Structure 100000010098010 · Allegany County, MD

Md 956 over Potomac River

Carries Md 956 over Potomac River, On West Virginia Line.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck8/9 · Very Good
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
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 FT482 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 8/9Superstructure 6/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9 · sets the rating

482 ft end to end, longest span 79 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.

Built1967rebuilt 2016
Length482.0 ft146.9 m
Daily traffic7,150counted 2013
Last inspectedJune 2024every 24 months

Location

StateMaryland
CountyAllegany
LocationOn West Virginia Line
CarriesMd 956
CrossesPotomac River
Coordinates39.56209, -78.84747

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length482.0 ft (146.9 m)
Max Span79.1 ft (24.1 m)
Deck Width37.1 ft (11.3 m)
Deck Area1660.0 sq m
Main Spans6
Year Built1967 (reconstructed 2016)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic7,150 (2013)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJune 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number100000010098010

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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