Structure 39140 · Philadelphia County, PA

Falls Bridge over Schuylkill River

Carries Falls Bridge over Schuylkill River, Falls Bridge 3479-j9.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure at 4 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating4/9 · Poor
Superstructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Substructure5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT566 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 4/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 4/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 5/9

566 ft end to end, longest span 192 ft: about 1.6 football fields. 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 through truss.

Built1895rebuilt 1986
Length565.9 ft172.5 m
Daily traffic18,650counted 2012
Last inspectedJanuary 2023every 24 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyPhiladelphia
LocationFalls Bridge 3479-j9
CarriesFalls Bridge
CrossesSchuylkill River
Coordinates40.00845, -75.19737

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignTruss - Thru
Total Length565.9 ft (172.5 m)
Max Span191.9 ft (58.5 m)
Deck Width41.0 ft (12.5 m)
Deck Area2156.2 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1895 (reconstructed 1986)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic18,650 (2012)
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJanuary 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000039140

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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