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State-SpecificOnline self-study

Georgia Bridge Program: GDOT Inspection, Rating, Design and Repair

1 PDH · about 60 minutes · Course no. BR-X05 · 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.

Georgia's bridge program is run by GDOT's Office of Bridge Design and Maintenance, whose Bridge Maintenance Unit inspects roughly 15,400 state and local structures from twelve inspection areas. Because GDOT's inspection procedures are internal, this one-hour course combines GDOT's public guidance with the 2022 NBIS to show Georgia practitioners what is required, what GDOT does in practice, and where to confirm details across design, inspection, repair and load rating.

⬇ Download study guide (PDF)

Learning objectives

  • Apply the 2022 NBIS baseline to Georgia 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 Georgia-specific course
  2. The federal baseline you are measured against
  3. Who may inspect and rate in Georgia
  4. Georgia at a glance: the program and its documents
  5. Inspection types you will see in the bridge file
  6. Inspection intervals in Georgia
  7. Critical findings and urgent deficiencies in Georgia
  8. Load rating in Georgia
  9. Posting, closure and signs in Georgia
  10. Scour, underwater and waterway work in Georgia
  11. Load rating refresher: methods, vehicles and rating factors
  12. Quality control, quality assurance and the bridge file
  13. Locally owned bridges
  14. Writing an inspection report a load rater can use
  15. Southeast hazards: flood, hurricane, salt and trucks
  16. Preservation lessons from the Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership
  17. SNBI coding: what changes on the inspection form
  18. Permit loads and overweight vehicles
  19. Closing and reopening a bridge
  20. Ten common mistakes, and how to avoid them
  21. A team leader's field checklist
  22. Questions to ask before your first project in Georgia
  23. Bridge design in Georgia: GDOT standards
  24. Bridge repair in Georgia
  25. Designing a repair in Georgia: the structural engineer's workflow
  26. Scenario: one bridge, start to finish, in Georgia
  27. Verify before you rely on it
  28. Open the course (33 screens, 2 knowledge checks)
  29. 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. GDOT, The Bridge Roadshow: Inspection and Maintenance (local bridge program presentation)
  5. GDOT, Bridge and Structures Design Manual, Revision 3.8, December 29, 2025
  6. GDOT, Bridge Maintenance and Inspection Program web pages
  7. GDOT Office of Bridge Design and Maintenance, Bridge and Structures Design Manual, Revision 3.8, December 29, 2025
  8. Egli, B. (TDOT), Preserving Tennessee's Bridge Decks and Joints, Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership meeting, Atlanta, GA, April 2012
  9. Sloan, J., PE (NCDOT), Pee Dee River arch bridge feasibility study, Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership meeting, April 2017
  10. Burgess & Niple, New River Gorge Bridge preservation, Southeast Bridge Preservation Partnership meeting, Charleston, WV, April 28-30, 2025
  11. eCFR, 23 CFR 650.311 and 650.313 (current text reviewed October 25, 2026)