Structure S501 · Penobscot County, ME

IRR BIA RTE 201 over Penobscot River

Carries IRR BIA RTE 201 over Penobscot River, North Of State Route 43.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT531 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

531 ft end to end, longest span 174 ft: about 7 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.

Built198541 years old
Length531.5 ft162 m
Daily traffic2,800counted 2024
Last inspectedJuly 2024every 24 months

Location

StateMaine
CountyPenobscot
LocationNorth Of State Route 43
CarriesIRR BIA RTE 201
CrossesPenobscot River
Coordinates44.94139, -68.65203

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length531.5 ft (162 m)
Max Span173.9 ft (53 m)
Deck Width39.0 ft (11.9 m)
Deck Area1927.8 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1985

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,800 (2024)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJuly 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerBureau of Indian Affairs
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number00000000000S501

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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