The State of Good Repair (SGR) provides funding for deteriorated NBI bridges in Poor Condition or otherwise known as structurally deficient (SD) for that bridges that are owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and or localities. SGR provides funding to complete long-term solutions exceeding routine maintenance, but it should not be viewed solely as a bridge replacement program. The scope of bridge work paid for under the SGR program should be adjusted appropriately to meet the needs of each particular bridge, with consideration for the overall limitations on funds available to address the bridge inventory.
In general, project scopes should be established to rehabilitate, reconstruct, or replace deficient elements in the most practical and cost-effective manner and must also include measures (materials, technologies or details) to mitigate future deterioration. Bridge replacement projects are generally expected to be “in-kind” replacements. SGR funds are not intended to pay for increases of traffic capacity of a bridge or roadway.
Pre-scoping documents shall be submitted for pre-applications and full-applications as outlined below. Details of requirements for pre-scoping documents can be found in the “SGR Bridge Pre-Scoping Document Requirements” accordion tab. All applications will be reviewed in accordance with requirements outlined in IIM-LD-260 / IIM-IID-11, titled “Project Application Review.”
For localities
Pre-applications are required for all eligible structures in their locality to be eligible for full-applications *
Full-applications are required for all eligible structures in their locality * All applications are to be submitted to your VDOT District Locality Liaison
For VDOT
Pre-applications are handled internally at the district
Full-applications are required for all eligible structures in the district ** ** coordinated with Central Office using internal VDOT bridge SharePoint site and pre-scoping documents submitted via internal SGR bridge Projectwise folders
Pre-application submittal requirements (for locality-owned bridge applications only) for SGR bridge funds are per below.
REQUIRED Submittal Documentation
Draft progress pre scoping report
A given locality must submit a pre-application for ALL bridges in a given locality to be eligible to submit full application
RECOMMENDED Submittal Documentation
Proposed Smart Flags, if applicable
Conceptual Drawings or Sketches
Project Cost Estimate
SGR repair estimate for recommended alternative
SGR structure replacement estimate
Full-application submittal requirements (for VDOT and locality-owned bridge applications only) for SGR bridge funds are per below.
REQUIRED Submittal Documentation
Pre Scoping Report
Proposed Smart Flags, if applicable
Conceptual Drawings or Sketches
Project Cost Estimate (including cost estimate workbook and backup information)
SGR repair estimate for recommended alternative
SGR structure replacement estimate
Pre-scoping document requirements shall be in accordance with four items outlined below and shall be included as appropriate with Applications for SGR Bridge Projects. These submittal documents shall comprehensively address all requirements outlined inIIM-LD-260 / IIM-IID-11, titled “Project Application Review.”
1. The Pre-Scoping Report shall include narrative that comprehensively addresses below and support information as needed.
Project Description
Scope Justifications
Significant Scope Elements *
Scope Elements Not Eligible for SGR **
Alternative Analysis ***
Risk Assessment
Proposed Smart Flags
* Specifically include how scope is eligible for SGR bridge funding per S&B-IIM-95. ** Address items not eligible for SGR. Immediately contact district to advise how such elements will be funded. *** Use the repair/preservation, rehabilitation or replacement decision process as outlined inChapter 32 of the Manual of the S&B Division.
Significant scope items include, but are not limited to, the items below.
Bridge Configuration
Features Carried (including approach roadway tie-in points, alignment, profile, and cross section)
Features Intersected (road, water, railroads, clearances)
Geotechnical (roadway, bridge)
Maintenance of Traffic (detour, offset alignment, part-width-construction)
a) Pre-Scoping Documents Examples: The examples below depict varying degrees of breadth and detail and do not necessarily comply with the latest guidance. However, they are provided to give an idea as the information being
§ 33.2-369. State of good repairof the Code of Virginia requires that such funds be used for “state of good repair” purposes for the reconstruction and replacement of bridges in poor condition, and does not allow for safety and operational improvements. So, we need to assess the scope of work on projects for compliance with this requirements and a reassessment is triggered when the funding increases on a project. Funding increases too can affect the scores of a project, which too could need to be reassessed in some instances. Furthermore, theCTB policyfor the “Approval of State of Good Repair Prioritization Process Methodology and FY 2022 State of Good Repair Percentage Fund Distribution” under the section “Funds – Allocations, Apportionments, and Expenditures” section requires the following:
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, neither the scope nor the budget of a project may be substantially modified in such a manner that the proposed improvements do not accomplish the same benefits as the original scope. Efforts must be made to review a project scope for opportunities to modify or reduce scope to bring the cost back in line with the original budget while maintaining similar life-cycle cost benefits.”
The SGR project selection process requires completion of pre-scoping efforts prior to submittal of the application (or work notification form). The pre-scoping effort establishes a scope for the project that the district or locality will use to establish the project cost estimate, which will then be used by VDOT to calculate the SGR priority score and determine which bridge projects are selected for SGR funding. The project cost estimate developed at pre-scoping will also be used to determine a fund request, which will be approved by the CTB for selected bridge projects as part of their adoption of the SYIP. The approved fund level then becomes the budget for the project.
There are times when an increase in the budget on an existing SGR project is required; for example, due to an unanticipated increase in the project cost estimate caused by an unforeseen circumstance. In such instances, the district shall submit a Bridge Budget Increase Request (BBIR) for the existing project to the Central Office (CO) SGR bridge program manager in order for addition of funds to be considered. Before submitting the BBIR form, the district shall make all appropriate efforts to review a project scope for opportunities to modify or reduce scope to bring the cost back in line with the original budget without sacrificing life cycle benefits and while meeting the requirements for SGR projects established in IIM-S&B-95. The district bridge engineer must submit the BBIR form, along with supporting information and an updated Cost Estimate Workbook as outlined in the BBIR form, to the CO SGR bridge program manager for review, recommendation, and routing for approval or disapproval.
Project managers should maintain accurate up to date project cost estimates at all times, including at project milestones, in accordance with VDOT Project Management Procedure PMO-3.6, titled “Project Development Budget and Estimates" and notify the CO SGR bridge program manager as soon as any significant cost increase has been identified. However, for projects administered by VDOT, when a bridge budget increase is requested, formal requests by the district should be submitted at the following milestones and similar milestones for projects not administered by VDOT:
Public Hearing Milestone (after design approval is received),
Fund Verification for the right-of-way phase,
Fund Verification for construction phase (initiating advertisement process), and
Districts may also submit the BBIR forms in early January as part of the program SYIP update.
The CO SGR bridge program manager will serve as the primary point of contact and coordinate all reviews for all fund requests occurring during or before fund verification for construction phase (initiating advertisement process). The CO SGR bridge program manager will coordinate approvals with the assistant state structure and bridge engineer for bridge maintenance, the state structure and bridge engineer, or the chief engineer as appropriate. Budget increases above the thresholds in the table below will require approval of the Chief Engineer and the BBIR submittal must be accompanied by a brief presentation describing the reasons that additional funding is required. Certain transfers must also be approved by the CTB.
Chief Engineer Approval Required When Thresholds Exceeded
Current Total Project Budget
Threshold for Additional Funds Being Requested
Less than $5,000,000
20% or greater
From $5,000,000 to $10,000,000
$1,000,000 or greater
Greater than $10,000,000
10% or greater up to a maximum of $5,000,000
The presentation for the Chief Engineer should concisely and effectively outline the items below and the presentation should be limited to a maximum length of five slides for a typical bridge project:
Brief project description
Original scope and estimate that matches approved budget
Proposed scope and estimate for budget request, and outlines specific reasons for the increase in the estimate
Provides details of efforts made to modify or reduce scope to minimize budget increase request without sacrificing life cycle benefits
SGR fund requests for projects awaiting potential award must be coordinated between the district, the Construction Division (CD) and the Infrastructure Investment Division (IID) and will only be considered if award of the bid would provide good value to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The CO SGR bridge program manager will support the assessment as needed and may be required to coordinate approval for some SGR aspects (scope changes/increases, scope eligibility for SGR) of the fund request if requested to do so by IID or CD.
The terms “NBI” and “Poor Condition” (or “SD”) have been defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Note that certain culverts are classified by FHWA as “NBI bridges”. Generally, NBI bridges are those that are greater than or equal to 20’ in length, including culverts that are 20’ or greater from ends of clear openings. Accordingly, any bridge or culvert that meets the criteria for an NBI bridge (whether that structure is a culvert or bridge) is referred to as a bridge in this document.
Points of Contact
If you have questions about a specific bridge, you are encouraged to contact your VDOT District Locality Liaison or District Structure and Bridge Engineer. Their contact information can be found at the following link: Points of Contact.
If you have general questions or questions about the Bridge Prioritization formula or VDOT’s Structure and Bridge Division information, you are encouraged to contact the following:
Kevin O'Neill, PE Program Manager, Bridge Maintenance and Management Phone: 804-914-4859 Email: Kevin.Oneill@VDOT.Virginia.gov
