Considerations for Administering Underwater Contracts

Report No: 85-R8

Published in 1984

About the report:

State highway and transportation agencies are required to inspect all bridges on the public road system using guidelines established by AASHTO. Procedures for inspecting the superstructures are well known and the expertise to perform them is available within highway and transportation agencies. However, the need to inspect bridge structures in water too deep to allow evaluation from the surface presents most agencies with a difficult technical task. Many states have solved this problem by employing contractors to inspect such substructures. Since procedures for performing these inspections are not standardized, selection of the criteria to be used is left to the contractor. The objective of this study was to identify issues that should be considered when administering an underwater inspection program to be conducted by contractors. The issues include identifying and prioritizing structures for periodic inspection, establishing inspection procedures to be used, selecting a contractor, formatting the contract, and estimating contract costs.

Disclaimer Statement:The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s), who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes only and is not to be considered an endorsement.

Authors

  • Daniel D. McGeehan

Last updated: January 16, 2024

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