Structure 3180 · New Haven County, CT

Route 8 Southbound over Nichols Drive

Carries Route 8 Southbound over Nichols Drive, 1.1 Mile South Of Exit 30.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT169 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9 · sets the rating

169 ft end to end, longest span 61 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built1965rebuilt 1995
Length169.0 ft51.5 m
Daily traffic25,800counted 2021
Last inspectedJune 2024every 24 months

Location

StateConnecticut
CountyNew Haven
Location1.1 Mile South Of Exit 30
CarriesRoute 8 Southbound
CrossesNichols Drive
Coordinates41.53053, -73.04461

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length169.0 ft (51.5 m)
Max Span61.0 ft (18.6 m)
Deck Width54.8 ft (16.7 m)
Deck Area860.0 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1965 (reconstructed 1995)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic25,800 (2021)
Truck Traffic6%
Lanes On Bridge2
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJune 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number03180

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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