Structure 5570007P0000000 · Lewis County, TN

Natchez Trace Park over Little Buffalo River

Carries Natchez Trace Park over Little Buffalo River, 7.6 Miles To Tn Route 20.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 7 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT645 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

645 ft end to end, longest span 81 ft: about 1.8 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built1959rebuilt 1985
Length644.7 ft196.5 m
Daily traffic960counted 2024
Last inspectedMarch 2023every 24 months

Location

StateTennessee
CountyLewis
Location7.6 Miles To Tn Route 20
CarriesNatchez Trace Park
CrossesLittle Buffalo River
Coordinates35.41522, -87.51178

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length644.7 ft (196.5 m)
Max Span80.7 ft (24.6 m)
Deck Width37.4 ft (11.4 m)
Deck Area2240.1 sq m
Main Spans8
Year Built1959 (reconstructed 1985)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic960 (2024)
Truck Traffic2%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMarch 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerNational Park Service
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number5570007P0000000

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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