Big Island Road
Carrying Big Island Road over James River & CSX Rwy
.00 Bed. CL / .00 Amh CL, Amherst, Virginia
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: Big Island Road
The Big Island Road bridge in Amherst, Virginia carries Big Island Road over James River & CSX Rwy. It was built in 2016, making it 10 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 5 sections, stretching 282.3 meters (926 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,897 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 8/9, substructure at 7/9. The weakest component sits in good condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds. Its NBI inventory load rating is 47.2 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How Big Island Road compares
Live comparison across Virginia.
Historical Sufficiency Rating
PlainBridge-computedFHWA discontinued this calculated item; it does not determine current condition, funding eligibility, posting, or closure. How the historical reference is calculated.
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 2016
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 5
- Structure Length
- 282.3 m (926 ft)
- Deck Width
- 12.7 m (42 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,897 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000029541
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good condition (8/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Big Island Road is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare Big Island Road against other structures in Amherst and across Virginia. Virginia bridges
- Noticed visible damage or a safety concern? Report it to the agency that owns the bridge, or call 911 in an emergency. How to report a bridge
Condition codes come straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory and are not a real-time safety judgment. Only the owning agency, a state DOT, county, or other owner, can post, restrict, or close a bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the condition ratings mean for Big Island Road?
Big Island Road in Amherst, Virginia has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 8/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Big Island Road inspected?
Big Island Road's responsible agency sets its routine interval under FHWA's risk-based inspection rules; this page does not expose the scheduled interval. It carries about 1,897 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Big Island Road is currently shown as Good condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for Big Island Road?
Big Island Road has an NBI inventory load rating of 47.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Big Island Road?
Big Island Road is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is Big Island Road and does age affect safety?
Big Island Road was built in 2016, making it 10 years old.
Disclaimer: Bridge condition data is from the FHWA NBI and reflects the last reported inspection. A Poor condition rating is not a live declaration that a bridge is closed or unsafe for travel. For current closure, posting, or safety information, contact the responsible transportation agency.
Every figure on PlainBridge is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.