Structure 28A308 · Mercer County, WV

Wv Route 71 over Bluestone River

Carries Wv Route 71 over Bluestone River, 0.01 Mile N Of Co 15/5.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT171 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

171 ft end to end: about 2 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.

Built200620 years old
Length170.6 ft52 m
Daily traffic3,000counted 2020
Last inspectedJuly 2023every 24 months

Location

StateWest Virginia
CountyMercer
Location0.01 Mile N Of Co 15/5
CarriesWv Route 71
CrossesBluestone River
Coordinates37.35647, -81.24556

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length170.6 ft (52 m)
Max Span65.0 ft (19.8 m)
Deck Width40.4 ft (12.3 m)
Deck Area639.6 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built2006

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic3,000 (2020)
Truck Traffic5%
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 Number00000000028A308

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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