South Drive
Carrying South Drive over Newtown Creek
Newtown 3037-H10, Bucks, Pennsylvania
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: South Drive
The South Drive bridge in Bucks, Pennsylvania carries South Drive over Newtown Creek. It was built in 1985, making it 41 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 19.2 meters (63 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 600 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 7/9. 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 22.7 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How South 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 How the historical reference is calculated.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
- 1985
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 19.2 m (63 ft)
- Deck Width
- 14.6 m (48 ft)
- Owner
- Town/Township Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 600 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000069741
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates poor at 4/9, advanced deterioration that should be prioritized for repair.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
How to read this record
South 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 South Drive against other structures in Bucks 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 South Drive?
South Drive in Bucks, Pennsylvania has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is South Drive inspected?
South 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 600 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. South 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 South Drive?
South Drive has an NBI inventory load rating of 22.7 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining South Drive?
South Drive is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
How old is South Drive and does age affect safety?
South Drive was built in 1985, making it 41 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.