Structure 710066 · Gaston County, NC

Nc27 over Catawba River

Carries Nc27 over Catawba River, 0.5 Mi. E. Jct. Nc273.

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 overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT652 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

652 ft end to end, longest span 113 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.

Built200224 years old
Length651.9 ft198.7 m
Daily traffic21,000counted 2022
Last inspectedFebruary 2024every 24 months

Location

StateNorth Carolina
CountyGaston
Location0.5 Mi. E. Jct. Nc273
CarriesNc27
CrossesCatawba River
Coordinates35.29798, -81.00382

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length651.9 ft (198.7 m)
Max Span112.9 ft (34.4 m)
Deck Width62.7 ft (19.1 m)
Deck Area3795.2 sq m
Main Spans6
Year Built2002

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic21,000 (2022)
Truck Traffic12%
Lanes On Bridge4

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionFebruary 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000710066

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.

Nearby Bridges