Bridge Safety Inspection
Test Development and Supporting Organizations

Development of the program was initiated in 1983, with technical guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation, various state departments of transportation, and various local agencies and entities actively engaged in the bridge inspection process.

Through a practice analysis, a volunteer panel of experts identified bridge safety inspection engineering technicians' job tasks and responsibilities and categorized them into work elements. Then, volunteers submitted and reviewed examination questions for each of the work elements. Numerous consulting firms, state highway departments, and FHWA units reviewed the program's contents and criteria. The Institute then completed a field test with 100 volunteers from the West Virginia Department of Highways, the Iowa Department of Transportation, the firm of Modjeski and Masters, the Long Island Railroad, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

This program became operational in 1985. Technical guidance is currently provided by bridge safety inspection technicians, supervisors, and subject matter experts from a variety of stakeholder groups, including state highway departments, county, city, and local agencies, FHWA, and private consultant firms.