HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0091.045 2016-2018 pispc-cm,
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COMM. C t
COUNTY OF HAWAII—BRIDGE PROGRAM
1)-DPW owns and administers and maintains 128 bridges throughout the island. FHWA and State DOT
mandates the inspection of said bridges and bridge report submittal describing the inspection findings
and necessary repairs, if needed.The mandated bridge reports submittals are required at least once
every 2 years for every CoH bridge. All bridge inspection and preparation of bridge reports for submittal
to the State DOT and FHWA are done in-house by DPW engineers.
2) If the bridge reports are not submitted on a timely basis and/or deficient or incomplete,the FHWA
threatens to withhold all federal funding to the County for road construction and bridge repairs. For
example; the FHWA recently threatened to withhold funding for all FHWA funded road and bridge
projects in the entire state if the CoH did not close the Hakalau Bridge, which has suffered severe
foundation erosion,as ordered by FHWA.
3)During the bridge inspection,if any structural element is in disrepair or deterioration is evident,then
it must be so reported in the bridge report.Additionally, repairs or replacement of the identified
distressed structural component must be addressed in a.timely manner. The CoH owns over 40 timber
bridges, predominantly in the North Hilo and Hamakua Districts wheremoisture in the timber members
tend to accelerate its deterioration and frequent replacement is necessary. Routine timber member
replacements are done by DPW's Highway Maintenance and Building Shop repair crews.The more
complicated repairs are bidded out to private construction contractors, but only after SPG(Cres) has.
prepared the bid documents(construction plans and specifications):
4) By comparison, all bridge inspection and report preparation by the City&County of Honolulu is done
by private engineering consultants:The C&C issues contracts for approximately 150 bridges annually at
a cost of roughly$600,000,which is budgeted by the C&C of Honolulu. As noted earlier,CoH DPW(SPG)
staff engineers(both of whom are FHWA trained and certified bridge inspectors)inspects and report
preparation, all in-house.A savings to the CoH of at least$240,000 per year. t,
5)Thedemands of Bridge Program workload requires additional staffing for the tasks it is responsir
for,as noted above.
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Submitted by: Frank DeMarco, Public Works Director
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Comm: No. . 5—
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Ref.
COST COMPARISON—Engineering-Support Technician
1-The City&County of Honolulu(CCH) manages and administers approximately 300 bridges during a two
year report cycle. FHWA:requires the CCH to inspect and submit a bridge inspection report at least once
every 2 years for each bridge.All bridges are inspected by an certified engineering consultant with an
average fee of$4000 for each Biennial Bridge Inspection Report(NBI and National Bridge Element
Inspection Report) per bridge.CCH pays about$600,000 per,year to private consultants with a CEVII and
CEVI administering their bridge program (Note:CCH does notconduct any in-house inspection and
report writing;only manages the program).
2-The County of Hawaii,on the other hand,conducts inspection Of all its bridges With in-house staff:
CoH manages 128 bridges island-wide and its in-house staff of two FHWA trained and Certified Bridge
Inspectors conducts allon-site inspections, prepares and transmits Reports to the HDOT and FHWA.
Each Report is 7 pages long(with photos) and each bridge element is numbered and requires proper
coding by bridge construction material, bridge structural component,and condition status. Moreover, if
any component is defective (deteriorated,damaged,fractured, corroded,etc.),then it is identified by
another element number, defect description,condition status(.1 thru 4), and dimensional unit.
Each member of our CoH Bridge Inspection team(BIT):must possess.a highly skilled set of experience,
knowledge,dependability, intelligence and initiative,including.the.Engineering Support Technician.
Because the above knowledge and skills that DPW is seeking of:BIT candidates, which is above and
beyond the normal requirements for EST candidates, DPW request approval to:offer rate of pay above
the minimum rate offered to normal EST candidates. DPW anticipates a limited pool of candidates as the
knowledge and skills sought are not widely available.
The CoH Bridge Inspection team performs all the inspection and necessary report writing in-house, it is
safe to assume that the County and its:taxpayers are saving at least a quarterof a million
dollars($250,000).every year. These projected savings can accrue to the County only if a skilled EST is
secured and.serves on the BIT.
3-The CoH is required:to inspect and submit 55 Bridge Inspection Reports between March 17 and
December 17,2017 for this calendar year.The inspection staff shortage is compelling and urgent.
4-Alternatively,if the current inspection staff shortagecontinues without abatement,,DPW may be
compelled to hire and contract a certified structural engineering consultant firm(s):to conduct the
mandatory bridge inspectionand report writing as currently being done by CCH. DPW will need to
secure the estimated$250;000 per year funding to contract a consultant to perform the FHWA
mandated tasks if this alternative is pursued.
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Moreover, neglecting to promptly comply or abide by the FHWA Report submittal deadlines for the 55
bridges could jeopardize any and all FHWA engineering design and construction funds for roadways and
bridges available to the County
FHWA has displayed their tendency to withhold or threatened to withhold construction funds to the
County of Hawaii in the recent past for non-compliance of FHWA mandates(e.g., Hakalau Stream
Bridge(#29-3).
engrg-suppt-tech-comparison
The County of Hawai'i owns.and maintains 128 bridges that are registered in the National Bridge.
Inventory(NBI). All NBI registered.bridges are required to be inspected,.in compliance with the
requirements of the Federal Highway Administration.(FHWA) and.the.State Department of
Transportation(SDOT),following the National Inspection Standards (NBIS), at least every two
years as they are due.
The Department of Public Works.(DPW), Engineering Division is responsible for the
implementation of the.required ongoing process of Bridge Inspection Program. The Bridge
Inspection Program is the foundation of the entire bridge management operation and the bridge
management system. Information obtained during:the inspection will be used for.determining
needed maintenance and repairs, for prioritizing rehabilitation and replacements, for allocating
resources, and for evaluating and improving design for new bridges. The accuracy and
consistency of the inspection and documentation are vital because not only does it impact
programming and funding appropriations,.but it also affects public safety.
The DPW, Engineering Division has limited personnel who:are qualified to perform such
inspection, and.it is absolutely necessary to.conduct inspection in pairs for safety reasons and.for
the ability to consider bridge conditions from.an alternative point of view, ensuring thorough
inspection.
With the current workload, we have been performing such'inspection utilizing contracts hires.
We believe that this.method is ineffective as the inspection task is a permanently ongoing.or
scheduled routine requirement. Based on this,the division firmly believes that it is time to
establish a position to do the work.
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