Abstract When designing bridges, the main focus is usually on the design of structural elements. However, some important issues related to the safe operation and maintenance of these facilities are sometimes ignored. One such issue is related to the drainage of bridge roadways. In some countries with a well-working system of inspection and maintenance of road networks and of bridges in particular, there are clear rules for the design of bridge drainage. Unlike the common practice in Bulgaria, the goal of bridge drainage design in these countries is to minimize the number of scuppers and to look for appropriate ways to minimize the amount of water in the bridge area. In this paper, the available requirements of Bulgarian design documents and regulations related to drainage systems are studied and a comparison with the bridge design manuals of some US transportation administrations is made