Nova Scotia auditor general Michael Pickup examined whether the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal had adequate processes for effective and efficient management of the selection and quality of its bridge projects.
He concluded that the department’s system does not provide management with all the necessary information needed to make decisions on bridge projects such as replacement, rehabilitation and maintenance. In addition, he found that the department is appropriately monitoring whether bridge projects meet established standards during construction, but is then failing to monitor warranties properly.
“The department is responsible for about 4,200 bridges across the province,” he said. “If the province wanted to eventually replace all the provincial bridges it could take 200 years at the current rate. Management needs to have complete and accurate information to assist them in making fully informed decisions on which projects to do and when to do them.”
