N BIG TREES PRK RD
Carrying N BIG TREES PRK RD over SAN LORENZO RIVER
H COWELL ST PK, Santa Cruz, California
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
N BIG TREES PRK RD in Santa Cruz, California sits above 12% of rated California bridges on inventory load rating (21 t), while its 1931 build year is earlier than 88% of Santa Cruz's recorded-year cohort (192 bridges).
N BIG TREES PRK RD in Santa Cruz, California is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1931, 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:36P0013
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · SUB-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local 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: N BIG TREES PRK RD
The N BIG TREES PRK RD bridge in Santa Cruz, California carries N BIG TREES PRK RD over SAN LORENZO RIVER. It was built in 1931, making it 95 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 3 sections, stretching 44.2 meters (145 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 500 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of California bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Park/Forest/Reservation.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 7/9, 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 N BIG TREES PRK RD compares
Age against the county: built in 1931, earlier than 169 of Santa Cruz's 192 bridges with a recorded construction year (88%), against a county median build year of 1960. 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).
N BIG TREES PRK RD vs every rated California bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
21 Top 88% higher than 12% 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.
Santa Cruz inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 192 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
- 1931
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 44.2 m (145 ft)
- Deck Width
- 11.0 m (36 ft)
- Owner
- State Park/Forest/Reservation
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 500 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 36P0013
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 good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
N BIG TREES PRK RD 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 N BIG TREES PRK RD against other structures in Santa Cruz 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 N BIG TREES PRK RD?
N BIG TREES PRK RD in Santa Cruz, California has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is N BIG TREES PRK RD inspected?
N BIG TREES PRK RD'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 500 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. N BIG TREES PRK RD 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 N BIG TREES PRK RD?
N BIG TREES PRK RD has an NBI inventory load rating of 21.1 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining N BIG TREES PRK RD?
N BIG TREES PRK RD is owned and maintained by State Park/Forest/Reservation.
How old is N BIG TREES PRK RD and does age affect safety?
N BIG TREES PRK RD was built in 1931, making it 95 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.
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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.