Article 78: Bridge Eligibility

(Category: facility-restore)

Article Summary

Publicly owned bridges are eligible for permanent restoration unless they sit on the Federal-Aid Roads network (FHWA jurisdiction). Scour repair is eligible only if necessary for structural integrity. Upgrades to meet current state/local highway codes are eligible if mandated and uniformly enforced.

Five Key Takeaways for CTA FEMA Compliance

1. Omit Assets on the Federal-Aid Road Network: Route permanent repair claims for bridges on the Federal-Aid network directly to the FHWA.
2. Archive Local Bridge Inspection Reports Annually: Maintain a robust repository of pre-disaster bridge inspection records to conclusively prove failure was incident-caused rather than decay-caused.
3. Tie Channel Scour Repairs Directly to Structural Stability: Document that any proposed channel bank stabilization is directly required to prevent the collapse of bridge abutments or piers.
4. Enforce Pre-Disaster Code Consistency for Lane Expansions: To secure funding for code-mandated bridge design shifts (like lane expansion), provide written proof that your agency enforces that code uniformly.
5. Isolate Upstream Debris Clearance Scopes: Track debris and fallen tree extractions at bridge junctions as a distinct task, documenting the threat to the superstructure.

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