CANAL ST
Carrying CANAL ST over UNION STATION
500W & 200S TO 300S, Cook, Illinois
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
CANAL ST in Cook, Illinois sits above 7% of rated Illinois bridges on inventory load rating (21 t), while its 1926 build year is earlier than 94% of Cook's recorded-year cohort (1,721 bridges).
CANAL ST in Cook, Illinois is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1926, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 3. 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 IL:016651500000000
PRE-1950 · STEEL · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUB-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 13 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-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: CANAL ST
The CANAL ST bridge in Cook, Illinois carries CANAL ST over UNION STATION. It was built in 1926, making it 100 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1983, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 13 sections, stretching 129.1 meters (424 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 5,100 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 4/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 3/9. 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 CANAL ST compares
Age against the county: built in 1926, earlier than 1,617 of Cook's 1,721 bridges with a recorded construction year (94%), against a county median build year of 1962. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Illinois bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (26,904 of 26,928 rated).
CANAL ST vs every rated Illinois bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
21 Top 93% higher than 7% 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
- 1926
- Last Reconstructed
- 1983
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 13
- Structure Length
- 129.1 m (424 ft)
- Deck Width
- 30.5 m (100 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 5,100 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 016651500000000
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
- • At 4/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • At 3/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
CANAL ST 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 CANAL 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 CANAL ST?
CANAL ST in Cook, Illinois has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 3/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is CANAL ST inspected?
CANAL 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 5,100 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. CANAL ST 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 CANAL ST?
CANAL ST has an NBI inventory load rating of 21.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining CANAL ST?
CANAL ST is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is CANAL ST and does age affect safety?
CANAL ST was built in 1926, making it 100 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.