National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) and Coding Guide changes / Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory (SNBI)

August 20, 2021

As you are aware, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) required the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to update the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS). Through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), FHWA proposed updates to the NBIS to address MAP-21 requirements, incorporate technological advancements including the use of unmanned aerial systems, and address ambiguities identified since the last update to the regulation in 2009. Published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2019, the Federal Register docket accepted comments on the NPRM through March 13, 2020. The FHWA also proposed significant updates to the FHWA Recording and Coding Guide to conform to the NBIS updates and make other improvements. The updated Coding Guide is named the Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory (SNBI). FHWA also accepted comments on this document to the NBIS Federal Register docket through March 13, 2020.

The final draft of the NBIS and SNBI that addresses comments submitted in the Federal Register is under review by the new FHWA/USDOT administration then requires White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review and approval. Therefore, the publication is not expected to occur in the immediate future.

Solicitation to Remain Federally Compliant

AASHTO’s licensing agencies have an enormous investment in their bridge and structure network and maintaining it in the most optimal and safe manner. At strategic times AASHTO, on behalf of the AASHTOWare Bridge Task Force issues project solicitations to fund significant improvement initiatives or to revise the core functionality of the BrM software to assist agencies in remaining federal compliant. Donations by member agency participants are pooled to achieve defined large-scale objectives through work plans with the contractor. The solicitation process is employed to fund significant mandated enhancements that are necessary to ensure the software remains relevant.

The Task Force continues to monitor the proposed changes to the NBIS and SNBI. A date has not been established for the official release of these proposed changes; however, the Task Force remains vigilant to ensure we are ready to respond without delay. The development of the project work plan and project solicitation documentation – based on the requirements spelled out in the November 2019 NPRM – is in progress. The project work plan and solicitation will be aligned with the final NBIS/SNBI requirements once they are finalized and published.

Once complete, AASHTO will finalize and issue the solicitation request to fund AASHTOWare Bridge Management (BrM) revisions to support compliance with the NBIS and SNBI. The amount of the solicitation will depend on the extent of the changes that will be required, but is expected to be $300,000 per agency. To ease the impact to agency budgets, commitments paid over a two-year period will be an option. We ask that all agencies strongly consider supporting this important undertaking through participation in the upcoming project solicitation.

Opportunity to Commit Funding to the Project Solicitation Sooner Than Later

Based on feedback received from several AASHTO Member Agencies interested in participating in the upcoming project solicitation, we have learned that some agencies have “earmarked” funding in their current fiscal year budgets to commit funding towards the NBIS/SNBI BrM project.

The solicitation commitment process cannot commence until the work plan is finalized and the work plan cannot be finalized until the requirements have been published. Therefore, for those agencies interested in committing funding to this important initiative prior to the publication of the NBIS/SNBI changes and issuance of the project solicitation, an alternate mechanism has been established to commit funding for the project.

Funding for the NBIS/SNBI BrM project can be committed to AASHTO via the FY2022 Member Software Request Form: Additional Enhancement Funding. All funding contributed in this manner will be reserved to support the project solicitation.

The Task Force has prioritized maintaining AASHTOWare Bridge Management’s compliance with national standards as its highest objective for the future. We will continue to monitor the timing of the release and continue to make you aware as we learn new information.