WEST VIRGINIA 16
Carrying WEST VIRGINIA 16 over SOUTH FORK HUGHES RIVER
0.08 MILE NORTH OF WV 47, Ritchie, West Virginia
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: WEST VIRGINIA 16
The WEST VIRGINIA 16 bridge in Ritchie, West Virginia carries WEST VIRGINIA 16 over SOUTH FORK HUGHES RIVER. It was built in 1962, making it 64 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 1 section, stretching 65.7 meters (216 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 650 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of West Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed. Its NBI inventory load rating is 29.9 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How WEST VIRGINIA 16 compares
Live comparison across West 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 How the historical reference is calculated.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
- 1962
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 65.7 m (216 ft)
- Deck Width
- 11.0 m (36 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 650 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 00000000043A044
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
- • At 4/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
How to read this record
WEST VIRGINIA 16 is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare WEST VIRGINIA 16 against other structures in Ritchie and across West Virginia. West 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 WEST VIRGINIA 16?
WEST VIRGINIA 16 in Ritchie, West Virginia has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is WEST VIRGINIA 16 inspected?
WEST VIRGINIA 16'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 650 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. WEST VIRGINIA 16 is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for WEST VIRGINIA 16?
WEST VIRGINIA 16 has an NBI inventory load rating of 29.9 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining WEST VIRGINIA 16?
WEST VIRGINIA 16 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is WEST VIRGINIA 16 and does age affect safety?
WEST VIRGINIA 16 was built in 1962, making it 64 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.