Structure 121020325601064 · Harris County, TX

Bwy 8 Efr over Buffalo Bayou

Carries Bwy 8 Efr over Buffalo Bayou, 1.8 Mi N Of Westheimer RD.

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 overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT250 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

250 ft end to end, longest span 50 ft: about 3 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.

Built1968rebuilt 1987
Length250.0 ft76.2 m
Daily traffic30,601counted 2020
Last inspectedSeptember 2024every 12 months

Location

StateTexas
CountyHarris
Location1.8 Mi N Of Westheimer RD
CarriesBwy 8 Efr
CrossesBuffalo Bayou
Coordinates29.76255, -95.55777

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length250.0 ft (76.2 m)
Max Span49.9 ft (15.2 m)
Deck Width74.1 ft (22.6 m)
Deck Area1722.1 sq m
Main Spans5
Year Built1968 (reconstructed 1987)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic30,601 (2020)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge4

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 12 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical3 — Scour critical
Structure Number121020325601064

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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