Structure 5396 · Berks County, PA

Scharff Road over Tulpehocken Creek

Carries Scharff Road over Tulpehocken Creek, 2 Mi.w.of Womelsdorf.

Overall conditionPoor

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

How ratings work
Superstructure5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Channelnot part of overall4/9 · Poor
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT82 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck not ratedSuperstructure 5/9Substructure 4/9 · sets the rating

82 ft end to end, longest span 25 ft. 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 deck arch.

Built1902rebuilt 1956
Length82.0 ft25 m
Daily traffic280counted 2021
Last inspectedApril 2024every 24 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyBerks
Location2 Mi.w.of Womelsdorf
CarriesScharff Road
CrossesTulpehocken Creek
Coordinates40.37596, -76.23112

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete
DesignArch - Deck
Total Length82.0 ft (25 m)
Max Span24.9 ft (7.6 m)
Deck Width23.0 ft (7 m)
Deck Area175 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1902 (reconstructed 1956)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic280 (2021)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionApril 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCounty Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is on the National Register of Historic Places
Scour Critical3 — Scour critical
Structure Number000000000005396

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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