Structure 47I00400049 · Knox County, TN

I40 over I40 / University Ave.

Carries I40 over I40 / University Ave., Downtown Knoxville.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT461 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 5/9 · sets the rating

461 ft end to end, longest span 68 ft: about 6 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.

Built1965rebuilt 1982
Length460.6 ft140.4 m
Daily traffic139,697counted 2021
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 24 months

Location

StateTennessee
CountyKnox
LocationDowntown Knoxville
CarriesI40
CrossesI40 / University Ave.
Coordinates35.96323, -83.94628

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length460.6 ft (140.4 m)
Max Span67.9 ft (20.7 m)
Deck Width126.0 ft (38.4 m)
Deck Area5391.4 sq m
Main Spans9
Year Built1965 (reconstructed 1982)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic139,697 (2021)
Truck Traffic6%
Lanes On Bridge8
Lanes Under Bridge5

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceHistorical significance is not determined
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number47I00400049

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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