Structure 5140096P0000000 · Watauga County, NC

Blue Ridge Parkway over Shulls Mill Road

Carries Blue Ridge Parkway over Shulls Mill Road, 10.4 Miles To U.s. Route.

Overall conditionGood

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

How ratings work
Superstructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT36 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck not ratedSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

36 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 deck arch.

Built195769 years old
Length35.8 ft10.9 m
Daily traffic2,300counted 2023
Last inspectedJuly 2023every 24 months

Location

StateNorth Carolina
CountyWatauga
Location10.4 Miles To U.s. Route
CarriesBlue Ridge Parkway
CrossesShulls Mill Road
Coordinates36.14783, -81.70092

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete
DesignArch - Deck
Total Length35.8 ft (10.9 m)
Max Span35.8 ft (10.9 m)
Deck Width34.1 ft (10.4 m)
Deck Area113.4 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1957

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,300 (2023)
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 Number5140096P0000000

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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