Rewrite and Modernize the Manual for Bridge Evaluation for Compliance with the Revised National Bridge Inspection Standards

The Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE) is the primary manual for load rating of bridges and also includes important information regarding inspection and asset management. Bridge owners rely on the manual to remain compliant with the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS), but also to maintain safety of the traveling public without unnecessarily restricting commerce by overconservative load ratings. The MBE has been revised multiple times to attempt to keep up with research, but due to the size and complexity of the manual, these updates have been limited to individual sections of the manual, leading to inconsistencies. Addressing these inconsistencies will help bridge owners maintain the safety of their bridges without unnecessarily restricting commerce. The MBE needs to be comprehensively updated to incorporate changes in federal legislation and regulations, including (1) element-level bridge inspection on the National Highway System, (2) bridge management system as part of Transportation Asset Management Plan, (3) NBIS, and (4) the Specification for the National Bridge Inventory (SNBI). Additionally, the MBE updates have not kept pace with innovations, research, and best practices, such as nondestructive evaluation techniques, underwater imaging, uncrewed inspection systems, bridge asset management systems, oversize/overweight permitting, posting, nonredundant steel tension members, and risk-based inspection intervals. Past updates lacked a holistic approach, which led to inconsistencies throughout the MBE. Some MBE topics may benefit from consolidating existing documents into the MBE, relocating existing MBE topics to other AASHTO documents, or creating independent manuals to streamline the user experience. NCHRP Project 20-123(21) is developing a plan to systematically update the AASHTO MBE. This project would implement the findings of that roadmap. The objective of this research is to implement the Roadmap for the Rewrite of the Manual for Bridge Evaluation based on the recommendations from NCHRP Project 20-123(21).

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6045
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $1,000,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 12-133

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Abu-Hawash, Ahmad

• Start Date: 20260608
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Bridge management systems; Bridges; Inspection; Load factor
• Identifier Terms: AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation; National Bridge Inspection Standards
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01992184
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 12-133
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jun 9 2026 2:57PM