Structure 5900230 · Clarke County, GA

US 78 Bus over Middle Oconee River

Carries US 78 Bus over Middle Oconee River, 3 Mi W Of Athens Town.

Overall conditionGood

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT270 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

270 ft end to end, longest span 90 ft: about 4 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.

Built1962rebuilt 1999
Length270.0 ft82.3 m
Daily traffic40,100counted 2024
Last inspectedApril 2023every 24 months

Location

StateGeorgia
CountyClarke
Location3 Mi W Of Athens Town
CarriesUS 78 Bus
CrossesMiddle Oconee River
Coordinates33.94685, -83.42306

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length270.0 ft (82.3 m)
Max Span89.9 ft (27.4 m)
Deck Width115.2 ft (35.1 m)
Deck Area2888.7 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1962 (reconstructed 1999)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic40,100 (2024)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge6

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionApril 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000005900230

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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