Structure 4620 · Berks County, PA

Pa 73 (lr 197) over Furnace Creek

Carries Pa 73 (lr 197) over Furnace Creek, West Philadelphia AVE.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck8/9 · Very Good
Superstructure8/9 · Very Good
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT66 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 8/9Superstructure 8/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

66 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 box-beam bridge.

Built1950rebuilt 2017
Length65.9 ft20.1 m
Daily traffic8,798counted 2024
Last inspectedSeptember 2023every 24 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyBerks
LocationWest Philadelphia AVE
CarriesPa 73 (lr 197)
CrossesFurnace Creek
Coordinates40.38477, -75.77009

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignBox Beam - Multiple
Total Length65.9 ft (20.1 m)
Max Span62.0 ft (18.9 m)
Deck Width34.4 ft (10.5 m)
Deck Area211.1 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1950 (reconstructed 2017)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic8,798 (2024)
Truck Traffic8%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000004620

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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