Structure 49C0073 · San Luis Obispo County, CA

Bitterwater Road over Cholame Creek

Carries Bitterwater Road over Cholame Creek, West Of SH 46.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructure7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT138 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

138 ft end to end, longest span 60 ft. 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 tee-beam bridge.

Built197947 years old
Length138.1 ft42.1 m
Daily traffic112counted 2008
Last inspectedJuly 2023every 48 months

Location

StateCalifornia
CountySan Luis Obispo
LocationWest Of SH 46
CarriesBitterwater Road
CrossesCholame Creek
Coordinates35.70981, -120.30510

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete Continuous
DesignTee Beam
Total Length138.1 ft (42.1 m)
Max Span60.0 ft (18.3 m)
Deck Width32.8 ft (10 m)
Deck Area421 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1979

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic112 (2008)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJuly 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 48 months
OwnerCounty Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number49C0073

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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