Structure 1890061 · Watauga County, NC

Us321 over Watauga River

Carries Us321 over Watauga River, 100 Ft.s.jct.sr1121.

Overall conditionFair

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

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

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT253 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9 · sets the rating

253 ft end to end, longest span 61 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.

Built198640 years old
Length253.0 ft77.1 m
Daily traffic3,300counted 2021
Last inspectedJuly 2023every 24 months

Location

StateNorth Carolina
CountyWatauga
Location100 Ft.s.jct.sr1121
CarriesUs321
CrossesWatauga River
Coordinates36.25520, -81.84966

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length253.0 ft (77.1 m)
Max Span60.7 ft (18.5 m)
Deck Width36.7 ft (11.2 m)
Deck Area863.5 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1986

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic3,300 (2021)
Truck Traffic14%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJuly 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000001890061

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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