Structure 27939 · Fairfax County, VA

Chain Bridge Road over Scotts Run

Carries Chain Bridge Road over Scotts Run, 0.03fr Cols/0.05to Old M.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructure8/9 · Very Good
Substructure7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT268 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 8/9Substructure 7/9

268 ft end to end, longest span 110 ft: about 4 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.

Built200422 years old
Length268.0 ft81.7 m
Daily traffic9,600counted 2023
Last inspectedFebruary 2025every 19 months

Location

StateVirginia
CountyFairfax
Location0.03fr Cols/0.05to Old M
CarriesChain Bridge Road
CrossesScotts Run
Coordinates38.92271, -77.20933

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length268.0 ft (81.7 m)
Max Span109.9 ft (33.5 m)
Deck Width40.4 ft (12.3 m)
Deck Area1004.9 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built2004

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic9,600 (2023)
Truck Traffic2%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionFebruary 2025
Inspection FrequencyEvery 19 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000027939

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.

Nearby Bridges