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State-SpecificOnline self-study

Arkansas Bridge Program: ARDOT Inspection, Critical Findings, Design and Repair

1 PDH · about 60 minutes · Course no. BR-X12 · Instructor: Michael Craig, PE

About the instructor

Michael Craig, PE is Senior Vice President and Southeast Director at Strinteg Corporation, leading bridge inspection and structural engineering across eight states and Puerto Rico. In 27+ years he has inspected over 4,000 structures and completed 3,000+ load ratings and 160+ load tests. He has managed repair and preservation design for complex bridges, including cable-stayed bridges. He holds PE licenses in twelve states, DC and Puerto Rico, SPRAT Level 1, and FAA Part 107 credentials.

Arkansas's bridge program is governed by ARDOT guidelines published in July 2026, among the newest in the region. ARDOT sorts every maintenance need into priority codes from CF (critical finding) through D, treats a load rating below 3 tons as a critical finding, and sets clear criteria for 48-month extended intervals. This one-hour course covers those rules, the history behind Arkansas's scour program, and ARDOT's Bridge Division Policy Guidelines for design and repair.

⬇ Download study guide (PDF)

Learning objectives

  • Apply the 2022 NBIS baseline to Arkansas practice
  • Use the state DOT's intervals, critical finding and rating rules
  • Coordinate inspection, load rating and posting
  • Apply the state DOT's bridge design and repair standards

Outline

  1. Why a Arkansas-specific course
  2. The federal baseline you are measured against
  3. Who may inspect and rate in Arkansas
  4. Arkansas at a glance: the program and its documents
  5. Inspection types you will see in the bridge file
  6. Inspection intervals in Arkansas
  7. Critical findings and urgent deficiencies in Arkansas
  8. Load rating in Arkansas
  9. Posting, closure and signs in Arkansas
  10. Scour, underwater and waterway work in Arkansas
  11. Using priority codes well
  12. Load rating refresher: methods, vehicles and rating factors
  13. Quality control, quality assurance and the bridge file
  14. Locally owned bridges
  15. Writing an inspection report a load rater can use
  16. Southeast hazards: flood, hurricane, salt and trucks
  17. Preservation lessons from the Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership
  18. SNBI coding: what changes on the inspection form
  19. Permit loads and overweight vehicles
  20. Closing and reopening a bridge
  21. Ten common mistakes, and how to avoid them
  22. A team leader's field checklist
  23. Questions to ask before your first project in Arkansas
  24. Bridge design in Arkansas: ARDOT standards
  25. Bridge repair in Arkansas
  26. Designing a repair in Arkansas: the structural engineer's workflow
  27. Scenario: one bridge, start to finish, in Arkansas
  28. Verify before you rely on it
  29. Open the course (34 screens, 2 knowledge checks)
  30. Final quiz — 10 questions, 70% to pass

References

  1. 23 CFR Part 650, Subpart C — National Bridge Inspection Standards (final rule published May 6, 2022)
  2. FHWA, Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory (SNBI), FHWA-HIF-22-017, March 2022
  3. AASHTO, The Manual for Bridge Evaluation, 3rd Edition, 2018 (with interim revisions)
  4. ARDOT, Bridge Inspection Program guidelines, published July 1, 2026
  5. ARDOT Bridge Division Policy Guidelines, July 2, 2020
  6. ARDOT Bridge Division web page (ardot.gov/divisions/bridge), reviewed October 2026
  7. Egli, B. (TDOT), Preserving Tennessee's Bridge Decks and Joints, Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership meeting, Atlanta, GA, April 2012
  8. Sloan, J., PE (NCDOT), Pee Dee River arch bridge feasibility study, Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership meeting, April 2017
  9. Burgess & Niple, New River Gorge Bridge preservation, Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership meeting, Charleston, WV, April 28-30, 2025
  10. eCFR, 23 CFR 650.311 and 650.313 (current text reviewed October 25, 2026)