Structure 780 · New Haven County, CT

Route 15 over Circular Avenue

Carries Route 15 over Circular Avenue, O/circular Avenue.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT74 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 5/9 · sets the rating

74 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built1948rebuilt 1990
Length74.1 ft22.6 m
Daily traffic77,800counted 2019
Last inspectedJuly 2024every 24 months

Location

StateConnecticut
CountyNew Haven
LocationO/circular Avenue
CarriesRoute 15
CrossesCircular Avenue
Coordinates41.36000, -72.93710

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length74.1 ft (22.6 m)
Max Span67.9 ft (20.7 m)
Deck Width78.7 ft (24 m)
Deck Area542.4 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1948 (reconstructed 1990)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic77,800 (2019)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJuly 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number00780

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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