At the Federal Highway Administration, an effort has been initiated to document the status of bridge management in the United States after 10 years of research, development, implementation and promotion. Extensive interviews and meetings are being conducted to document the current practices for each State department of transportation (DOT) and the District of Columbia. A Bridge Management System (BMS) is intended to provide decision support throughout the transportation planning process and within the project planning, development and implementation stages of bridge programs. Questions therefore sought to document the current, overall system utilized from the point that Federal funds are apportioned to the time that a construction or maintenance project is complete. The history of BMS development and implementation is provided followed by discussion of the implementation efforts within each State Highway Agency. The transportation planning and programming process within each State is documented. Information collected, BMS application, and plans for bridge management application are discussed as they pertain to strategic planning, State Transportation Improvement Program and Transportation Improvement Program (STIP/TIP) development, and project planning within the bridge inventory. Generalizations are made and potential applications for current BMS alternatives are discussed. Knowledge of this process will highlight the potential applications of BMS in each DOT and will provide a basis for examination of the effectiveness of current systems. In addition, this 'baseline' definition will facilitate continued implementation, research, and development in this area.