CougarTrail Rd/643
Carrying CougarTrail Rd/643 over NS Railway
0.50-Rte807; 1.25-Rte611, Pulaski, Virginia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
CougarTrail Rd/643 in Pulaski, Virginia sits above 62% of rated Virginia bridges on inventory load rating (51 t), while its 1975 build year is earlier than 32% of Pulaski's recorded-year cohort (105 bridges).
CougarTrail Rd/643 in Pulaski, 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:000000000014576
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy 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: CougarTrail Rd/643
The CougarTrail Rd/643 bridge in Pulaski, Virginia carries CougarTrail Rd/643 over NS Railway. It was built in 1975, making it 51 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 3 sections, stretching 40.2 meters (132 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 6,045 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How CougarTrail Rd/643 compares
Age against the county: built in 1975, earlier than 34 of Pulaski's 105 bridges with a recorded construction year (32%), against a county median build year of 1965. 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).
CougarTrail Rd/643 vs every rated Virginia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
51 Top 38% higher than 62% 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.
Pulaski inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 105 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
- 3
- Structure Length
- 40.2 m (132 ft)
- Deck Width
- 11.0 m (36 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 6,045 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000014576
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 fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in fair condition (5/9), 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 CougarTrail Rd/643 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 CougarTrail Rd/643 against other structures in Pulaski 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 CougarTrail Rd/643?
CougarTrail Rd/643 in Pulaski, Virginia has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is CougarTrail Rd/643 inspected?
CougarTrail Rd/643'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 6,045 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. CougarTrail Rd/643 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 CougarTrail Rd/643?
CougarTrail Rd/643 has an NBI inventory load rating of 50.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining CougarTrail Rd/643?
CougarTrail Rd/643 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is CougarTrail Rd/643 and does age affect safety?
CougarTrail Rd/643 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.