Rickenbacker Cswy.
Carrying Rickenbacker Cswy. over Biscayne Bay/Bear Cut
3.0 Miles E of Toll Plaza, Miami-Dade, Florida
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Rickenbacker Cswy. in Miami-Dade, Florida sits above 3% of rated Florida bridges on inventory load rating (17 t), while its 1944 build year is earlier than 96% of Miami-Dade's recorded-year cohort (1,057 bridges).
Rickenbacker Cswy. in Miami-Dade, Florida is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1944, 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 FL:874544
PRE-1950 · PRESTRESS · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUPER-LED · HEAVY-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 41 spans
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy 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: Rickenbacker Cswy.
The Rickenbacker Cswy. bridge in Miami-Dade, Florida carries Rickenbacker Cswy. over Biscayne Bay/Bear Cut. It was built in 1944, making it 82 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1983, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 41 sections, stretching 640.7 meters (2102 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 30,804 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Florida bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. Because at least one major component scores 4 or lower, this bridge falls in FHWA's Poor condition category. That category is not a closure order.
How Rickenbacker Cswy. compares
Age against the county: built in 1944, earlier than 1,019 of Miami-Dade's 1,057 bridges with a recorded construction year (96%), against a county median build year of 1973. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Florida bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (13,032 of 13,036 rated).
Rickenbacker Cswy. vs every rated Florida bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
17 Top 97% higher than 3% of 13,032 bridges
rated Florida 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.
Miami-Dade inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 1,057 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
- 1944
- Last Reconstructed
- 1983
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 41
- Structure Length
- 640.7 m (2102 ft)
- Deck Width
- 31.7 m (104 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 30,804 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 874544
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) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
- • At 5/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
Rickenbacker Cswy. 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 Rickenbacker Cswy. against other structures in Miami-Dade and across Florida. Florida 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 Rickenbacker Cswy.?
Rickenbacker Cswy. in Miami-Dade, Florida has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Rickenbacker Cswy. inspected?
Rickenbacker Cswy.'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 30,804 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Rickenbacker Cswy. 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 Rickenbacker Cswy.?
Rickenbacker Cswy. has an NBI inventory load rating of 17.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Rickenbacker Cswy.?
Rickenbacker Cswy. is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is Rickenbacker Cswy. and does age affect safety?
Rickenbacker Cswy. was built in 1944, making it 82 years old and last reconstructed in 1983.
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.