HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD
Carrying HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD over SHARP MOUNTAIN CREEK
2.6 MI SOUTHWEST OF BALL, Cherokee, Georgia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD in Cherokee, Georgia sits above 50% of rated Georgia bridges on inventory load rating (32 t), while its 2010 build year is earlier than 9% of Cherokee's recorded-year cohort (164 bridges).
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD in Cherokee, Georgia is rated Good in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 2010, 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 GA:000000005750960
POST-2000 · PRESTRESS · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-GOOD
- POST-2000 2000+
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard 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: HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD
The HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD bridge in Cherokee, Georgia carries HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD over SHARP MOUNTAIN CREEK. It was built in 2010, making it 16 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 3 sections, stretching 75.3 meters (247 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,250 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Georgia 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. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 2010, earlier than 14 of Cherokee's 164 bridges with a recorded construction year (9%), against a county median build year of 1984. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Georgia bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (15,056 of 15,069 rated).
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD vs every rated Georgia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
32 Top 50% higher than 50% of 15,056 bridges
rated Georgia 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.
Cherokee inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 164 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
- 2010
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 75.3 m (247 ft)
- Deck Width
- 12.6 m (41 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,250 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000005750960
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 good at 8/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
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 HOWELL BRIDGE 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 HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD against other structures in Cherokee and across Georgia. Georgia 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 HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD?
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD in Cherokee, Georgia 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 HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD inspected?
HOWELL BRIDGE 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 1,250 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. HOWELL BRIDGE 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 HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD?
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 31.7 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD?
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD and does age affect safety?
HOWELL BRIDGE ROAD was built in 2010, making it 16 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.