Structure 21820025002018 · Palo Pinto County, TX

US 281 SB over Brazos River

Carries US 281 SB over Brazos River, 2.2 Mi N Of Ih20.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructure7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,138 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 7/9

1,138 ft end to end, longest span 252 ft: about 3.2 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 through truss.

Built1939rebuilt 2020
Length1138.1 ft346.9 m
Daily traffic2,163counted 2024
Last inspectedMarch 2023every 24 months

Location

StateTexas
CountyPalo Pinto
Location2.2 Mi N Of Ih20
CarriesUS 281 SB
CrossesBrazos River
Coordinates32.64154, -98.10039

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignTruss - Thru
Total Length1138.1 ft (346.9 m)
Max Span252.0 ft (76.8 m)
Deck Width26.6 ft (8.1 m)
Deck Area2809.9 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1939 (reconstructed 2020)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,163 (2024)
Truck Traffic12%
Lanes On Bridge1

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMarch 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is on the National Register of Historic Places
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number021820025002018

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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