Structure 260730 · Ellis County, KS

Old Highway 40 over Big Creek

Carries Old Highway 40 over Big Creek, In Ellis.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck at 5 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
Superstructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT283 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

283 ft end to end, longest span 71 ft: about 4 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.

Built193690 years old
Length282.8 ft86.2 m
Daily traffic320counted 2020
Last inspectedNovember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateKansas
CountyEllis
LocationIn Ellis
CarriesOld Highway 40
CrossesBig Creek
Coordinates38.93690, -99.56420

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length282.8 ft (86.2 m)
Max Span70.5 ft (21.5 m)
Deck Width56.8 ft (17.3 m)
Deck Area1491.3 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1936

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic320 (2020)
Truck Traffic10%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCounty Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000260730

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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