Structure DOU08B-00.40 · Douglas County, CO

Birch Avenue over Happy Canyon Creek

Carries Birch Avenue over Happy Canyon Creek, Just West Of 3rd ST.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Superstructure at 7 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck8/9 · Very Good
Superstructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Substructure9/9 · Excellent
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT70 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 8/9Superstructure 7/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 9/9

70 ft end to end, longest span 31 ft. Lengths and the car 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built198937 years old
Length69.9 ft21.3 m
Daily traffic316counted 2021
Last inspectedJanuary 2025every 24 months

Location

StateColorado
CountyDouglas
LocationJust West Of 3rd ST
CarriesBirch Avenue
CrossesHappy Canyon Creek
Coordinates39.53944, -104.82389

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length69.9 ft (21.3 m)
Max Span31.5 ft (9.6 m)
Deck Width20.7 ft (6.3 m)
Deck Area134.2 sq m
Main Spans2
Year Built1989

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic316 (2021)
Truck Traffic4%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJanuary 2025
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCounty Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure NumberDOU08B-00.40

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.

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