THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

The Joint Committee on

Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review

Report # 599

Effects of Deficient Bridges on Selected Mississippi Public School Districts’ Bus Routes

Executive Summary

Introduction

The PEER Committee received a legislative request to determine how much school districts spend to operate bus routes that have to detour around deficient bridges on local and state roads. The primary concern of the requesting legislator was to learn approximately how much school districts spend on school bus route detours that could be potentially redirected for classroom instruction.

PEER also addressed potential safety concerns regarding the deficient bridges and how all school districts could obtain the information needed to plan school bus routes that are safer for the passengers of these buses and result in less damage to bridge infrastructure.

Background

State law requires that school districts provide transportation to students of legal school age who live a distance of one mile or more from the school to which they are assigned. In planning these routes, school district transportation staffs are required to plan routes in an economical manner.

Federal law, through the National Bridge Inspection Standards, defines a bridge as a structure along the center of the roadway of more than twenty feet that is erected over a depression or an obstruction (e. g., creek, highway, or railway). For the purposes of this review, PEER defined a deficient bridge as:

a bridge that is closed to all vehicle traffic; or,
a bridge that is posted for gross vehicle weight limits of up to 33,000 pounds; or,
a bridge that is posted for single axle weight limits of up to 20,000 pounds.

PEER collected route information from the eleven Mississippi public school districts that have more than ten deficient bridges within their district boundaries to determine to what extent these bridges affect each district’s respective transportation system (e. g., additional time and/or mileage added to school bus routes for detours around the bridges). (See page 4 of the report to learn how PEER selected the school districts for review.)

Financial Effects of Deficient Bridges on School Districts’ Transportation Expenditures

Four of the eleven school districts PEER selected for review reported that they are currently rerouting school buses as a direct result of deficient bridges. PEER’s estimates of current detour costs accounted for two percent or less of these respective school districts’ total transportation expenditures for School Year 2013-2014. While current detour costs might not be material in comparison to the cost to repair or replace the deficient bridges, there is potential for additional detour costs from rerouting school buses in the future, since PEER determined that all eleven of the selected school districts have routes with buses crossing posted bridges, even though the districts were unaware that these bridges were deficient.

What school districts did PEER select for financial analysis?

PEER utilized a geographic information system (GIS) as the primary tool to identify and select school districts for this review. PEER reviewed the following data and incorporated it into the GIS analysis to identify deficient bridges within school districts:

the geographic boundaries of public school districts from 2010, provided by United States Census Bureau;
the location and condition of bridges as of April 1, 2015, provided by data from the National Bridge Index; and,
the weight limits for posted bridges as of April 1, 2015, provided by Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Office of State Aid Road Construction.

PEER used this data to generate a count of the number of closed and posted bridges (i. e., posted for a gross vehicle weight of 33,000 pounds or posted for a single axle weight of 20,000 pounds) that could affect bus routes for school districts. PEER then reviewed the number of deficient bridges in each district to select those districts with the highest count of deficient bridges for review.

PEER selected the following eleven public school districts that were noted as having the highest numbers of deficient bridges (determined by PEER to be any district having more than ten deficient bridges) that could affect bus routes: Amite County, Carroll County, Hinds County, Hollandale, Itawamba County, Jones County, Leland, North Panola, Quitman County, Western Line, and Yazoo County.

Appendix B, page 35 of this report, shows the locations of deficient bridges identified by PEER that could potentially affect school bus routes in the selected school districts. Locations of deficient bridges in all Mississippi school districts are available on the PEER website (www.peer.ms.gov; see Report #599, “Entire Appendix B”).

How did deficient bridges affect bus routes in the school districts selected for financial analysis?

Four of the eleven districts reported that they are detouring buses due to closed bridges. While one school district, Jones County, tries to identify and detour around bridges posted for weight limits that could apply to school buses, PEER determined that all of the selected districts currently operate routes where buses travel across posted bridges.

How did PEER estimate the cost to detour around deficient bridges in selected school districts?

PEER estimated that it costs approximately $1.70 per mile to operate a school bus in Mississippi based on maintenance costs, fuel costs, and depreciation expenses. PEER also obtained information on compensation of bus drivers from the selected school districts to calculate estimated personnel costs as a result of extended bus route travel time. PEER then applied these two pieces of information to the additional mileage and additional time reported for school bus detour routes as a result of deficient bridges.

What are the financial effects of school bus detours around deficient bridges in the selected districts?

The estimated total cost of detours caused by deficient bridges ranges from $4,284 to $25,704 for the four selected school districts that reported detours for the current school year. While these are additional costs that the district must incur, these costs represent only about two percent or less of the respective districts’ School Year 2013-2014 transportation expenditures. (See Exhibit A below.)

Exhibit A: Estimated Detour Costs^* for Districts with Detours Caused by Deficient Bridges, School Year 2014-15

School District	Total Estimated Operational Detour Costs (School Year 2014-2015)	Total Estimated Personnel Detour Costs (School Year 2014-2015)**	Total Estimated Detour Costs (School Year 2014-2015)	Detour Costs as a Percentage of Total District Transportation Expenditures (School Year 2013-2014)
Carroll County	$ 9,792	$2,250	$12,042	2.0%
Hollandale	4,284		4,284	1.4%
Jones County	25,704		25,704	0.7%
North Panola	4,896		4,896	0.5%

^*Changes in total transportation spending were not adjusted for inflation.

^**Carroll County was the only district that reported an hourly wage for its bus drivers. Because the other school districts compensated bus drivers by salary, no additional personnel costs would be estimated for additional time generated by a detour route.

SOURCE: PEER analysis.

How do the detour costs incurred by school districts compare to repair or replacement costs of the deficient bridges causing detours?

The estimated detour costs as a result of deficient bridges are not material in comparison to the estimated costs of repairing or replacing bridges. In making the decision to repair or replace bridges, bridge owners must consider several factors in determining the priority and schedule for bridge repair or replacement, with school bus routes being one possible factor to consider. (See Exhibit B below.)

Exhibit B: Estimated Costs^* to Repair or Replace Deficient Bridges Causing Detours

School District	Number of Deficient Bridges Included in Cost Estimate	2015 National Bridge Index Estimated Cost to Repair or Replace Deficient Bridges Causing Detours	Estimated Detour Cost for School Year 2014-2015	Years Until Detour Costs Equals the Cost to Repair or Replace Deficient Bridges
Carroll County	2	$ 588,000	$12,042	49
Hollandale	1	374,000	4,284	87
Jones County	14¹	5,255,000	25,704	204
North Panola	1²	39,700	4,896	8

Notes to exhibit:

^* Estimates were not adjusted for inflation and assume that the detour route will continue and cost the same until the bridge is repaired or replaced.

¹ Although Jones County School District reported detours around twenty bridges, PEER only included those bridges that were defined as deficient based on PEER methodology (fourteen bridges). When PEER further examined the status of those bridges reported by Jones County School District, PEER excluded two bridges that are less than twenty feet (and therefore are not defined as a bridge within the NBI database). PEER also excluded four bridges because they were noted in the NBI as not being in need of structural improvements.

² The bridge reported by North Panola causing a detour route is less than twenty feet, which is not defined as a bridge within the NBI database. Therefore, PEER contacted the Panola County Engineer to obtain a cost estimate to repair or replace this bridge. According to the county engineer, the contract price to repair this bridge on Spring Hill Road is $39,700.

SOURCE: PEER analysis.

Potential Safety Issues Regarding Deficient Bridges and School Districts’ Bus Routes

During the course of this review, PEER identified instances in which some school bus routes in the districts selected for review utilized bridges that were posted with weight limits for single axle vehicles of up to 20,000 pounds or posted with weight limits for gross vehicle weights of up to 33,000 pounds. Based on the typical weight ratings for larger buses (Type C and D buses), the potential for buses traveling across these posted bridges creates safety concerns for the passengers and increases wear and tear on deficient bridges.

Further, the process for notifying school districts of deficient bridges and the training of school district transportation personnel related to deficient bridges need improvement.

Why are school districts using bus routes that cross posted bridges?

No consistent or routine process is in place for notifying school districts of posted bridges that could affect bus routes. Most of the selected districts’ transportation staffs stated that they were notified of closed bridges, but that they were not always made aware of posted bridges.

Other reasons that could contribute to buses crossing posted bridges that could potentially be unsafe were:

no uniform safety training of school district personnel specific to identifying which bridges school buses should not cross;
no formal incorporation of posted bridges as potential safety hazards in the state school bus safety policies;
no formal oversight and a lack of enforcement of posted weight violations; and,
bridges that are not visibly posted for school buses, but might still be unsafe for them to cross.

Do school buses meet state weight guidelines?

Most school buses do meet state weight guidelines. However, school districts could potentially purchase buses that might exceed the single axle weight limits mandated by MISS. CODE ANN. § 63-5-27 (2) (1972) because such buses are included on the Mississippi Department of Education’s bus prices and companies list.

Recommendations

School districts should review their transportation routes annually to ensure that school buses are not crossing closed bridges or bridges posted with weight limits that could apply to school buses. School districts could review their routes in the following manner:
- consult the map and deficient bridge information available on the PEER website (www.peer.ms.gov; see Report #599, “Entire Appendix B”) to determine whether the district’s routes cross any of the deficient bridges identified by PEER as bridges that could affect school district transportation;
- review the “cab cards” of school buses owned by the district to determine the gross vehicle weight rating of each bus because the gross vehicle weight rating could be used to identify which posted weight limits apply to individual school buses;
- visually inspect the bridges on district routes to identify bridges that are currently closed or posted with weight limits that would apply to school buses;
- confer with the county engineer to determine which bridges are currently closed or posted, or open to traffic but should be posted, because posted weight limits might not be visible; and,
- confer with and develop relationships with appropriate county staff to determine day-to-day changes in bridge conditions.
In order to ensure that school districts are notified about deficient bridges, the Legislature should amend the following sections of the MISSISSIPPI CODE to require the following:
- amend MISS. CODE ANN. § 65-17-203 (1972) to require that county engineers provide school districts with a list of all local bridges (county or municipal) that could affect school district transportation routes one month before the start of the school year;
- amend MISS. CODE ANN. § 65-1-10 (1972) to require that MDOT provide school districts with a list of all state bridges that could affect school district transportation routes one month before the start of the school year;
- amend MISS. CODE ANN. §65-17-1 (1972) to require county road managers in counties with a countywide system of road administration to notify school districts of any changes to bridge conditions that could affect school district transportation routes, such as when a bridge is closed, a bridge is repaired, or a weight restriction is removed or posted that could apply to school buses;
- amend MISS. CODE ANN. §65-19-67 (1972) to require supervisors in counties with separate road districts to notify school districts of any changes to bridge conditions that could affect school district transportation routes, such as when a bridge is closed, a bridge is repaired, or a weight restriction is removed or posted that could apply to school buses; and,
- amend MISS. CODE ANN. §21-37-4 (1972) to require the governing authorities of municipalities to notify school districts of any changes to bridge conditions that could affect school district transportation routes, such as when a bridge is closed, a bridge is repaired, or a weight restriction is removed or posted that could apply to school buses.
The Mississippi Department of Education, with assistance from the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Office of Weight Enforcement, should provide periodic training to school districts’ transportation directors and bus drivers on the following: (a) what is a deficient bridge and a posted bridge; (b) how to determine a school bus’s weight; (c) what posted weight limits on bridges could apply to school buses; (d) how transportation directors can find out about posted or deficient bridges in their school districts; and (e) what are the protocols for school bus drivers for how to reroute around deficient bridges and how to report deficient bridges to the transportation director.
The Mississippi Department of Education, Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Office of State Aid Road Construction, and other interested state entities that receive complaints of school buses crossing deficient bridges should meet and discuss the feasibility of creating a centralized system to track such complaints and their resolution over time. If such a system is feasible, the state entities should create the system and monitor school districts’ performance in this area.
The Mississippi Department of Education should amend the Mississippi Minimum Standards for School Buses purchasing and operation guidelines to reflect that school buses should not have more than twenty thousand pounds gross weight imposed on the highway on any one single axle.

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