Structure 27174 · Montgomery County, PA

Old Welsh Road over Pennypack Creek

Carries Old Welsh Road over Pennypack Creek, Bethayres 32k7/3371j1.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Superstructure at 4 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Substructure5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall4/9 · Poor
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT149 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 4/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 5/9

149 ft end to end, longest span 48 ft: about 2 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 box-beam bridge.

Built196858 years old
Length149.0 ft45.4 m
Daily traffic32,800counted 2024
Last inspectedDecember 2022every 24 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyMontgomery
LocationBethayres 32k7/3371j1
CarriesOld Welsh Road
CrossesPennypack Creek
Coordinates40.12138, -75.07241

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignBox Beam - Multiple
Total Length149.0 ft (45.4 m)
Max Span47.9 ft (14.6 m)
Deck Width61.0 ft (18.6 m)
Deck Area844.4 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1968

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic32,800 (2024)
Truck Traffic2%
Lanes On Bridge4

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionDecember 2022
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical3 — Scour critical
Structure Number000000000027174

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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