WV ROUTE 20
Carrying WV ROUTE 20 over ELK CREEK
0.11 MI SOUTH CO RT 42, Harrison, West Virginia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
WV ROUTE 20 in Harrison, West Virginia sits above 37% of rated West Virginia bridges on inventory load rating (35 t), while its 1973 build year is earlier than 52% of Harrison's recorded-year cohort (256 bridges).
WV ROUTE 20 in Harrison, West Virginia is rated Poor 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 4. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor 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 WV:00000000017A100
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-POOR Poor
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: WV ROUTE 20
The WV ROUTE 20 bridge in Harrison, West Virginia carries WV ROUTE 20 over ELK CREEK. It was built in 1973, making it 53 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 1 section, stretching 72.4 meters (238 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 8,800 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of West 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 7/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How WV ROUTE 20 compares
Age against the county: built in 1973, earlier than 134 of Harrison's 256 bridges with a recorded construction year (52%), against a county median build year of 1977. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across West Virginia bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (7,347 of 7,348 rated).
WV ROUTE 20 vs every rated West Virginia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
35 Top 63% higher than 37% of 7,347 bridges
rated West 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.
Harrison inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 256 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
- 1
- Structure Length
- 72.4 m (238 ft)
- Deck Width
- 20.3 m (67 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 8,800 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 00000000017A100
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
WV ROUTE 20 is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare WV ROUTE 20 against other structures in Harrison and across West Virginia. West 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 WV ROUTE 20?
WV ROUTE 20 in Harrison, West Virginia has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is WV ROUTE 20 inspected?
WV ROUTE 20'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 8,800 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. WV ROUTE 20 is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for WV ROUTE 20?
WV ROUTE 20 has an NBI inventory load rating of 34.5 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining WV ROUTE 20?
WV ROUTE 20 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is WV ROUTE 20 and does age affect safety?
WV ROUTE 20 was built in 1973, making it 53 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.