Structure 1072 · Ouachita County, AR

US 79b S-4blm 3.79 over Palmer Bayou

Carries US 79b S-4blm 3.79 over Palmer Bayou, 1.55 Mi SW Jct Us79 Sh4.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
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 FT1,086 FT OVERALL200 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

1,086 ft end to end, longest span 35 ft: about 3.0 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 tee-beam bridge.

Built192997 years old
Length1086.0 ft331 m
Daily traffic2,300counted 2018
Last inspectedOctober 2024every 24 months

Location

StateArkansas
CountyOuachita
Location1.55 Mi SW Jct Us79 Sh4
CarriesUS 79b S-4blm 3.79
CrossesPalmer Bayou
Coordinates33.60834, -92.79949

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete
DesignTee Beam
Total Length1086.0 ft (331 m)
Max Span35.1 ft (10.7 m)
Deck Width23.0 ft (7 m)
Deck Area2,317 sq m
Main Spans31
Year Built1929

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,300 (2018)
Truck Traffic2%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000001072

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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