MLK Jr. Drive
Carrying MLK Jr. Drive over Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River- 3590A06, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: MLK Jr. Drive
The MLK Jr. Drive bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania carries MLK Jr. Drive over Schuylkill River. It was built in 1966, making it 60 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 4 sections, stretching 210.3 meters (690 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 25,095 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 a deck rating of 3/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 6/9. 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. Its NBI inventory load rating is 27.2 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How MLK Jr. Drive 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 How the historical reference is calculated.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
- 1966
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 4
- Structure Length
- 210.3 m (690 ft)
- Deck Width
- 14.0 m (46 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 25,095 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000039256
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • At 3/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
- • At 5/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • At 6/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
How to read this record
MLK Jr. Drive 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 MLK Jr. Drive 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 MLK Jr. Drive?
MLK Jr. Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a deck rating of 3/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is MLK Jr. Drive inspected?
MLK Jr. Drive'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 25,095 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. MLK Jr. Drive 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 MLK Jr. Drive?
MLK Jr. Drive has an NBI inventory load rating of 27.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining MLK Jr. Drive?
MLK Jr. Drive is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is MLK Jr. Drive and does age affect safety?
MLK Jr. Drive was built in 1966, making it 60 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.