RAILROAD AVENUE
Carrying RAILROAD AVENUE over WRIGLEY FORD CREEK
NORTH OF WELLER LANE, Santa Clara, California
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
RAILROAD AVENUE in Santa Clara, California sits above 6% of rated California bridges on inventory load rating (17 t), while its 1920 build year is earlier than 96% of Santa Clara's recorded-year cohort (964 bridges).
RAILROAD AVENUE in Santa Clara, California is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1920, 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:37C0847
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · TRACE-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- TRACE-ADT Trace ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light 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: RAILROAD AVENUE
The RAILROAD AVENUE bridge in Santa Clara, California carries RAILROAD AVENUE over WRIGLEY FORD CREEK. It was built in 1920, making it 106 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1986, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 22.5 meters (74 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 10 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of California bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules.
How RAILROAD AVENUE compares
Age against the county: built in 1920, earlier than 930 of Santa Clara's 964 bridges with a recorded construction year (96%), against a county median build year of 1972. 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).
RAILROAD AVENUE vs every rated California bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
17 Top 94% higher than 6% 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 Clara inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 964 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
- 1920
- Last Reconstructed
- 1986
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 22.5 m (74 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.0 m (33 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 10 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 37C0847
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 5/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • 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
RAILROAD AVENUE 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 RAILROAD AVENUE against other structures in Santa Clara 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 RAILROAD AVENUE?
RAILROAD AVENUE in Santa Clara, California has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is RAILROAD AVENUE inspected?
RAILROAD AVENUE'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. RAILROAD AVENUE 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 RAILROAD AVENUE?
RAILROAD AVENUE has an NBI inventory load rating of 16.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining RAILROAD AVENUE?
RAILROAD AVENUE is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is RAILROAD AVENUE and does age affect safety?
RAILROAD AVENUE was built in 1920, making it 106 years old and last reconstructed in 1986.
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.