Structure 19732 · Wythe County, VA

Bishop Thomas LN over Interstate 81

Carries Bishop Thomas LN over Interstate 81, .40m To 11 & .00m To F039.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT267 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

267 ft end to end, longest span 57 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built196363 years old
Length267.1 ft81.4 m
Daily traffic118counted 2017
Last inspectedDecember 2023every 24 months

Location

StateVirginia
CountyWythe
Location.40m To 11 & .00m To F039
CarriesBishop Thomas LN
CrossesInterstate 81
Coordinates36.93592, -81.16653

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length267.1 ft (81.4 m)
Max Span57.1 ft (17.4 m)
Deck Width24.9 ft (7.6 m)
Deck Area618.6 sq m
Main Spans5
Year Built1963

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic118 (2017)
Lanes On Bridge2
Lanes Under Bridge4

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionDecember 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number000000000019732

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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