Bridges and Elevated Surfaces

Sonoma County Fire Safety Ordinance, all roadway, and driveway structures shall be designed, constructed, and maintained in accordance with applicable sections of the county building and fire code, the Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, and any administrative regulations and shall have a minimum designed live-load capacity of Highway Standard (HS)-20.

Sonoma County Fire Safety Ordinance states all roadway and driveway structures shall be:

• Constructed pursuant to a valid building permit
• Inspected according to the administrative and inspection sections of the County Building and Fire Code as adopted
• New bridges shall be of non-combustible construction per Fire Safe Standards (FSS) Code 13-33 (g)
• Bridges shall be constructed per FSS Code 13-33 and Title 14, Division 1.5, Chapter 7, Subchapter 2, Article 2, 1273.07

Bridges and Elevated Surfaces

Bridges and elevated surfaces shall be designed for a live load sufficient to carry the imposed loads of fire apparatus. Where elevated surfaces designed for emergency vehicle use are adjacent to surfaces which are not designed for such use, approved barriers, approved signs or both shall be installed and maintained when required by the fire code official.

Minimum Design

All roadway and driveway structures shall be designed, constructed, and maintained in accordance with applicable sections of the County Building Code and the Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, and shall have a minimum designed live-load capacity of HS-20.

Evaluation

All existing private bridges and elevated surfaces shall be evaluated by a California licensed civil engineer experienced in structural engineering or a California licensed structural engineer, for the purposes of safety and weight rating, and the vehicle load limits shall be posted at both entrances to bridges. These evaluations shall be performed at the direction of the fire code official.

Certification

All new and existing bridges and elevated structures providing emergency access shall be routinely evaluated and maintained in accordance with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual: “The Manual for Bridge Evaluation'' Second Edition, 2011, published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; or other approved standards.

Signage

All roadway and driveway structures shall have appropriate signing identifying structure capability, vertical clearance limits, any new road or single traffic lane conditions, and include weight and/or by axle limit.

Width

All roadway bridges having only one traffic lane shall be constructed to provide a minimum unobstructed width of 12 feet, shall also provide for unobstructed visibility from one end to the other, and shall have turnouts at both ends.