Structure C-15-Y · Larimer County, CO

US 34 Ml over N Fk Big Thompson River

Carries US 34 Ml over N Fk Big Thompson River, 11.7 Mi E Of Estes Park.

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 FT145 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

145 ft end to end, longest span 71 ft: about 2 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 box-beam bridge.

Built200323 years old
Length145.3 ft44.3 m
Daily traffic4,900counted 2020
Last inspectedSeptember 2023every 24 months

Location

StateColorado
CountyLarimer
Location11.7 Mi E Of Estes Park
CarriesUS 34 Ml
CrossesN Fk Big Thompson River
Coordinates40.43273, -105.33862

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete Continuous
DesignBox Beam - Single/Spread
Total Length145.3 ft (44.3 m)
Max Span71.2 ft (21.7 m)
Deck Width43.0 ft (13.1 m)
Deck Area580.3 sq m
Main Spans2
Year Built2003

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic4,900 (2020)
Truck Traffic4%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure NumberC-15-Y

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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