Structure 12942 · Orange County, VA

Blue Ridge Turnpke over Rapidan River

Carries Blue Ridge Turnpke over Rapidan River, Orange/madison Co Line.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT366 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9 · sets the rating

366 ft end to end, longest span 74 ft: about 5 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.

Built1963rebuilt 1994
Length366.1 ft111.6 m
Daily traffic1,248counted 2022
Last inspectedJune 2024every 24 months

Location

StateVirginia
CountyOrange
LocationOrange/madison Co Line
CarriesBlue Ridge Turnpke
CrossesRapidan River
Coordinates38.23118, -78.21987

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length366.1 ft (111.6 m)
Max Span74.1 ft (22.6 m)
Deck Width32.5 ft (9.9 m)
Deck Area1104.8 sq m
Main Spans5
Year Built1963 (reconstructed 1994)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic1,248 (2022)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJune 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000012942

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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