Structure 1686 029 · New Castle County, DE

S. Walnut St/us13 over Norfolk Southern

Carries S. Walnut St/us13 over Norfolk Southern, South Of Wilmington.

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
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT853 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 5/9 · sets the rating

853 ft end to end: about 2.4 football fields. 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.

Built1938rebuilt 1994
Length853.0 ft260 m
Daily traffic25,312counted 2023
Last inspectedJune 2024every 24 months

Location

StateDelaware
CountyNew Castle
LocationSouth Of Wilmington
CarriesS. Walnut St/us13
CrossesNorfolk Southern
Coordinates39.72450, -75.55575

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignBox Beam - Multiple
Total Length853.0 ft (260 m)
Max Span45.9 ft (14 m)
Deck Width57.1 ft (17.4 m)
Deck Area4,524 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1938 (reconstructed 1994)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic25,312 (2023)
Truck Traffic7%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJune 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number1686 029

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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