Structure 33A066 · Morgan County, WV

Md 51 over Potomac River

Carries Md 51 over Potomac River, On West Virginia Line.

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 FT455 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

455 ft end to end, longest span 125 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.

Built198739 years old
Length455.1 ft138.7 m
Daily traffic1,502counted 2009
Last inspectedApril 2024every 24 months

Location

StateWest Virginia
CountyMorgan
LocationOn West Virginia Line
CarriesMd 51
CrossesPotomac River
Coordinates39.53866, -78.45557

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length455.1 ft (138.7 m)
Max Span125.0 ft (38.1 m)
Deck Width33.1 ft (10.1 m)
Deck Area1400.9 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1987

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic1,502 (2009)
Truck Traffic8%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionApril 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number00000000033A066

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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