County Rd 52
Carrying County Rd 52 over Cahaba River
CR 52 over Cahaba River, Shelby, Alabama
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
County Rd 52 in Shelby, Alabama sits above 93% of rated Alabama bridges on inventory load rating (75 t), while its 2021 build year is earlier than 1% of Shelby's recorded-year cohort (344 bridges).
County Rd 52 in Shelby, Alabama is rated Good in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 2021, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 7. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Good 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:020819
POST-2000 · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · HEAVY-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-GOOD
- POST-2000 2000+
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy load
- CAT-GOOD Good
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: County Rd 52
The County Rd 52 bridge in Shelby, Alabama carries County Rd 52 over Cahaba River. It was built in 2021, making it 5 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 2 sections, stretching 135.9 meters (446 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 15,911 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Alabama bridges. It is owned and maintained by County 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. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How County Rd 52 compares
Age against the county: built in 2021, earlier than 3 of Shelby's 344 bridges with a recorded construction year (1%), against a county median build year of 1987. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Alabama bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (16,191 of 16,205 rated).
County Rd 52 vs every rated Alabama bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
75 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
- 2021
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 135.9 m (446 ft)
- Deck Width
- 12.9 m (42 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 15,911 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 020819
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.
- • At 7/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether County Rd 52 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 County Rd 52 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 County Rd 52?
County Rd 52 in Shelby, Alabama 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 County Rd 52 inspected?
County Rd 52'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 15,911 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. County Rd 52 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 County Rd 52?
County Rd 52 has an NBI inventory load rating of 74.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining County Rd 52?
County Rd 52 is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is County Rd 52 and does age affect safety?
County Rd 52 was built in 2021, making it 5 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.
Share this inspection record
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.