SC 394
Carrying SC 394 over SALLEY BRANCH
0.1MI E OF AIKEN CO LN, Orangeburg, South Carolina
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SC 394 in Orangeburg, South Carolina sits above 32% of rated South Carolina bridges on inventory load rating (24 t), while its 1929 build year is earlier than 95% of Orangeburg's recorded-year cohort (273 bridges).
SC 394 in Orangeburg, South Carolina is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1929, it carries 1 rated component on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 5. 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 SC:000000000000359
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · CULVERT-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- CULVERT-LED Culvert-led
- 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: SC 394
The SC 394 bridge in Orangeburg, South Carolina carries SC 394 over SALLEY BRANCH. It was built in 1929, making it 97 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1948, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 3 sections, stretching 9.7 meters (32 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 400 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of South Carolina bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show culvert at 5/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How SC 394 compares
Age against the county: built in 1929, earlier than 260 of Orangeburg's 273 bridges with a recorded construction year (95%), against a county median build year of 1962. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across South Carolina bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (9,483 of 9,490 rated).
SC 394 vs every rated South Carolina bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
24 Top 68% higher than 32% of 9,483 bridges
rated South Carolina 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.
Orangeburg inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 273 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
- 1929
- Last Reconstructed
- 1948
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 9.7 m (32 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.4 m (34 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 400 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000000359
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 SC 394 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 SC 394 against other structures in Orangeburg and across South Carolina. South Carolina 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 SC 394?
SC 394 in Orangeburg, South Carolina on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is SC 394 inspected?
SC 394'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. SC 394 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 SC 394?
SC 394 has an NBI inventory load rating of 23.7 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SC 394?
SC 394 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is SC 394 and does age affect safety?
SC 394 was built in 1929, making it 97 years old and last reconstructed in 1948.
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.