Structure 5140159P0000000 · Ashe County, NC

Blue Ridge Parkway over Laurel Fork

Carries Blue Ridge Parkway over Laurel Fork, 0.5 Miles From Nc Route 1.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 4 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT546 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 4/9 · sets the rating

546 ft end to end, longest span 109 ft: about 1.5 football fields. 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.

Built1939rebuilt 1985
Length546.3 ft166.5 m
Daily traffic2,300counted 2013
Last inspectedJune 2021every 24 months

Location

StateNorth Carolina
CountyAshe
Location0.5 Miles From Nc Route 1
CarriesBlue Ridge Parkway
CrossesLaurel Fork
Coordinates36.38797, -81.25814

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignGirder and Floorbeam
Total Length546.3 ft (166.5 m)
Max Span109.3 ft (33.3 m)
Deck Width27.9 ft (8.5 m)
Deck Area1415.2 sq m
Main Spans5
Year Built1939 (reconstructed 1985)

Traffic

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

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJune 2021
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerNational Park Service
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number5140159P0000000

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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