maintenance:
Niagara County
together with others
worked through our
MPO to allow federal
funds to be used for
80% of the cost for
bridge preventive and
corrective maintenance.

20. The Niagara County Inventory of Bridges
We believe we have 88 bridges. NYSDOT
believes we have 90 bridges.
88 bridges represent 124 bridge spans and
an average bridge length of 69’.

21. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
Maintenance saves money
“No washee no checkee!”
The Color of Money
Federally Funded Bridge
Maintenance
Bridge maintenance is not a
capital expense

22. Bridge Cleaning began in 2008. The regional strategy calls for biannual
cleaning, but we desire annual cleaning. Bridges were cleaned in 2009 and 2011.
We had hoped to wash the tops of our better bridges in 2010, but NYS budgetary
troubles pushed the work back into the fall which makes it nearly useless.
Our costs initially were about $2000 per bridge but in 2011 we paid about $1000.
The competition appears to be fierce so I expect an eventual stabilization of costs
at about $1500. We wash about 80 bridges.

23. Bridge Sealing was performed in 2009. The cycle for this is to be 6
years. We extended the scope of this work to include the bridge
fascias, seats, back walls, wing wall tops and the undersides of the
concrete superstructure near the stem.
This work was combined with
cleaning making it difficult to separate
out the sealing cost, but $2500 is
probably close. We think that the
non-trafficked surfaces will not need
re-sealing in 6 years. If the concrete
will not take the sealer we will have
been proven right.

24. Bridge Painting was performed in 2009. The cycle for this is to be 12
years. We thought we had enough money for four bridges so we bid it with
a fifth bridge as a deduct alternate. As it turns out we could have done six
bridges. The painters were hungry that year.
The sad thing was that this left us with
one bridge to be painted. Of the five
bridges two were total removals. Our
cost was about $15.50/SF for total
removal, and $4.50/SF for over-
coating. The sixth bridge was painted
in July 2011.

25. Bridge Joints on six bridges were completed in 2010. The contract
replaced or established bridge joints at a cost of about $20,000 per joint.
This was funded with unspent ARRA funding.

26. Asphalt Overlays were completed in 2011. The cycle for this is
to be 12 years. This work is complete. Our cost was about
$13,000 per bridge. Our bridges tend to be about 40’ clear span.

27. Bearing lubrication, restoration and replacement contract was let in 2011
NYSDOT has been replacing lubricated with elastomeric bearings. The concern is
that we are supposed to account for the forces needed to deform the elastomeric
bearings and that replacement costs more money than we could get. Our solution
was to install pressure fittings on the outside of the bearings and inject a corrosion
inhibiting and lubricating solution. The lubrication will cost about $1500 per bearing,
restoration about $2000 per bearing and replacement about $8,000 per bearing.

28. Looking Ahead…..
Scour Protection
project is currently in
design.
Vertical Down project is
also currently in design.
Funding for a
Superstructure Repair
project has been
requested.

29. Selecting our maintenance project candidates:
A bridge programmed for replacement does not receive any
maintenance work. We will however perform preventive
maintenance on bridge programmed for rehabilitation.
The County Bridge Spreadsheet: Starting about 2000 we began
keeping some of our bridge data (entered by hand) in one
spreadsheet for all bridges, and for various purposes.
Now we copy and paste the latest WinBolts, selected data only,
into the County Bridge Spreadsheet.

30. Selecting our maintenance project candidates:
The County Bridge Spreadsheet we developed uses a series of
logical tests such as condition ratings and program status to
generate numbers for the bridge categories for the annual Bridge
Maintenance Strategy.
The spreadsheet also uses logical tests such as element condition
ratings, type of construction, year of latest maintenance etc. to flag
qualifying bridges for each maintenance program, and to create a
list of BINs.
The Region reviews the Bridge Maintenance Strategies submitted
by the locals, contacts us with questions, discusses our priorities, and
later notifies of us which programs will be funded and to what
extent.

31. Lessons Learned:
You can develop your program to suit your needs.
The application of eligibility rules is not completely rigid. This is
particularly noteworthy if you have erroneous ratings.
Within limits the funding can be adjusted.
You might be allowed to create a new program such as annual
bridge washing rather than biannual.
Group bridges for cyclical work.

32. Lessons Learned:
Group similar work into one contract.
Give the entire scope of work needed some serious thought
before submitting an estimate. Where experience is lacking
forethought must be multiplied.
Keep track of your list of BINs.
Since these projects are difficult to estimate the first time, consider
using deduct alternates so you can fit the contract based on the
bids received to the funding available.

33. Lessons Learned:
The candidates for any of the paving work will be a moving target
particularly if your towns pave over your bridges without telling you
before or after.
Be careful with Inter-municipal agreements for preventive
maintenance projects!!! The Agreement process is onerous.
It makes the most sense to clean the bridges as soon as possible
after the last likely application of salt.
Washing and sealing contractors are not familiar with NYSDOT
specs and process or federal laws. You have to walk them
through it all.

34. •Access will be a large part of the cost.
Lessons Learned:
Access will be a large part of the cost.
Give thought to whether multiple contractors will have to work on
the same bridge at the same time.
The inspection effort has to be planned and re-planned.
The Bridge Maintenance Strategy is a living document that is
revised rather than rewritten every year.
Funding is limited so NYSDOT will ask you to prioritize the
programs.

35. •Access will be a large part of the cost.
Lessons Learned:
Maintain new bridge immediately. This means sealing the concrete as
part of the construction contract.
Selective repairs of key bridges could give you a “like new” bridge.
Crawl then walk then run.

36. Allegany County is located in NYSDOT Region 6 and is not
represented by an MPO.
No Federal money is used in our Bridge Maintenance
Program.
Allegany County tax payers fund the Allegany County Bridge
Maintenance Program.

37. The Allegany County Inventory of Bridges
Allegany County has 125 bridges.
Allegany County also maintains 230 Town Highway bridges.
A significant portion of the inventory is old or historic.

38. We don’t waste anything. We recycle our bridges when we
can.
The main elements of the former CR 4 Bridge over an
abandoned railroad were repurposed for the construction of
the York’s Corners Bridge over the Genesee River.

39. Each February, Allegany County contacts each of the Town
and Village Highway Superintendents to identify their bridge
maintenance needs.
A list of candidate bridges are reviewed by the Public Works
Committee.
Bridge maintenance projects are selected based on need
feasibility and budget.

40. A key component of the Allegany County Bridge Maintenance
Program is shared services with the Towns and Villages.
The County works closely with the Allegany County Town and
Village Superintendent of Highways Association to execute
Shared Services Agreements with the Association Members.
Allegany County shares engineering, labor and equipment
with the Towns and Villages.
The Towns and Villages provide all of the materials for their
Bridge Maintenance activities.

41. Allegany County DPW has a specialized crew that performs bridge
maintenance and repair activities.
In the winter months, this crew is utilized to plow snow and de-ice.
Allegany County has only 5 plow trucks. To increase efficiency and
mobilization, most of the plowing and de-icing is delegated to the Towns
and Villages.

42. One goal of the Allegany County Bridge Maintenance Program is to
wash all 125 County bridges and selected Town and Village owned
bridges.

43. Each Year, approximately
50 (County, Town and
Village) bridges are
painted. This is CR-43
over the Angelica Creek.
This seven panel Pratt
Through Truss was
constructed in 1930.

44. The painting program involves high pressure washing and an
application of Alkyd enamel. The enamel is sprayed, brushed
or rolled depending on the bridge.
The paint system is fairly inexpensive and doesn’t require
specialized equipment or respirators (unless spraying).

45. One unique aspect to Allegany County’s Bridge Maintenance Program is
that we own a Under Bridge Inspection Unit (UBIU). This piece of
equipment saves a considerable amount of time and provides the bridge
crew with safe and efficient means of access for maintenance activities.

46. Bridge Joints are repaired or replaced as necessary.

47. Bridge scour is a constant problem, especially for the many small,
single span bridge culvert structures in the County.
The County is able to leverage Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) Disaster Mitigation Funds for replacement of
wingwalls and channel stabilization.

48. The advantages of the Allegany County Bridge
Maintenance Program include:
The budget is clearly defined – no uncertainty concerning
the MPO’s TIP, the NYSDOT STIP or the Federal
Transportation Bill.
Low administrative costs – more money for bridge
maintenance activities.
There is no waiting for reimbursement.

49. HBRRP is an acronym for.
Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program.

50. What is the Local Share for Federal HBRRP funds?
HBRRP provides 80% funding for eligible costs, while 20%
comes from local funds.

51. What is the name of the current funding and authorization
bill that governs Federal spending for surface
transportation?
The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act: A Legacy For Users or SAFETEA-LU.

52. How much Federal tax is collected from the sale of every
gallon of gasoline?
Since 1993 the federal tax on gasoline has been18.4 cents
per gallon.

53. Name 3 Federal aid eligible Cyclical Maintenance Activities.
There are seven:
Joints
Bearing lubrication
Painting
Deck sealing
Crack sealing
Deck overlay
Substructure concrete sealing.

54. Name 3 Federal aid eligible Corrective Maintenance/Bridge
Repair Activities.
There are many:
Bridge washing
Bearings
Pedestals
Bridge seat/pier cap
Columns/stems
Channel erosion
Vertical down
Vertical clearance
Overload/load ratings

55. There are an estimated 17,406 bridges in New York State.
How many are locally owned?
Approximately 44% or 8,587 bridges are locally owned.

56. What is an MPO?
MPOs are Metropolitan Planning Organizations. MPOs are
responsible for transportation planning activities in
metropolitan areas with populations greater than 50,000.

57. True of False? The NYSDOT has determined that the
implementation of corrective actions can extend the non-
deficient life of a structure by 30%.
True

58. Where does the money for Bridge Maintenance come from?
It really doesn’t matter if its Federal, State or Local money,
the money comes from the taxpayers - you and I.