VALLENAR BAY ROAD
Carrying VALLENAR BAY ROAD over CALIFORNIA CREEK
MILE POINT 2.3, Ketchikan Gateway, Alaska
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
VALLENAR BAY ROAD in Ketchikan Gateway, Alaska sits above 51% of rated Alaska bridges on inventory load rating (34 t), while its 2018 build year is earlier than 5% of Ketchikan Gateway's recorded-year cohort (100 bridges).
VALLENAR BAY ROAD in Ketchikan Gateway, Alaska is rated Good in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 2018, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 7. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Good result describes the weakest reported component rather than the structure as a whole. No NBI category is a closure decision or a live crossing-safety verdict.
NBI record plate
Structure AK:2357
POST-2000 · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · TRACE-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-GOOD
- POST-2000 2000+
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- TRACE-ADT Trace ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-GOOD Good
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Bridge Snapshot: VALLENAR BAY ROAD
The VALLENAR BAY ROAD bridge in Ketchikan Gateway, Alaska carries VALLENAR BAY ROAD over CALIFORNIA CREEK. It was built in 2018, making it 8 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 12.2 meters (40 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 10 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Alaska bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Park/Forest/Reservation.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 8/9, superstructure at 8/9, substructure at 7/9. The weakest component sits in good condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How VALLENAR BAY ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 2018, earlier than 5 of Ketchikan Gateway's 100 bridges with a recorded construction year (5%), against a county median build year of 1995. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Alaska bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (1,679 of 1,685 rated).
VALLENAR BAY ROAD vs every rated Alaska bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
34 Top 49% higher than 51% of 1,679 bridges
rated Alaska bridges, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more bridges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · August 2026
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Ketchikan Gateway inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 100 bridges in this county. Orthogonal to this structure's component profile above: a county catalog share, not a live crossing-safety verdict.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 2018
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 12.2 m (40 ft)
- Deck Width
- 5.0 m (16 ft)
- Owner
- State Park/Forest/Reservation
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 10 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 2357
Condition Analysis
- • At 8/9, the deck (driving surface) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates good at 8/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • At 7/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether VALLENAR BAY 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 VALLENAR BAY ROAD against other structures in Ketchikan Gateway and across Alaska. Alaska 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 VALLENAR BAY ROAD?
VALLENAR BAY ROAD in Ketchikan Gateway, Alaska has a deck rating of 8/9, superstructure rating of 8/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is VALLENAR BAY ROAD inspected?
VALLENAR BAY 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 10 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. VALLENAR BAY 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 VALLENAR BAY ROAD?
VALLENAR BAY ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 34.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining VALLENAR BAY ROAD?
VALLENAR BAY ROAD is owned and maintained by State Park/Forest/Reservation.
How old is VALLENAR BAY ROAD and does age affect safety?
VALLENAR BAY ROAD was built in 2018, making it 8 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.
Share this inspection record
Send this source-bounded record or download its data card. An NBI condition category is not a closure or live crossing-safety verdict.
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Component ratings, ADT, and condition category on this page are copied from the NBI record for this structure; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.