Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Student Manual

CA Emergency Mgmt. Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Manual April 2011This form was used after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to look at bridges within the City ofSanta Cruz, and also used in 2008 in Haiti to look at damaged bridges there.Some of the damages that can occur to bridges include failure of the support columns. This isoften due to inadequate confinement steel in the column. Other damage includes bridge spansfalling off their supports. This can happen if the spans are not restrained, and/or if the seat forthe span is too narrow. The most vulnerable bridges for this are those with multiple spans, andthose that are set at an angle to the obstruction that they cross. Finally, the approaches to bridgescan settle, creating a dangerous situation for traffic attempting to cross the bridge. Traffic endsup encountering a concrete wall instead of a reasonable ramp to the bridge surface. This hasproved to be a rather common problem observed after strong earthquakes.Photo courtesy Dave Swanson, EERIFigure 5-11 – Bridge with fallen span (China)5.4.1 Completing the Bridge Evaluation FormA copy of the two-page Bridge Evaluation form begins on the next page.Recommendations – This section shows the typical recommendations that would apply tobridges, though not necessarily the only ones. The overall recommendations of the SAP teamare noted here by checking the appropriate circles, after the evaluation is complete. If themonitor circle is checked, the evaluator must be sure to note in the Comments section the146