(A) The director of transportation is responsible for inspection of all bridges on the state highway system inside and outside of municipalities, all bridges connecting Ohio with another state for which the department of transportation has inspection authority, and all other bridges or portions of bridges for which responsibility for inspection is by law or agreement assigned to the department.

Such inspection shall be made annually by a professional engineer or other qualified person under the supervision of a professional engineer, or more frequently if required by the director, in accordance with the manual of bridge inspection described in division (B) of this section.

The director shall cause to be maintained in each district of the department an updated inventory of all bridges within such district that are on the state highway system, including those located within municipalities, and all other bridges for which the department has responsibility for inspection. The inventory record shall indicate who is responsible for inspection and for maintenance, and the authority for such responsibilities.

On those bridges where there exists joint maintenance responsibility, the director shall furnish a copy of reports to each party responsible for a share of maintenance.

"Maintenance" as used in this division means actual performance of maintenance work.

(B)

(1) As used in this division:

(a) "Inspection" means the inspection described in the manual of bridge inspection adopted by the department.

(b) "Highway" means those highway systems in section 5535.01 of the Revised Code, highways, streets, and roads within municipalities, and any other highway, street, and road on which the public travels.

(c) "Bridge" means any structure of ten feet or more clear span or ten feet or more in diameter on, above, or below a highway, including structures upon which railroad locomotives or cars may travel.

(2) The director shall have general responsibility for initiating, developing, and maintaining procedures and practices that provide for and promote professional inspection of bridges. The director shall:

(a) Prepare, maintain, and update a manual of bridge inspection that will provide standards applicable to the inspection of all bridges on, above, or below highways. The manual shall include, but is not limited to, standards relating to frequency of inspection, qualifications of persons inspecting or supervising inspections, procedures and practices facilitating professional inspection of bridges;

(b) Develop and furnish inspection forms and other forms relating to inspection, and approve forms used in lieu of the departmental forms;

(c) Assist and cooperate with governmental units, upon request, with inspection, disseminate information to appropriate governmental officials and agencies with regard to responsibility and inspection practices, and confer with public officials and other individuals on inspection of bridges; such assistance may be in the form of contracts with counties or municipal corporations for transportation department inspection services;

(d) Inspect any bridge on a highway, with a designated representative of the owner, where he has reason to believe that the report of inspection does not reflect the condition of such bridge or that the inspection did not accord with the standards contained in the manual of bridge inspection.

Effective Date: 09-28-1973 .