Rock Cliff Rd 735
Carrying Rock Cliff Rd 735 over Difficult Creek
3.20 Rt 731; 0.10 Rt 817, Bedford, Virginia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Rock Cliff Rd 735 in Bedford, Virginia sits above 6% of rated Virginia bridges on inventory load rating (22 t), while its 1975 build year is earlier than 41% of Bedford's recorded-year cohort (204 bridges).
Rock Cliff Rd 735 in Bedford, Virginia is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1975, it carries 3 rated components 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 VA:000000000002872
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · SUPER-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-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: Rock Cliff Rd 735
The Rock Cliff Rd 735 bridge in Bedford, Virginia carries Rock Cliff Rd 735 over Difficult Creek. It was built in 1975, making it 51 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 2 sections, stretching 12.2 meters (40 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 81 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How Rock Cliff Rd 735 compares
Age against the county: built in 1975, earlier than 83 of Bedford's 204 bridges with a recorded construction year (41%), against a county median build year of 1970. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Virginia bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (14,112 of 14,120 rated).
Rock Cliff Rd 735 vs every rated Virginia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
22 Top 94% higher than 6% 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.
Bedford inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 204 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
- 1975
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 12.2 m (40 ft)
- Deck Width
- 4.7 m (15 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 81 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000002872
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 (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • 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 Rock Cliff Rd 735 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 Rock Cliff Rd 735 against other structures in Bedford 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 Rock Cliff Rd 735?
Rock Cliff Rd 735 in Bedford, Virginia has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Rock Cliff Rd 735 inspected?
Rock Cliff Rd 735'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 81 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Rock Cliff Rd 735 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 Rock Cliff Rd 735?
Rock Cliff Rd 735 has an NBI inventory load rating of 21.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Rock Cliff Rd 735?
Rock Cliff Rd 735 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is Rock Cliff Rd 735 and does age affect safety?
Rock Cliff Rd 735 was built in 1975, making it 51 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.