Structure 13174 · Jefferson County, AL

I - 20 West over Cahaba River

Carries I - 20 West over Cahaba River, I20 * Cahaba River.

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 overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT599 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

599 ft end to end, longest span 190 ft: about 1.7 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built198442 years old
Length599.1 ft182.6 m
Daily traffic35,000counted 2024
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 24 months

Location

StateAlabama
CountyJefferson
LocationI20 * Cahaba River
CarriesI - 20 West
CrossesCahaba River
Coordinates33.54510, -86.61840

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length599.1 ft (182.6 m)
Max Span190.0 ft (57.9 m)
Deck Width59.1 ft (18 m)
Deck Area3286.8 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1984

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic35,000 (2024)
Truck Traffic21%
Lanes On Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number013174

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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