Bridge Preventive Maintenance Program

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Approximately 30 percent of the locally-owned National Bridge Inventory (NBI) bridges in Los Angeles County are classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. More than half have exceeded their 50-year design life. The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works (Public Works) took the lead to initiate and secure federal funding to implement a Bridge Preventive Maintenance Program (BPMP) to maximize, extend, and preserve the useful life of more than 400 county and city-owned bridges. When properly applied, preventive maintenance is a sustainable practice that offers a cost-effective way to extend the service life of bridges and makes efficient use of limited funding. Preserving the condition of the bridge network reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage. Bridge preservation activities require far less energy and delay the need for major bridge demolition and rehabilitation projects that have a much larger carbon footprint. Prior to the establishment of the BPMP, each city was responsible to maintain their bridges in a safe and serviceable condition at their own cost. The BPMP is a unique example of collaborative efforts between local, State, and Federal agencies. BPMP provides a model for other counties to take a lead role in achieving fiscal and environmental sustainability.