Structure 250088 · Cabarrus County, NC

I85 Sbl over Irish Buffalo Creek

Carries I85 Sbl over Irish Buffalo Creek, 1.2 Mi. N. Jct. Nc73.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Substructure at 7 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating7/9 · Good
Superstructure8/9 · Very Good
Substructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT175 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 8/9Substructure 7/9 · sets the rating

175 ft end to end, longest span 94 ft: about 2 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.

Built201610 years old
Length174.9 ft53.3 m
Daily traffic57,000counted 2022
Last inspectedNovember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateNorth Carolina
CountyCabarrus
Location1.2 Mi. N. Jct. Nc73
CarriesI85 Sbl
CrossesIrish Buffalo Creek
Coordinates35.43909, -80.63856

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length174.9 ft (53.3 m)
Max Span93.8 ft (28.6 m)
Deck Width73.2 ft (22.3 m)
Deck Area1188.6 sq m
Main Spans2
Year Built2016

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic57,000 (2022)
Truck Traffic16%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000250088

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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