Actually, there is a US 41 Little Alapaha River bridge, and it may even be historic. So that’s five bridges across the Little Alapaha River, four above the Swallet, and one below, before its Confluence with the Alapaha River.

Composite US 41 Little Alapaha River Bridge

The US 41 bridge is the first bridge listed by bridgereports.com for Hamilton County, mislabled as “US-41 (SR-6 & 25) over ALAPAHA RIVER OVERFLOW”. But at 30.52389, -83.01550, it’s much closer to the Little Alapaha River.

At more than a mile east of the Alapaha River, that’s a bit far to be overflow.

Map: Alapaha River to US 41 Little Alapaha River Bridge in WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail.

It’s also about a thousand feet east of where the USGS track for the Little Alapaha River crosses US 41. Apparently USGS was making a schematic trace of approximately where they think the river travels underground. (The USGS track also misses the actual location of the Little Alapaha River Confluence with the Alapaha River.)

Map: US 41 bridge and Little Alapaha River Swallet in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail

You can sort of make out an empty river valley north of the bridge, coming down from the swallet, where most of the water most of the year goes into the Floridan Aquifer. And in google streetview you can see that valley.

Little Alapaha River north from FL-6 Bridge

South of the bridge, the aerial view shows the river turning sharply to the east before heading south. And that’s what we see in google streetview looking southeast.

Little Alapaha River south from FL-6 Bridge

The bridge itself turns out to be possibly historic, presumably because of how old it is:

Purpose: Carries highway over relief for waterway

Route classification: Minor Arterial (Rural) [06]

Length of largest span: 22.0 ft. [6.7 m]

Total length: 86.9 ft. [26.5 m]

Roadway width between curbs: 27.6 ft. [8.4 m]

Deck width edge-to-edge: 31.2 ft. [9.5 m]

Owner: State Highway Agency [01]

Year built: 1922

Year reconstructed: 1947

Historic significance: Bridge is possibly eligible for the National Register of Historic Places [3]

Design load: M 13.5 / H 15 [2]

Number of main spans: 4

Main spans material: Concrete [1]

Main spans design: Slab [01]

Deck type: Concrete Cast-in-Place [1]

Wearing surface: Bituminous [6]

Streetview, US 41-FL 6 Little Alapaha River Bridge

It’s not in very good shape, though.

Latest Available Inspection: November 2018

Good/Fair/Poor Condition: Fair

Status: Open, no restriction [A]

Average daily traffic: 3,800 [as of 2017]

Truck traffic: 12% of total traffic

Deck condition: Good [7 out of 9]

Superstructure condition: Good [7 out of 9]

Substructure condition: Satisfactory [6 out of 9]

Structural appraisal: Equal to present minimum criteria [6]

Deck geometry appraisal: Basically intolerable requiring high priority of corrrective action [3]

Water adequacy appraisal: Equal to present desirable criteria [8]

Roadway alignment appraisal: Equal to present desirable criteria [8]

Channel protection: Bank protection is in need of minor repairs. River control devices and embankment protection have a little minor damage. Banks and/or channel have minor amounts of drift. [7]

Scour condition: Bridge is scour critical; bridge foundations determined to be unstable. [3]

Sufficiency rating: 77.5

Nonetheless, there is a US 41 Little Alapaha River Bridge.

Map, Little Alapaha River in WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail

You may have to refresh your browser (control shift R) to see it in that last map, if you were previously looking at the previous post about the Little Alapaha River.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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