Structure 797 · Ketchikan Gateway County, AK

South Tongass HWY over Water ST Viaduct

Carries South Tongass HWY over Water ST Viaduct, Mile Point 1.7.

Overall conditionPoor

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,624 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 4/9 · sets the rating

1,624 ft end to end, longest span 19 ft: about 4.5 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 tee-beam bridge.

Built195571 years old
Length1624.0 ft495 m
Daily traffic14,046counted 2018
Last inspectedJune 2023every 24 months

Location

StateAlaska
CountyKetchikan Gateway
LocationMile Point 1.7
CarriesSouth Tongass HWY
CrossesWater ST Viaduct
Coordinates55.34389, -131.65111

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignTee Beam
Total Length1624.0 ft (495 m)
Max Span19.0 ft (5.8 m)
Deck Width53.1 ft (16.2 m)
Deck Area8,019 sq m
Main Spans81
Year Built1955

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic14,046 (2018)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJune 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number0797

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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