Project Description

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) intends to revise its current policies to adopt LRFR as the analytical method for load rating and load posting of bridges and for evaluating overweight permit vehicles. To that end, new procedures similar to current NYSDOT procedures but based on the LRFR methodology need to be developed.

The objectives of this project are to help the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) accomplish the above stated goals. The objectives of this study shall be met by first reviewing current NYSDOT load rating, load posting and overweight permit policies. The project shall also investigate the need to calibrate new NYS-LRFR load factors that provide uniform and consistent levels of bridge safety and reliability over all pertinent bridge classes and configurations and perform the calibrations if necessary. The load factors must reflect current bridge loading conditions in New York State as measured through the array of WIM sites established by NYSDOT. In order to be consistent with the LRFR philosophy, the NYS-LRFR should be calibrated using sound structural reliability procedures based on statistical load and resistance models that actually represent the typical loading conditions observed throughout the state of New York.