Structure 8700700011500 · Grafton County, NH

Nh 18 over Gale River

Carries Nh 18 over Gale River, 1.6 Mi From Sugar Hill Tl.

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 overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT58 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

58 ft end to end. Lengths and the car 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 girder bridge.

Built193096 years old
Length58.1 ft17.7 m
Daily traffic629counted 2023
Last inspectedAugust 2023every 24 months

Location

StateNew Hampshire
CountyGrafton
Location1.6 Mi From Sugar Hill Tl
CarriesNh 18
CrossesGale River
Coordinates44.21983, -71.73310

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignGirder and Floorbeam
Total Length58.1 ft (17.7 m)
Max Span50.9 ft (15.5 m)
Deck Width27.9 ft (8.5 m)
Deck Area150.4 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1930

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic629 (2023)
Truck Traffic10%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number008700700011500

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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