Structure 100000040008010 · Calvert County, MD

Md 231 over Patuxent River

Carries Md 231 over Patuxent River, On Charles Co Line.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT3,348 FT OVERALL500 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

3,348 ft end to end, longest span 78 ft: about 9.3 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 swing bridge (drawn closed).

Built195274 years old
Length3348.1 ft1020.5 m
Daily traffic11,784counted 2021
Last inspectedFebruary 2024every 24 months

Location

StateMaryland
CountyCalvert
LocationOn Charles Co Line
CarriesMd 231
CrossesPatuxent River
Coordinates38.51481, -76.67433

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignMovable - Swing
Total Length3348.1 ft (1020.5 m)
Max Span78.1 ft (23.8 m)
Deck Width27.2 ft (8.3 m)
Deck Area8470.1 sq m
Main Spans2
Year Built1952

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic11,784 (2021)
Truck Traffic7%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionFebruary 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number100000040008010

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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