Structure 6634 · Fairfax County, VA

I-495 over Potomac River

Carries I-495 over Potomac River, 1.25 Fr193va&2.14 To190md.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,443 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 5/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 5/9 · sets the rating

1,443 ft end to end, longest span 280 ft: about 4.0 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 girder bridge.

Built1963rebuilt 1986
Length1442.9 ft439.8 m
Daily traffic214,940counted 2022
Last inspectedAugust 2023every 24 months

Location

StateVirginia
CountyFairfax
Location1.25 Fr193va&2.14 To190md
CarriesI-495
CrossesPotomac River
Coordinates38.96728, -77.17969

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignGirder and Floorbeam
Total Length1442.9 ft (439.8 m)
Max Span279.9 ft (85.3 m)
Deck Width137.5 ft (41.9 m)
Deck Area18427.6 sq m
Main Spans8
Year Built1963 (reconstructed 1986)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic214,940 (2022)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge10

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerOther State Agencies
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000006634

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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