Thunderbird Road
Carrying Thunderbird Road over New River
0.4 mi W Jct L101, Maricopa, Arizona
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: Thunderbird Road
The Thunderbird Road bridge in Maricopa, Arizona carries Thunderbird Road over New River. It was built in 1980, making it 46 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 2009, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete continuous and spans 4 sections, stretching 92.7 meters (304 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 34,508 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Arizona bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 7/9, substructure at 7/9. The weakest component sits in good condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range. Its NBI inventory load rating is 38.1 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How Thunderbird Road compares
Live comparison across Arizona.
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 How the historical reference is calculated.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
- 1980
- Last Reconstructed
- 2009
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 4
- Structure Length
- 92.7 m (304 ft)
- Deck Width
- 37.2 m (122 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 34,508 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 09684
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • At 7/9, the deck (driving surface) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • At 7/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • At 7/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Thunderbird Road is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare Thunderbird Road against other structures in Maricopa and across Arizona. Arizona 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 Thunderbird Road?
Thunderbird Road in Maricopa, Arizona has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Thunderbird Road inspected?
Thunderbird 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 34,508 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Thunderbird Road is currently shown as Good condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for Thunderbird Road?
Thunderbird Road has an NBI inventory load rating of 38.1 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Thunderbird Road?
Thunderbird Road is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is Thunderbird Road and does age affect safety?
Thunderbird Road was built in 1980, making it 46 years old and last reconstructed in 2009.
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.