Structure 259 · New London County, CT

Interstate-395 over Old Colchester Road

Carries Interstate-395 over Old Colchester Road, 2.5 Mi N Route 85.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
Superstructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructure6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT50 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

50 ft end to end. Lengths and the car 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.

Built195868 years old
Length49.9 ft15.2 m
Daily traffic36,400counted 2023
Last inspectedNovember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateConnecticut
CountyNew London
Location2.5 Mi N Route 85
CarriesInterstate-395
CrossesOld Colchester Road
Coordinates41.42071, -72.13173

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length49.9 ft (15.2 m)
Max Span44.9 ft (13.7 m)
Deck Width103.7 ft (31.6 m)
Deck Area480.3 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1958

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic36,400 (2023)
Truck Traffic16%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number00259

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.

Nearby Bridges