Structure 2A157 · Berkeley County, WV

I-81 NB over Potomac River

Carries I-81 NB over Potomac River, On Wv/md State Line.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 8 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating8/9 · Very Good
Superstructuresets the rating8/9 · Very Good
Substructuresets the rating8/9 · Very Good
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,184 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 8/9Superstructure 8/9Substructure 8/9

1,184 ft end to end, longest span 190 ft: about 3.3 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.

Built1965rebuilt 2020
Length1184.1 ft360.9 m
Daily traffic61,300counted 2011
Last inspectedMay 2023every 24 months

Location

StateWest Virginia
CountyBerkeley
LocationOn Wv/md State Line
CarriesI-81 NB
CrossesPotomac River
Coordinates39.58443, -77.83138

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length1184.1 ft (360.9 m)
Max Span190.0 ft (57.9 m)
Deck Width62.0 ft (18.9 m)
Deck Area6821.0 sq m
Main Spans8
Year Built1965 (reconstructed 2020)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic61,300 (2011)
Truck Traffic32%
Lanes On Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMay 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number00000000002A157

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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