KDOT Highway & Bridge Inspection Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a routine bridge inspection, an inspector notices efflorescence on a concrete pier. What does this indicate?
- Surface paint deterioration
- Water infiltration and potential leaching of calcium hydroxide (Correct answer)
- Normal concrete curing process
- Alkali-silica reaction only
Correct answer: Water infiltration and potential leaching of calcium hydroxide
Efflorescence is a white crystalline deposit caused by water moving through concrete and leaching calcium hydroxide to the surface, indicating moisture infiltration.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of the AASHTO Manual for Bridge Element Inspection (MBEI)?
- To provide bridge design specifications
- To standardize element-level condition ratings and quantities (Correct answer)
- To establish bridge load ratings
- To define contractor bid procedures
Correct answer: To standardize element-level condition ratings and quantities
The MBEI establishes standardized element-level condition states and quantities for consistent bridge inspection data collection across agencies.
Question 3: A Kansas inspector observes transverse cracking in a reinforced concrete bridge deck at regular intervals. The most likely cause is:
- Overloading by heavy trucks
- Shrinkage and thermal stresses during curing (Correct answer)
- Alkali-silica reaction
- Freeze-thaw deterioration
Correct answer: Shrinkage and thermal stresses during curing
Regularly spaced transverse cracks in bridge decks are typically caused by concrete shrinkage and thermal contraction stresses during and after curing.
Question 4: Under FHWA regulations, what is the maximum interval allowed between routine bridge inspections for most bridges?
- 12 months
- 18 months
- 24 months (Correct answer)
- 36 months
Correct answer: 24 months
FHWA regulations (23 CFR 650) require routine bridge inspections at intervals not exceeding 24 months for most bridges.
Question 5: When inspecting a steel girder bridge, spalling of the concrete deck over a girder flange is most likely caused by:
- Excessive live load deflection
- Corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel causing expansion (Correct answer)
- Poor aggregate quality
- Thermal expansion of the girder
Correct answer: Corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel causing expansion
Corrosion of reinforcing steel expands the metal, generating internal pressure that causes the overlying concrete to crack and spall.
Question 6: Which NBI condition rating indicates that a bridge element has suffered serious deterioration or loss of cross-section but is still functional?
- Rating 4 (Correct answer)
- Rating 5
- Rating 6
- Rating 7
Correct answer: Rating 4
NBI condition rating 4 (Poor) indicates serious deterioration or section loss but the bridge element is still functional, not imminently failing.
Question 7: An inspector performing an underwater bridge inspection encounters zero-visibility conditions. The appropriate action is to:
- Cancel the inspection and reschedule
- Use tactile (touch) inspection methods per KDOT protocols (Correct answer)
- Estimate conditions based on above-water findings
- Document as 'not inspected' and move on
Correct answer: Use tactile (touch) inspection methods per KDOT protocols
When underwater visibility is zero, KDOT and FHWA protocols require tactile inspection methods where divers physically feel elements to assess conditions.
KDOT Highway & Bridge Inspection Procedures 2
During a routine bridge inspection, an inspector notices efflorescence on a concrete pier.
What does this indicate?