Desselle Crossing
Carrying Desselle Crossing over BAYOU DES GLAISES
0.1 MI. N OF LA 114, Avoyelles, Louisiana
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Desselle Crossing in Avoyelles, Louisiana sits above 37% of rated Louisiana bridges on inventory load rating (29 t), while its 1985 build year is earlier than 56% of Avoyelles's recorded-year cohort (147 bridges).
Desselle Crossing in Avoyelles, Louisiana is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1985, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair 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 LA:080531023920021
LATE-CENTURY · TIMBER · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- TIMBER Wood or timber
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 9 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
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: Desselle Crossing
The Desselle Crossing bridge in Avoyelles, Louisiana carries Desselle Crossing over BAYOU DES GLAISES. It was built in 1985, making it 41 years old today. The structure is built primarily of wood or timber and spans 9 sections, stretching 44.2 meters (145 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 400 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Louisiana bridges. It is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How Desselle Crossing compares
Age against the county: built in 1985, earlier than 83 of Avoyelles's 147 bridges with a recorded construction year (56%), 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 Louisiana bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (12,682 of 12,698 rated).
Desselle Crossing vs every rated Louisiana bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
29 Top 63% higher than 37% of 12,682 bridges
rated Louisiana 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.
Avoyelles inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 147 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
- 1985
- Material
- Wood or Timber
- Number of Spans
- 9
- Structure Length
- 44.2 m (145 ft)
- Deck Width
- 6.1 m (20 ft)
- Owner
- Town/Township Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 400 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 080531023920021
Condition Analysis
- • At 6/9, the deck (driving surface) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Desselle Crossing 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 Desselle Crossing against other structures in Avoyelles and across Louisiana. Louisiana 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 Desselle Crossing?
Desselle Crossing in Avoyelles, Louisiana has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Desselle Crossing inspected?
Desselle Crossing'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 400 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Desselle Crossing is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for Desselle Crossing?
Desselle Crossing has an NBI inventory load rating of 29.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Desselle Crossing?
Desselle Crossing is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
How old is Desselle Crossing and does age affect safety?
Desselle Crossing was built in 1985, making it 41 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.