Ohio § 5501.47

§ 5501.47.

(A) The director of transportation is responsible for inspection of all bridges on the

state highway system inside and outside of municipalities, all bridges connecting

Ohio with another state for which the department of transportation has inspection

authority, and all other bridges or portions of bridges for which responsibility for

inspection is by law or agreement assigned to the department. Such inspection shall be made on a schedule established by the director, but at least

once every twenty-four months, by a professional engineer or other qualified person

under the supervision of a professional engineer, in accordance with the manual of

bridge inspection described in division (B) of this section. The director shall cause to be maintained in each district of the department an updated

inventory of all bridges within such district that are on the state highway system,

including those located within municipalities, and all other bridges for which the

department has responsibility for inspection.  The inventory record shall indicate who is responsible for inspection and for maintenance,

and the authority for such responsibilities. On those bridges where there exists joint maintenance responsibility, the director

shall furnish a copy of reports to each party responsible for a share of maintenance. “ Maintenance ” as used in this division means actual performance of maintenance work. (B)(1) As used in this division: (a) “ Inspection ” means the inspection described in the manual of bridge inspection adopted by the

department. (b) “ Highway ” means those highway systems in section 5535.01 of the Revised Code , highways, streets, and roads within municipalities, and any other highway, street,

and road on which the public travels. (c) “ Bridge ” means any structure of ten feet or more clear span or ten feet or more in diameter

on, above, or below a highway, including structures upon which railroad locomotives

or cars may travel. (2) The director shall have general responsibility for initiating, developing, and maintaining

procedures and practices that provide for and promote professional inspection of bridges.  The director shall: (a) Prepare, maintain, and update a manual of bridge inspection that will provide standards

applicable to the inspection of all bridges on, above, or below highways.  The manual shall include, but is not limited to, standards relating to frequency

of inspection, qualifications of persons inspecting or supervising inspections, and

procedures and practices facilitating professional inspection of bridges. (b) Develop and furnish inspection forms and other forms relating to inspection, and

approve forms used in lieu of the departmental forms; (c) Assist and cooperate with governmental units, upon request, with inspection, disseminate

information to appropriate governmental officials and agencies with regard to responsibility

and inspection practices, and confer with public officials and other individuals on

inspection of bridges;  such assistance may be in the form of contracts with counties

or municipal corporations for transportation department inspection services; (d) Inspect any bridge on a highway, with a designated representative of the owner, where

the director has reason to believe that the report of inspection does not reflect

the condition of such bridge or that the inspection did not accord with the standards

contained in the manual of bridge inspection.