Structure 1520002P0000000 · Larimer County, CO

Bear Lake Road over Big Thompson River

Carries Bear Lake Road over Big Thompson River, 1.9 Miles South Of Beaver.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 5 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall4/9 · Poor
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT304 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 5/9 · sets the rating

304 ft end to end, longest span 125 ft: about 4 semi-trucks nose to tail. Lengths and the semi-truck on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a girder bridge.

Built196066 years old
Length303.8 ft92.6 m
Daily traffic2,500counted 2019
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 24 months

Location

StateColorado
CountyLarimer
Location1.9 Miles South Of Beaver
CarriesBear Lake Road
CrossesBig Thompson River
Coordinates40.35048, -105.57767

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignGirder and Floorbeam
Total Length303.8 ft (92.6 m)
Max Span125.0 ft (38.1 m)
Deck Width35.4 ft (10.8 m)
Deck Area1000.1 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1960

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,500 (2019)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerNational Park Service
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number1520002P0000000

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.

Nearby Bridges