Structure 9834 · Etowah County, AL

Old HWY 278 over Cove Creek

Carries Old HWY 278 over Cove Creek, Old HWY 278 * Cove Creek.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT111 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 5/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9

111 ft end to end, longest span 18 ft. 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 slab bridge.

Built1930rebuilt 1969
Length110.9 ft33.8 m
Daily traffic12,660counted 2003
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 24 months

Location

StateAlabama
CountyEtowah
LocationOld HWY 278 * Cove Creek
CarriesOld HWY 278
CrossesCove Creek
Coordinates33.99167, -85.91000

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete Continuous
DesignSlab
Total Length110.9 ft (33.8 m)
Max Span18.0 ft (5.5 m)
Deck Width32.5 ft (9.9 m)
Deck Area334.6 sq m
Main Spans7
Year Built1930 (reconstructed 1969)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic12,660 (2003)
Truck Traffic6%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number009834

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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