STUART MESA ROAD
Carrying STUART MESA ROAD over SANTA MARGARITA RIVER
0.4 MILE NW OF VANDEGRIFT, San Diego, California
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
STUART MESA ROAD in San Diego, California sits above 73% of rated California bridges on inventory load rating (33 t), while its 1960 build year is earlier than 85% of San Diego's recorded-year cohort (1,632 bridges).
STUART MESA ROAD in San Diego, California is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1960, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 4. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor 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 CA:2CA0012
INTERSTATE-ERA · CONCRETE · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUB-LED · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- CONCRETE Concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 9 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-POOR Poor
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: STUART MESA ROAD
The STUART MESA ROAD bridge in San Diego, California carries STUART MESA ROAD over SANTA MARGARITA RIVER. It was built in 1960, making it 66 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 9 sections, stretching 69.0 meters (226 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 15,000 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of California bridges. It is owned and maintained by Army.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 4/9. 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.
How STUART MESA ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 1960, earlier than 1,389 of San Diego's 1,632 bridges with a recorded construction year (85%), against a county median build year of 1974. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across California bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (25,538 of 25,848 rated).
STUART MESA ROAD vs every rated California bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
33 Top 27% higher than 73% of 25,538 bridges
rated California 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.
San Diego inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 1,632 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
- 1960
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 9
- Structure Length
- 69.0 m (226 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.8 m (32 ft)
- Owner
- Army
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 15,000 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 2CA0012
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
STUART MESA ROAD 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 STUART MESA ROAD against other structures in San Diego 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 STUART MESA ROAD?
STUART MESA ROAD in San Diego, California has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is STUART MESA ROAD inspected?
STUART MESA 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 15,000 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. STUART MESA ROAD 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 STUART MESA ROAD?
STUART MESA ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 32.6 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining STUART MESA ROAD?
STUART MESA ROAD is owned and maintained by Army.
How old is STUART MESA ROAD and does age affect safety?
STUART MESA ROAD was built in 1960, making it 66 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.