Total of 22 Alleghany bridges listed as substandard in report

A total of 22 bridges in Alleghany County were deemed substandard, according to information released last month by AAA Carolinas. The organization noted that under federal guidelines, 30.6 percent of the state's bridges are classified as "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" in January, as compared to January 2006, when 31.2 percent of bridges were not up to par.

According to information from AAA Carolinas, a bridge that is deemed "structurally deficient" is considered to be inadequate to handle traffic demands and/or the bridge is "in relatively poor physical condition." Meanwhile, a bridge that is deemed "functionally obsolete" is considered to have an "inadequate design for current traffic volume."

The first Alleghany County bridge mentioned on the list of substandard bridges ranks at No. 399. Built in 1920, the bridge crosses Little River and is located on U.S. 21 in Sparta. The 87-year- old bridge notes average daily traffic of 7,600 and average weekly traffic of 53,200.

The second Alleghany bridge on the list, located on N.C. 18 over Crab Creek, is ranked No. 2451. The bridge was built in 1950 and has average daily traffic of 1,500 and average weekly traffic of 10,500. Three bridges ranked in the 3,000 range. The first, ranking No. 3307, is located on Cleary Road and crosses Little River. The bridge was built in 1960, has average daily traffic of 440 and average weekly traffic of 3,080. The fourth Alleghany bridge on the list ranks at No. 3336, is located on U.S. 221 and crosses an unnamed creek. The bridge, built in 1923, has average daily traffic of 560 and average weekly traffic of 3,920. The final Alleghany bridge to make it in the 3,000 range is ranked No. 3373. The bridge, located on Kings Creek Road crosses a creek with the same name. The Kings Creek bridge was built in 1966, has average daily traffic 630 and average weekly traffic of 4,410.

A total of nine Alleghany bridges were ranked in the 4,000 range. Of these, the oldest bridge was built in 1920 and the newest built in 1963. Ranked No. 4225, a bridge located on Farmers Fish Camp Road, crosses the New River. The bridge built in 1962 has average daily traffic of 170 and average weekly traffic of 1,190. T

he next bridge, No. 4259, is located on Osborne Memorial Road and crosses Elk Creek. Ranked No. 4326 is a bridge on Camp Butler Road, which crosses Brush Creek. The next substandard bridge, ranked No. 4452 in Alleghany is a second bridge on Cleary Road, which crosses an unnamed creek.

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