CAHABA BEACH ROAD
Carrying CAHABA BEACH ROAD over LITTLE CAHABA RIVER
1.8 MILES NORTH OF US 280, Shelby, Alabama
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
CAHABA BEACH ROAD in Shelby, Alabama sits above 1% of rated Alabama bridges on inventory load rating (0 t), while its 1904 build year is earlier than 100% of Shelby's recorded-year cohort (344 bridges).
CAHABA BEACH ROAD in Shelby, Alabama is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1904, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 2. 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 AL:000024
PRE-1950 · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · SUPER-LED · LOCAL-ADT · TRACE-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- TRACE-LOAD Trace 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: CAHABA BEACH ROAD
The CAHABA BEACH ROAD bridge in Shelby, Alabama carries CAHABA BEACH ROAD over LITTLE CAHABA RIVER. It was built in 1904, making it 122 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 33.5 meters (110 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 100 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Alabama bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 2/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in critical condition. Because at least one major component scores 4 or lower, this bridge falls in FHWA's Poor condition category. That category is not a closure order.
How CAHABA BEACH ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 1904, earlier than 343 of Shelby's 344 bridges with a recorded construction year (100%), against a county median build year of 1987. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Alabama bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (16,191 of 16,205 rated).
CAHABA BEACH ROAD vs every rated Alabama bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
0 Top 99% higher than 1% of 16,191 bridges
rated Alabama 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.
Shelby inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 344 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
- 1904
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 33.5 m (110 ft)
- Deck Width
- 3.5 m (11 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 100 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000024
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in critical condition (2/9), with severe deterioration recorded on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
CAHABA BEACH ROAD 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 CAHABA BEACH ROAD against other structures in Shelby and across Alabama. Alabama 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 CAHABA BEACH ROAD?
CAHABA BEACH ROAD in Shelby, Alabama has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 2/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is CAHABA BEACH ROAD inspected?
CAHABA BEACH 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 100 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. CAHABA BEACH ROAD 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 CAHABA BEACH ROAD?
CAHABA BEACH ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 0.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining CAHABA BEACH ROAD?
CAHABA BEACH ROAD is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is CAHABA BEACH ROAD and does age affect safety?
CAHABA BEACH ROAD was built in 1904, making it 122 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.
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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.