H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY
Carrying H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY over GLEBE ROAD (ROUTE 120)
00.27 WCL ALEX / 01.42 27, Arlington, Virginia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY in Arlington, Virginia sits above 37% of rated Virginia bridges on inventory load rating (37 t), while its 1973 build year is earlier than 48% of Arlington's recorded-year cohort (183 bridges).
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY in Arlington, Virginia is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1973, 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 VA:000000000000261
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy 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.
Structural health score
A composite of the deck, superstructure, and substructure NBI condition ratings plus the inventory load rating, benchmarked against the full national bridge corpus, distinct from the Good/Fair/Poor category above.
Bridge Snapshot: H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY
The H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY bridge in Arlington, Virginia carries H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY over GLEBE ROAD (ROUTE 120). It was built in 1973, making it 53 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 2 sections, stretching 55.8 meters (183 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 176,778 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection places the weakest component in fair condition (see the full component ratings below). No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY compares
Age against the county: built in 1973, earlier than 87 of Arlington's 183 bridges with a recorded construction year (48%), against a county median build year of 1973.
Live comparison across Virginia bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (14,112 of 14,120 rated).
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY vs every rated Virginia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
37 Top 63% higher than 37% of 14,112 bridges
rated Virginia 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.
Arlington inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 183 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
- 1973
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 55.8 m (183 ft)
- Deck Width
- 51.8 m (170 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 176,778 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000000261
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
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 H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY 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 H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY against other structures in Arlington and across Virginia. Virginia 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 H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY?
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY in Arlington, Virginia 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 H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY inspected?
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY'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 176,778 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY 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 H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY?
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY has an NBI inventory load rating of 37.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY?
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY and does age affect safety?
H.G.SHIRLEY MEM HY was built in 1973, making it 53 years old.
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.