Structure 121020B15953001 · Harris County, TX

Congress AVE over Buffalo Bayou

Carries Congress AVE over Buffalo Bayou, Between Franklin & Smith.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 5 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT282 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

282 ft end to end, longest span 52 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 tee-beam bridge.

Built1925101 years old
Length282.2 ft86 m
Daily traffic8,650counted 2015
Last inspectedOctober 2023every 24 months

Location

StateTexas
CountyHarris
LocationBetween Franklin & Smith
CarriesCongress AVE
CrossesBuffalo Bayou
Coordinates29.76455, -95.36433

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete Continuous
DesignTee Beam
Total Length282.2 ft (86 m)
Max Span52.2 ft (15.9 m)
Deck Width80.1 ft (24.4 m)
Deck Area2098.4 sq m
Main Spans7
Year Built1925

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic8,650 (2015)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number121020B15953001

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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