Element-Level Inspection

What It Means

Element-level inspection is a detailed inspection methodology that quantifies the condition of individual structural elements, such as specific girders, decks, bearings, joints, and railings, rather than reporting only the overall NBI component ratings for deck, superstructure, and substructure. Element-level inspection uses the AASHTO Guide Manual for Bridge Element Inspection, which defines over 170 standard elements across categories including superstructure elements (e.g., Element 107 Steel Open Girder, Element 109 Prestressed Concrete Open Girder), deck elements (Element 12 Reinforced Concrete Deck, Element 13 Prestressed Concrete Deck), substructure elements (Element 215 Reinforced Concrete Abutment, Element 205 Reinforced Concrete Column), and joints, bearings, and railings. Each element is rated at four condition states: CS1 (Good), CS2 (Fair), CS3 (Poor), and CS4 (Severe). Inspectors report the quantity of the element in each condition state, so a 500-foot deck might be reported as 350 SF in CS1, 100 SF in CS2, 30 SF in CS3, and 20 SF in CS4. This quantitative approach enables deterioration modeling, better cost estimation for maintenance and rehabilitation, and more informed prioritization than the coarser NBI 0-9 ratings. The 2012 MAP-21 legislation required all bridges on the National Highway System (roughly 120,000 of the 617,000+ NBI bridges) to be inspected at the element level and have element-level data submitted to FHWA. The data is captured in the National Bridge Elements (NBE) dataset, maintained alongside the NBI. Element-level data drives state bridge management systems (such as AASHTOWare BrM/Pontis) and is increasingly used for federal performance measure reporting under the MAP-21 and IIJA frameworks.

Frequently Asked Questions