Structure 26970 · Rush County, IN

SR 140 over Big Blue River

Carries SR 140 over Big Blue River, 00.68 S US 40.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck at 3 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating3/9 · Serious
Superstructure5/9 · Fair
Substructure5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall5/9 · Fair
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT241 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 3/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

241 ft end to end, longest span 70 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.

Built1902rebuilt 1989
Length241.5 ft73.6 m
Daily traffic2,305counted 2022
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 12 months

Location

StateIndiana
CountyRush
Location00.68 S US 40
CarriesSR 140
CrossesBig Blue River
Coordinates39.78607, -85.52455

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length241.5 ft (73.6 m)
Max Span69.9 ft (21.3 m)
Deck Width38.7 ft (11.8 m)
Deck Area868.5 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1902 (reconstructed 1989)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,305 (2022)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 12 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number026970

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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