Structure M-20-O · Otero County, CO

SH 10 Ml over Apishapa River

Carries SH 10 Ml over Apishapa River, 24 Mi SW Of La Junta.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT193 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 5/9 · sets the rating

193 ft end to end, longest span 95 ft: about 3 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.

Built198541 years old
Length192.9 ft58.8 m
Daily traffic420counted 2020
Last inspectedFebruary 2024every 24 months

Location

StateColorado
CountyOtero
Location24 Mi SW Of La Junta
CarriesSH 10 Ml
CrossesApishapa River
Coordinates37.90974, -104.00576

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length192.9 ft (58.8 m)
Max Span95.1 ft (29 m)
Deck Width40.4 ft (12.3 m)
Deck Area723.2 sq m
Main Spans2
Year Built1985

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic420 (2020)
Truck Traffic24%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionFebruary 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical4 — Foundations need monitoring
Structure NumberM-20-O

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.