Structure 4661 · Berks County, PA

I-78 (lr 285) over Reading/northern Rr T571

Carries I-78 (lr 285) over Reading/northern Rr T571, Hamburg.

Overall conditionPoor

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

How ratings work
Deck6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Substructure5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,802 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 4/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 5/9

1,802 ft end to end, longest span 158 ft: about 5.0 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 deck arch.

Built1955rebuilt 1984
Length1801.8 ft549.2 m
Daily traffic55,285counted 2024
Last inspectedMarch 2023every 24 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyBerks
LocationHamburg
CarriesI-78 (lr 285)
CrossesReading/northern Rr T571
Coordinates40.55948, -75.99125

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete
DesignArch - Deck
Total Length1801.8 ft (549.2 m)
Max Span158.1 ft (48.2 m)
Deck Width68.6 ft (20.9 m)
Deck Area11478.3 sq m
Main Spans8
Year Built1955 (reconstructed 1984)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic55,285 (2024)
Truck Traffic34%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMarch 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000004661

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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