Bell's Mill Road
Carrying Bell's Mill Road over Wissahickon Creek
SW of Germantown Ave16G02, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: Bell's Mill Road
The Bell's Mill Road bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania carries Bell's Mill Road over Wissahickon Creek. It was built in 1820, making it 206 years old today. The structure is built primarily of masonry and spans 2 sections, stretching 20.4 meters (67 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 12,200 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules. Its NBI inventory load rating is 31.8 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How Bell's Mill Road compares
Live comparison across Pennsylvania.
Historical Sufficiency Rating
PlainBridge-computedFHWA discontinued this calculated item; it does not determine current condition, funding eligibility, posting, or closure. How the historical reference is calculated.
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1820
- Material
- Masonry
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 20.4 m (67 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.3 m (27 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 12,200 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000039218
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration that may require priority repair.
How to read this record
Bell's Mill Road 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 Bell's Mill Road against other structures in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania 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 Bell's Mill Road?
Bell's Mill Road in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Bell's Mill Road inspected?
Bell's Mill Road'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 12,200 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Bell's Mill Road 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 Bell's Mill Road?
Bell's Mill Road has an NBI inventory load rating of 31.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Bell's Mill Road?
Bell's Mill Road is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is Bell's Mill Road and does age affect safety?
Bell's Mill Road was built in 1820, making it 206 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.
Every figure on PlainBridge is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.