The bridge and tunnel enterprise (BTE) in the department of
transportation (department) completes tunnel projects and finances, repairs, reconstructs, replaces, and maintains designated bridges in the state. A designated bridge is a bridge that is part of the state highway system that the department has identified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and that the department has rated as poor.
The bill: •
Expands the scope of the BTE to include the completion of preventative maintenance bridge projects, which are projects that involve a treatment or strategy to extend the service life of a fair-rated or good-rated bridge by preventing, delaying, or reducing deterioration; and
•
Specifies that the BTE may repair, reconstruct, replace, and maintain a bridge that the department has rated as fair if the fair-rated bridge is included as part of a project to repair, reconstruct, replace, or maintain a designated bridge.
