COPPER RIVER HWY
Carrying COPPER RIVER HWY over MILLION DOLLAR BRIDGE
MILE POINT 48.8, Chugach, Alaska
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
COPPER RIVER HWY in Chugach, Alaska sits above 18% of rated Alaska bridges on inventory load rating (23 t), while its 1910 build year is earlier than 98% of Chugach's recorded-year cohort (66 bridges).
COPPER RIVER HWY in Chugach, Alaska is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1910, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 4. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor result describes the weakest reported component rather than the structure as a whole. No NBI category is a closure decision or a live crossing-safety verdict.
NBI record plate
Structure AK:0206
PRE-1950 · STEEL · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUB-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 4 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-POOR Poor
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Bridge Snapshot: COPPER RIVER HWY
The COPPER RIVER HWY bridge in Chugach, Alaska carries COPPER RIVER HWY over MILLION DOLLAR BRIDGE. It was built in 1910, making it 116 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 2005, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 4 sections, stretching 477.5 meters (1567 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 65 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Alaska bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 4/9. 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.
How COPPER RIVER HWY compares
Age against the county: built in 1910, earlier than 65 of Chugach's 66 bridges with a recorded construction year (98%), against a county median build year of 1977. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Alaska bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (1,679 of 1,685 rated).
COPPER RIVER HWY vs every rated Alaska bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
23 Top 82% higher than 18% of 1,679 bridges
rated Alaska bridges, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more bridges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · August 2026
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Chugach inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 66 bridges in this county. Orthogonal to this structure's component profile above: a county catalog share, not a live crossing-safety verdict.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1910
- Last Reconstructed
- 2005
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 4
- Structure Length
- 477.5 m (1567 ft)
- Deck Width
- 6.1 m (20 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 65 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 0206
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
COPPER RIVER HWY 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 COPPER RIVER HWY against other structures in Chugach and across Alaska. Alaska 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 COPPER RIVER HWY?
COPPER RIVER HWY in Chugach, Alaska has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is COPPER RIVER HWY inspected?
COPPER RIVER HWY'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 65 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. COPPER RIVER HWY 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 COPPER RIVER HWY?
COPPER RIVER HWY has an NBI inventory load rating of 23.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining COPPER RIVER HWY?
COPPER RIVER HWY is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is COPPER RIVER HWY and does age affect safety?
COPPER RIVER HWY was built in 1910, making it 116 years old and last reconstructed in 2005.
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.
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Send this source-bounded record or download its data card. An NBI condition category is not a closure or live crossing-safety verdict.
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Component ratings, ADT, and condition category on this page are copied from the NBI record for this structure; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.