Structure 9889 · Beaufort County, SC

US 278 over S-7-835 & Broad Creek

Carries US 278 over S-7-835 & Broad Creek, Hilton Head.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT3,528 FT OVERALL500 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

3,528 ft end to end, longest span 200 ft: about 9.8 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 multi-beam bridge.

Built199432 years old
Length3527.9 ft1075.3 m
Daily traffic31,200counted 2024
Last inspectedSeptember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateSouth Carolina
CountyBeaufort
LocationHilton Head
CarriesUS 278
CrossesS-7-835 & Broad Creek
Coordinates32.18027, -80.76776

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length3527.9 ft (1075.3 m)
Max Span200.1 ft (61 m)
Deck Width82.7 ft (25.2 m)
Deck Area27097.6 sq m
Main Spans5
Year Built1994

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic31,200 (2024)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000009889

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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