SOUTH MAIN ST.
Carrying SOUTH MAIN ST. over CHESTNUT CREEK
0085 58 0095 SCL GALAX, Galax city, Virginia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SOUTH MAIN ST. in Galax city, Virginia sits above 12% of rated Virginia bridges on inventory load rating (28 t), while its 1948 build year is earlier than 40% of Galax city's recorded-year cohort (5 bridges).
SOUTH MAIN ST. in Galax city, Virginia is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1948, 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:000000000020278
PRE-1950 · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · SUPER-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial 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: SOUTH MAIN ST.
The SOUTH MAIN ST. bridge in Galax city, Virginia carries SOUTH MAIN ST. over CHESTNUT CREEK. It was built in 1948, making it 78 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 3 sections, stretching 52.7 meters (173 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 5,117 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal 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 SOUTH MAIN ST. compares
Age against the county: built in 1948, earlier than 2 of Galax city's 5 bridges with a recorded construction year (40%), against a county median build year of 1948.
Live comparison across Virginia bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (14,112 of 14,120 rated).
SOUTH MAIN ST. vs every rated Virginia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
28 Top 88% higher than 12% 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.
Galax city inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 5 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
- 1948
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 52.7 m (173 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.6 m (31 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 5,117 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000020278
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 5/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • 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 SOUTH MAIN ST. 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 SOUTH MAIN ST. against other structures in Galax city 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 SOUTH MAIN ST.?
SOUTH MAIN ST. in Galax city, 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 SOUTH MAIN ST. inspected?
SOUTH MAIN ST.'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 5,117 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. SOUTH MAIN ST. 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 SOUTH MAIN ST.?
SOUTH MAIN ST. has an NBI inventory load rating of 28.1 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SOUTH MAIN ST.?
SOUTH MAIN ST. is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is SOUTH MAIN ST. and does age affect safety?
SOUTH MAIN ST. was built in 1948, making it 78 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.