16TH STREET
Carrying 16TH STREET over BEAR CREEK OVERFLOW
0.2 MI SE OF G STREET, Merced, California
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
16TH STREET in Merced, California sits above 16% of rated California bridges on inventory load rating (24 t), while its 1938 build year is earlier than 87% of Merced's recorded-year cohort (528 bridges).
16TH STREET in Merced, California is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1938, it carries 1 rated component 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:39C0051
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · CULVERT-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- CULVERT-LED Culvert-led
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial 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: 16TH STREET
The 16TH STREET bridge in Merced, California carries 16TH STREET over BEAR CREEK OVERFLOW. It was built in 1938, making it 88 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 3 sections, stretching 8.1 meters (27 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 2,500 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of California bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show culvert 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 16TH STREET compares
Age against the county: built in 1938, earlier than 457 of Merced's 528 bridges with a recorded construction year (87%), against a county median build year of 1966. 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).
16TH STREET vs every rated California bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
24 Top 84% higher than 16% 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.
Merced inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 528 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
- 1938
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 8.1 m (27 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.8 m (32 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 2,500 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 39C0051
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
16TH STREET 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 16TH STREET against other structures in Merced 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 16TH STREET?
16TH STREET in Merced, California on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is 16TH STREET inspected?
16TH STREET'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 2,500 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. 16TH STREET 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 16TH STREET?
16TH STREET has an NBI inventory load rating of 24.3 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining 16TH STREET?
16TH STREET is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is 16TH STREET and does age affect safety?
16TH STREET was built in 1938, making it 88 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.