Bridges & Structures

CDOT Staff Bridge is responsible for:
  • Providing the Department’s in-house structural engineering, structural inspection, and structural asset management related programs and services
  • Administering the off-system (local agency) bridge inspection, tunnel inspection, and the bridge program (major rehabilitation and replacement)
  • Providing quality assurance, design services, construction support, technical support, and training for the Department’s structure related activities
  • Establishing design and construction standards, policies and procedures to assure consistency in the development of CDOT structural plans and specifications and estimates (PS&E) throughout the Department
  • Supporting the Utility Program when utilities are requested to be attached to bridges or structures by reviewing the permit application for the attachment details and attachment location on the bridges or structures identified in the application.
  • Supporting the Commercial Vehicle Permits office that issues permits to trucking companies for the oversize and overweight vehicles travelling on Colorado highways by performing overload investigations and providing load ratings for critical bridges
  • Supporting the Off-System Bridge Program, which inventories, inspects, replaces and rehabilitates major structures (i.e. major bridges and major culverts) on the public roads owned by Colorado counties and municipalities. This program also inventories and inspects the tunnels on public roads owned by Colorado counties and municipalities.

The CDOT Staff Bridge structure program includes the repair, preventive maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement of bridges, walls, and minor structures (bridges and culverts with spans less than or equal to 20’ and greater than or equal to 4’). The Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE) finances the repair, reconstruction, and replacement of designated bridges as defined by SB-09-108. The remainder of the structure program is financed by the CDOT Transportation Asset Management Program

The five main work units within Staff Bridge are:
Bridge & Structure Design
Bridge Project Support, Load Ratings & Overloads
Construction Support & Fabrication Inspection
Bridge & Structure Inspection
Bridge & Structure Asset Management

Concrete box girder bridge that carries I-25 over the South Platte River