About the handbook
The Bridge Inspection Handbook presents MassDOT's bridge inspection business practices. It helps us meet National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) requirements. It establishes policies, practices and procedures for:
- safety inspection
- load posting of bridges
- preparation and maintenance of the statewide bridge inventory
The document supplements other FHWA publications about the inspection and inventory of bridges. It also establishes the responsibilities of all individuals involved with the inspection of bridge structures.
The most up-to-date version of the handbook is available below. Consultants performing inspections and other users should periodically check this page to ensure that they are conforming to latest policies.
| Chapters | Issue Date | Revision Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 MassDOT Bridge Inspection Handbook cover graphics for the binder | May 2015 | Sep 2017 |
| Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, and Introduction and Purpose of this Handbook | May 2015 | Sep 2017 |
| Chapter 1: Introduction | May 2015 | April 2019 |
| Chapter 2: General Safety Requirements | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 3: Inspection Frequency, Scheduling and Coordination | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 4: Field Inspection, Data Collecting, Report Writing and Report Review | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 5: Quality Control and Quality Assurance | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 6: Rating, Posting and Closing Of Bridges | May 2015 | April 2019 |
| Chapter 7: Underwater Operations Team | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 8: Non-NBI Inspections | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 9: MassDOT Supplemental Coding Guide | May 2015 | |
| Chapter 10: Supplemental Information | May 2015 | Sept 2017 |