Structure 5211 · Jefferson County, AR

US 79b over Arkansas River

Carries US 79b over Arkansas River, 8.97 Mi N Jct US 530.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Superstructure and Substructure at 5 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT2,501 FT OVERALL500 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 5/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 5/9 · sets the rating

2,501 ft end to end, longest span 340 ft: about 6.9 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 girder bridge.

Built197155 years old
Length2501.0 ft762.3 m
Daily traffic2,700counted 2018
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 24 months

Location

StateArkansas
CountyJefferson
Location8.97 Mi N Jct US 530
CarriesUS 79b
CrossesArkansas River
Coordinates34.28740, -91.99990

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignGirder and Floorbeam
Total Length2501.0 ft (762.3 m)
Max Span339.9 ft (103.6 m)
Deck Width65.3 ft (19.9 m)
Deck Area15169.8 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1971

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,700 (2018)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge4

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000005211

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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