Rule 9.2.12:  A passageway must completely traverse the bridge from end to end below the deck.  It must be at least 2' 0" high, measured from the ground/floodway/river surface, and must extend at least 1' 6" on both sides of the nominal centerline (described in section 9.4).  See the "End View" on the "Site and Bridge" diagram found in the rules.

Commentary:  The concept of a "nominal centerline" was new with the 2007 rules and is retained this year.  There was some dispute about compliance with the predecessor of this specification at the 2006 national competition.  It is hoped that the addition of this centerline will help resolve future conflicts.

Common Error:  Since this is the first year of an under-bridge deck passageway, we don't have any images of the situation.  It is, however, roughly similar to past rules for passageways above the decking.  Fortunately we have in the archives video of such a violation on an NSSBC bridge.  See the link below.    At the national competition a template that represents both the clearance and the passage way will be slid the entire length of the bridge.  Any obstruction that hinders progress of the template will result in a penalty. 

A short video illustrating checking for compliance and an example of a violation for an over deck passageway can be obtained by clicking the following file link.  This year's passageway is the same concept, only under the deck.  Note that the audio is a bit weak so you will need to turn up the volume on your player.

Window Media Player Format:  08R9_2_14.wmv