Structure 5221 · Berks County, PA

Us422bus (lr 149) over Sch.river;streets;nor/fo

Carries Us422bus (lr 149) over Sch.river;streets;nor/fo, Penn ST Bridge.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructure7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,091 FT OVERALL200 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 7/9

1,091 ft end to end, longest span 110 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 deck arch.

Built1913rebuilt 2020
Length1090.9 ft332.5 m
Daily traffic25,917counted 2024
Last inspectedJuly 2024every 24 months

Location

StatePennsylvania
CountyBerks
LocationPenn ST Bridge
CarriesUs422bus (lr 149)
CrossesSch.river;streets;nor/fo
Coordinates40.33538, -75.93626

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete
DesignArch - Deck
Total Length1090.9 ft (332.5 m)
Max Span109.9 ft (33.5 m)
Deck Width80.1 ft (24.4 m)
Deck Area8,113 sq m
Main Spans5
Year Built1913 (reconstructed 2020)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic25,917 (2024)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionJuly 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000005221

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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