Structure 5140093P0000000 · Watauga County, NC

Blue Ridge Parkway over Bamboo Road

Carries Blue Ridge Parkway over Bamboo Road, 9.2 Miles From U.s. Route.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructure7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT26 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck not ratedSuperstructure 6/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 7/9

26 ft end to end. 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 rigid-frame bridge.

Built194185 years old
Length25.9 ft7.9 m
Daily traffic2,300counted 2013
Last inspectedJuly 2023every 24 months

Location

StateNorth Carolina
CountyWatauga
Location9.2 Miles From U.s. Route
CarriesBlue Ridge Parkway
CrossesBamboo Road
Coordinates36.19193, -81.60310

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete
DesignFrame
Total Length25.9 ft (7.9 m)
Max Span25.9 ft (7.9 m)
Deck Width34.1 ft (10.4 m)
Deck Area82.2 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1941

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,300 (2013)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge2
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJuly 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerNational Park Service
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number5140093P0000000

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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