Structure 161780010106046 · Nueces County, TX
Carries US 181 NB over Nueces Bay, 2.3 Mi NE Of Ship Channel.
Set by its lowest-rated component: Superstructure and Substructure at 5 of 9.
How ratings work9,637 ft end to end: about 27 football fields, or 1.8 miles. Lengths are drawn to scale; at this length a semi-truck would be a speck. 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.
| State | Texas |
| County | Nueces |
| Location | 2.3 Mi NE Of Ship Channel |
| Carries | US 181 NB |
| Crosses | Nueces Bay |
| Coordinates | 27.84529, -97.36839 |
| Material | Prestressed Concrete |
| Design | Stringer/Multi-beam |
| Total Length | 9637.1 ft (2937.4 m) |
| Max Span | 109.9 ft (33.5 m) |
| Deck Width | 58.7 ft (17.9 m) |
| Deck Area | 52579.5 sq m |
| Main Spans | 1 |
| Year Built | 1963 (reconstructed 1990) |
| Avg Daily Traffic | 26,259 (2023) |
| Truck Traffic | 6% |
| Lanes On Bridge | 3 |
| Last Inspection | August 2024 |
| Inspection Frequency | Every 24 months |
| Owner | State Highway Agency |
| Historical Significance | Bridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation) |
| Scour Critical | 8 — Stable, low risk |
| Structure Number | 161780010106046 |
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."
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.