ROUTE I 280
Carrying ROUTE I 280 over SAN JOSE AVE MUNIRAIL
04-SF-280-R2.70-SF, San Francisco, California
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
ROUTE I 280 in San Francisco, California sits above 99% of rated California bridges on inventory load rating (78 t), while its 1964 build year is earlier than 37% of San Francisco's recorded-year cohort (143 bridges).
ROUTE I 280 in San Francisco, California is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1964, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 5. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair 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:34 0079R
INTERSTATE-ERA · CONCRETE · SINGLE-SPAN · SUPER-LED · HEAVY-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- CONCRETE Concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
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: ROUTE I 280
The ROUTE I 280 bridge in San Francisco, California carries ROUTE I 280 over SAN JOSE AVE MUNIRAIL. It was built in 1964, making it 62 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 31.1 meters (102 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 85,000 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of California bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 7/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How ROUTE I 280 compares
Age against the county: built in 1964, earlier than 53 of San Francisco's 143 bridges with a recorded construction year (37%), against a county median build year of 1964.
Live comparison across California bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (25,538 of 25,848 rated).
ROUTE I 280 vs every rated California bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
78 Top 1% higher than 99% 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 Francisco inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 143 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
- 1964
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 31.1 m (102 ft)
- Deck Width
- 20.7 m (68 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 85,000 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 34 0079R
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
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 ROUTE I 280 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 ROUTE I 280 against other structures in San Francisco 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 ROUTE I 280?
ROUTE I 280 in San Francisco, California has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is ROUTE I 280 inspected?
ROUTE I 280'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 85,000 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ROUTE I 280 is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for ROUTE I 280?
ROUTE I 280 has an NBI inventory load rating of 78.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ROUTE I 280?
ROUTE I 280 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is ROUTE I 280 and does age affect safety?
ROUTE I 280 was built in 1964, making it 62 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.