SOUTH WATER ST
Carrying SOUTH WATER ST over LOWER LEVEL
300N 154E TO 300E, Cook, Illinois
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SOUTH WATER ST in Cook, Illinois sits above 8% of rated Illinois bridges on inventory load rating (23 t), while its 1980 build year is earlier than 32% of Cook's recorded-year cohort (1,721 bridges).
SOUTH WATER ST in Cook, Illinois is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1980, 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 IL:016633500000000
LATE-CENTURY · STEEL · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- STEEL Steel
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 7 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard 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: SOUTH WATER ST
The SOUTH WATER ST bridge in Cook, Illinois carries SOUTH WATER ST over LOWER LEVEL. It was built in 1980, making it 46 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 7 sections, stretching 105.5 meters (346 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 4,150 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Illinois bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How SOUTH WATER ST compares
Age against the county: built in 1980, earlier than 559 of Cook's 1,721 bridges with a recorded construction year (32%), against a county median build year of 1962. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Illinois bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (26,904 of 26,928 rated).
SOUTH WATER ST vs every rated Illinois bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
23 Top 92% higher than 8% of 26,904 bridges
rated Illinois 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.
Cook inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 1,721 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
- 1980
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 7
- Structure Length
- 105.5 m (346 ft)
- Deck Width
- 28.0 m (92 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 4,150 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 016633500000000
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • 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) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
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 SOUTH WATER ST 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 SOUTH WATER ST against other structures in Cook and across Illinois. Illinois 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 SOUTH WATER ST?
SOUTH WATER ST in Cook, Illinois has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is SOUTH WATER ST inspected?
SOUTH WATER ST'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 4,150 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. SOUTH WATER ST 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 SOUTH WATER ST?
SOUTH WATER ST has an NBI inventory load rating of 22.7 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SOUTH WATER ST?
SOUTH WATER ST is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is SOUTH WATER ST and does age affect safety?
SOUTH WATER ST was built in 1980, making it 46 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.