Transportation Infrastructure: The Nation's Highway Bridges Remain at Risk From Earthquakes
RCED-92-59
Published: Jan 23, 1992. Publicly Released: Jan 23, 1992.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the threat that earthquakes pose to the nation's bridges, focusing on: (1) which states had areas where bridges could be damaged by moderate- to high-intensity earthquakes; (2) the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) actions to identify and correct seismic-related bridge deficiencies; and (3) FHwA actions to assist states in addressing seismic deficiencies in bridges.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, FHwA, to require states in areas of moderate to high seismic risk to identify bridges vulnerable to earthquake damage in conjunction with their routine bridge inspections and report this information on seismically vulnerable bridges to FHwA for inclusion in the National Bridge Inventory. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains that its current actions are sufficient and that adding data to the National Bridge I inventory is not necessary to accomplish the goal of promoting seismic safety.
|
| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, FHwA, to expand the range of seismic-related training. |
Closed – Implemented
A course on seismic design of foundations is currently online, while a second course on how to apply American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials seismic specifications has incurred funding delays but is now being finalized. In addition, a new manual on seismic guidelines was published in May 1995 under publication FHWA-RD-94-052. Finally, a major seismic research project is still being conducted at the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research in Buffalo, New York.
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| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, FHwA, to consolidate and disseminate bridge-related seismic information and research to states. |
Closed – Implemented
FHwA has contracted with the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research in Buffalo, NY, to develop improved procedures for disseminating information on seismic research to the highway community, and work is under way. In addition, FHwA is disseminating lessons learned from recent California earthquakes to all states and is keeping states apprised of the status of all ongoing seismic-related research.
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Topics
BridgesCivil engineeringEarth sciences researchEarthquakesEmergency preparednessstate relationsHighway planningHighway safetyPublic roads or highwaysSafety standardsLoma Prieta earthquake