A new online service will keep motorists updated on the conditions of bridges across the state. The Michigan Department of Transportation has launched the new Michigan Bridge Conditions Dashboard, which provides information on the conditions of over 11,000 bridges on state and local road systems. This dashboard replaces the 2018 version which focused primarily on bridges within the National Highway System. According to a release, MDOT has been working since January updating the service to include all bridges and provide the most current available data, instead of only being a snapshot in time.

An interactive map shows the location of each bridge and a color coded status for each structure. Detailed information about each structure can be seen, and data can be sorted in various ways, like by ownership, geographic area, or bridge rating. Federal law mandates that all bridges be inspected at least every 2 years and that condition ratings are reported. Bridges are rated on a 0-9 scale, where 7-9 is good, 5 and 6 are fair, and 0-4 is poor. Ratings are assigned to culverts, decks, and each superstructure and substructure of every bridge. These ratings are used by asset management to identify preventative maintenance needs and determine funding priorities for repairs and replacements.

The Michigan Bridge Conditions Dashboard can be found at https://mdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=fb70725b2be04dc7b01703d0b6c91bb6 (Photo- MDOT) (MK)