Definitions

Definitions. Definitions. In this chapter: (1) “AASHTO manual” means the Manual for Bridge Evaluation as referenced in 23 CFR 650.305 , on May 6, 2022, published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 555 12 t h Street NW, Suite 1000 Washington, D.C. 20004. (2) “BIRM” means the Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, 2022 NBIS, March 2023, publication no. FHWA-NHI-23-024. (3) “Bridge” means a structure, including supports, erected over a depression or an obstruction, such as water, highway, or railway, having a track or passageway for carrying traffic or other moving loads, and having an opening measured along the center of the roadway of more than 20 feet between the under copings of abutments or spring lines of arches, or extreme ends of openings for multiple boxes. It includes multiple pipes, where the clear distance between openings is less than half of the smaller contiguous opening. (4) “Department” means the Wisconsin department of transportation. (4m) “HSIS” means the Highway Structures Information System, which is the department’s electronic database used to store inventory and inspection reports and other structure records. (5) “Inspection” means the examination, evaluation, and assessment of the physical condition of a bridge or tunnel, the evaluation of the physical condition observed, and the reporting and documenting of the findings within the department’s Highway Structures Information System (HSIS). (6) “Inventory” means the gathering and reporting of all the required items per the SNBI or the TOMIE. (6g) “NBIS” means the National Bridge Inspection Standards as described in 23 CFR Part 650 Subpart C, published May 6, 2022. (6r) “NTIS” means the National Tunnel Inspection Standards as described in 23 CFR Part 650 Subpart E, published July 14, 2015. (7) “Posting” means the placement of regulatory signs at a bridge or tunnel indicating the safe load−carrying capacity of the bridge or tunnel. (8) “Rating” means determining the safe load−carrying capacity of a bridge or tunnel. (9) “SIM” means the WisDOT Structure Inspection Manual. (10) “SNBI” means the Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory publication no. FHWA-HIF-22-017, published March 2022 with errata #1 March 2024. (11) “TOMIE” means the Tunnel Operation, Maintenance, Inspection, and Evaluation Manual publication no. FHWA-HIF-15.005, published July 2015. (12) “Tunnel” means an enclosed roadway for motor vehicular traffic with vehicle access limited to portals, regardless of type of structure or method of construction. Tunnels are structures that require special design considerations which may include lighting, ventilation, fire protection systems, and emergency egress capacity. “Tunnel” does not include a structure classified as a bridge. (13) “Wisconsin Bridge Manual” means the WisDOT Bridge Manual.