Pioneer Road
Carrying Pioneer Road over San Luis Canal
1.1 MI SE BILLY WRIGHT RD, Merced, California
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: Pioneer Road
The Pioneer Road bridge in Merced, California carries Pioneer Road over San Luis Canal. It was built in 1968, making it 58 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 5 sections, stretching 101.8 meters (334 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 50 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of California bridges. It is owned and maintained by Bureau of Reclamation.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 8/9, substructure at 7/9. The weakest component sits in good condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds. Its NBI inventory load rating is 32.4 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How Pioneer Road compares
Live comparison across California.
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 How the historical reference is calculated.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
- 1968
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 5
- Structure Length
- 101.8 m (334 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.5 m (28 ft)
- Owner
- Bureau of Reclamation
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 50 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 39C0256
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • At 8/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Pioneer 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 Pioneer Road against other structures in Merced and across California. California 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 Pioneer Road?
Pioneer Road in Merced, California has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 8/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Pioneer Road inspected?
Pioneer 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 50 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Pioneer 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 Pioneer Road?
Pioneer Road has an NBI inventory load rating of 32.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Pioneer Road?
Pioneer Road is owned and maintained by Bureau of Reclamation.
How old is Pioneer Road and does age affect safety?
Pioneer Road was built in 1968, making it 58 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.