RELIABILITY OF VISUAL BRIDGE INSPECTION

Abstract

Visual inspection techniques are the primary methods used to evaluate the condition of the majority of the nation's highway bridges. These subjective assessments may have a significant impact on the safety and maintenance of a bridge. However, until a study was performed at the Federal Highway Administration's Nondestructive Evaluation Validation Center (NDEVC), a complete analysis of the reliability of these inspections had been undertaken. This article is the second of 2 on the visual inspection study conducted at NDEVC and describes its results.