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Caltrans: MAP‑21 expands National Highway System, adds performance mandates that could trigger bridge spending requirements
Summary
Caltrans staff told the commission MAP‑21 expanded the National Highway System to include more locally owned bridges, requires performance‑based asset management, and could force a mandated spending shift toward structurally deficient bridges if performance targets are missed.
Caltrans briefed the Transportation Commission on Jan. 17, 2013, about how MAP‑21 changes affect bridges and bridge funding.
Mike Johnson, Caltrans SHOP bridge program manager, said MAP‑21 added principal arterials to the National Highway System (NHS), increasing the NHS inventory by roughly 3,000 bridges in California and bringing many locally owned bridges under NHS requirements. That expansion increases the number of bridge owners with NHS responsibilities to more than 450 entities, Johnson said, and triggers risk‑based, performance‑driven asset management obligations for the NHS.
Why it matters: the NHS expansion means locally owned bridges will be subject to federal NHS performance rules. Johnson said current data show about 14.8% of bridge deck area in California is classified as structurally deficient; under MAP‑21, failure to meet future federal targets could require the state to dedicate roughly 50% of certain bridge program funds to structurally deficient bridges — an amount Johnson approximated at about $270 million based on 2009 allocations.
Key points - NHS expansion and ownership: MAP‑21 added principal arterial routes, which increased NHS bridge counts in California by about 3,000 and increased the share of locally owned NHS bridges. - Funding consolidation: the former Highway Bridge Program was consolidated into the National Highway Performance Program (NHPP), meaning bridge projects now compete with pavement and other projects for NHPP funds. - Performance management and potential penalty: MAP‑21 requires performance‑based asset management on the NHS. Johnson said federal performance measures are pending from FHWA; if targets are missed, MAP‑21 contains provisions that could restrict funding flexibility and require high shares of funding be spent on structurally deficient bridges.
Commission discussion and implementation steps Caltrans told commissioners it has updated the California NHS inventory, is working with FHWA on appropriate performance measures, and is evaluating protocols for distributing NHPP funds among state and local owners. Johnson said asset‑management requirements will be most practically administered at the state level because of the number of individual local owners now included in the NHS.
Ending Caltrans recommended continued outreach to local owners, development of statewide asset‑management protocols and working with FHWA on performance measures; commissioners were briefed but did not take a funding decision on bridge priorities at the Jan. 17 meeting.
