Structure 48677 · Berks County, PA

SR 345 over Schuylkill River

Carries SR 345 over Schuylkill River, Birdsboro River Bridge.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Substructure at 7 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating7/9 · Good
Superstructure8/9 · Very Good
Substructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT537 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 8/9Substructure 7/9 · sets the rating

537 ft end to end, longest span 135 ft: about 7 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.

Built201412 years old
Length537.1 ft163.7 m
Daily traffic6,779counted 2023
Last inspectedSeptember 2022every 48 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyBerks
LocationBirdsboro River Bridge
CarriesSR 345
CrossesSchuylkill River
Coordinates40.26838, -75.80886

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length537.1 ft (163.7 m)
Max Span134.8 ft (41.1 m)
Deck Width56.4 ft (17.2 m)
Deck Area2815.6 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built2014

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic6,779 (2023)
Truck Traffic11%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2022
Inspection FrequencyEvery 48 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000048677

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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