Washington collapse prompts audit of US bridge safety upgrades

The collapse in May of a section of the Skagit River Bridge in Washington State brought renewed attention to the safety and conditions of the USA’s bridges. A member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure made a request the following month that OIG should assess FHWA’s efforts to improve bridge safety.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is responsible for overseeing each state’s compliance with the national bridge inspection standards and with legislative provisions for federal bridge funding.

The initial audit will assess FHWA’s actions in response to prior OIG bridge report recommendations and the bridge safety provisions in the MAP-21 programme, which is designed to transforming the way US highways are built, maintained and managed.