It is the Department of Transportation's goal to "maintain bridges to 'as constructed' standards, and maintain the adjacent waterways to keep them clear of obstructions."  To do this, Bridge Repair can be divided into three categories: Maintenance, Rehabilitation, and Replacement.

Maintenance

Maintenance activities are initiated through a planned program, routine inspections, or in response to constituent service requests,  Typical maintenance activities include:

• Scheduled inspections of all moveable and stationary bridges and culverts.
• Repair and Replacement of bridge railing, decks, approaches and substructures
• Removal of Drift and Debris
• Erosion protection
• Moveable Bridge Operation and Maintenance
• Guardrail and Retaining Wall Repair and Maintenance
  

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation activities include stringer replacement, deck replacement, bridge painting, etc.  Several annual contracts are described below:

• Bridge Repair Project
  The County typically has one bridge repair project annually.  These types of projects are typically under $100,000.
  
• Bridge Painting Project
  The County typically has one bridge painting project annually.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction is the complete reconstruction of the bridge structural section or  replacement with a large capacity culvert.  Examples include:

• Bridge Replacement Project
  The bridge replacement project involves removing the existing bridge and replacing it with a new concrete bridge or culvert, re-grading the existing channel, providing slope protection, replacing the existing road surface to match the existing surface, etc.
  
• Culvert Replacement Project
  At this time the County replaces culverts in-house or using a minor contract.