Structure 3154A023 · Sussex County, DE

Freeman Highway over Lewes-rehoboth Canal

Carries Freeman Highway over Lewes-rehoboth Canal, Lewes.

Overall conditionFair

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

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

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT359 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

359 ft end to end, longest span 125 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.

Built196660 years old
Length358.9 ft109.4 m
Daily traffic9,371counted 2022
Last inspectedMarch 2023every 24 months

Location

StateDelaware
CountySussex
LocationLewes
CarriesFreeman Highway
CrossesLewes-rehoboth Canal
Coordinates38.77311, -75.13289

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length358.9 ft (109.4 m)
Max Span125.0 ft (38.1 m)
Deck Width38.4 ft (11.7 m)
Deck Area1280.0 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1966

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic9,371 (2022)
Truck Traffic14%
Lanes On Bridge2
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMarch 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerLocal Toll Authority
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number3154A023

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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