New dashboard gives up-to-date stats on Michigan bridge conditions

Lansing, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) launched an online dashboard to make information about the condition of all bridges on state and local road systems easily accessible to the public. Replacing a more limited version from 2018, the Michigan Bridge Conditions dashboard is now online at https://mdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=fb70725b2be04dc7b01703d0b6c91bb6, providing data on more than 11,000 bridges across the state.

“We’re very excited about the new dashboard,” said Matt Chynoweth, head of the MDOT Bureau of Bridges and Structures. “This supports both the governor’s and state transportation director’s objectives of transparency in government. It’s a great tool, allowing the public to easily look into the condition of any bridge, MDOT or locally owned.”

Bridges on the state (I, M and US routes) and local road systems are rated good, fair or poor. The dashboard shows visual representations of the number of bridges in each category, while an interactive map on the site shows the location and color-coded status for each structure. Users can sort and view data by bridge rating, ownership or geographical area. Zooming in on the map and clicking on an icon for an individual bridge pulls up more detailed information about that structure. The dashboard can also provide comparisons between different bridge categories.

Beginning in January, MDOT worked to improve its existing bridge dashboard by including all bridges, not just those on the National Highway System. The new site is also directly connected to a bridge database so that the dashboard reflects the most current available data instead of only being a snapshot in time.

Federal law defines a bridge as a structure carrying traffic with a span greater than 20 feet. The law also requires that all bridges be inspected at least every two years to monitor and report condition ratings. These ratings are based on a 0-9 scale and are assigned to each culvert and each deck, superstructure and substructure of each bridge. Bridges rated from 7 to 9 are designated “good,” while ratings of 5 and 6 are “fair,” and ratings from 0 to 4 are in the “poor” category.

Condition ratings are an important tool for transportation asset management, as they are used to identify preventive maintenance needs and to determine funding priorities for rehabilitation and replacement projects.