Changes to National Bridge Inventory

[US71]

The Federal Highway Administration is changing how it measures bridge conditions. Functionally Obsolete will no longer be used and Structurally Deficient is being redefined. Details at Bridgehunter,com

[jeffandnicole]

I think the elimination of 'Functionally Obsolete' is a good move.  It was a mis-understood term that made people (and especially the media) think that a functionally obsolete bridge would collapse and fall at any moment, which was far from the truth.

In some areas, a bridge will always remain functionally obsolete simply because there's no way the bridge could be widened, or a widening wouldn't be cost-effective.  Often times, the entire roadway would need to be widened for the bridge to make any sense to be widened.  And especially in cities and urban areas, that simply won't happen.  A bridge could be reconstructed and be functionally obsolete from Day 1.  It may have been Structurally Deficient requiring a reconstruction which takes it off that list, but congestion will still continue on the bridge simply because of other factors.

[Beltway]

The Federal Highway Administration is changing how it measures bridge conditions. Functionally Obsolete will no longer be used and Structurally Deficient is being redefined. Details at Bridgehunter,com

"Starting this year, the Federal Highway Administration is switching to a new system for measuring bridge conditions.  It's very simple: bridges will be classified as Good, Fair, or Poor.  The term Functionally Obsolete has been retired, and Structurally Deficient is being redefined more narrowly so that it exactly matches the Poor condition on the new scale. "

What about a bridge that -is- Functionally Obsolete?  Say a bridge that has been rehabbed into good structural condition but it has 10 foot lanes and no shoulders, and is a busy primary route?