VANDER KARR RD
Carrying VANDER KARR RD over BR OF NIPPERSINK CR
2 MI E OF IL 47, McHenry, Illinois
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
VANDER KARR RD in McHenry, Illinois sits above 1% of rated Illinois bridges on inventory load rating (0 t), while its 1981 build year is earlier than 56% of McHenry's recorded-year cohort (227 bridges).
VANDER KARR RD in McHenry, Illinois is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1981, 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:056313900000000
LATE-CENTURY · PRESTRESS · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · TRACE-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- TRACE-LOAD Trace 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: VANDER KARR RD
The VANDER KARR RD bridge in McHenry, Illinois carries VANDER KARR RD over BR OF NIPPERSINK CR. It was built in 1981, making it 45 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 19.5 meters (64 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,550 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Illinois bridges. It is owned and maintained by Town/Township 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. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How VANDER KARR RD compares
Age against the county: built in 1981, earlier than 127 of McHenry's 227 bridges with a recorded construction year (56%), against a county median build year of 1985. 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).
VANDER KARR RD vs every rated Illinois bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
0 Top 99% higher than 1% 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.
McHenry inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 227 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
- 1981
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 19.5 m (64 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.1 m (30 ft)
- Owner
- Town/Township Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,550 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 056313900000000
Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • 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.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor condition (3/9), 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
VANDER KARR RD 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 VANDER KARR RD against other structures in McHenry 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 VANDER KARR RD?
VANDER KARR RD in McHenry, 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 VANDER KARR RD inspected?
VANDER KARR RD'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 1,550 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. VANDER KARR RD 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 VANDER KARR RD?
VANDER KARR RD has an NBI inventory load rating of 0.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining VANDER KARR RD?
VANDER KARR RD is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
How old is VANDER KARR RD and does age affect safety?
VANDER KARR RD was built in 1981, making it 45 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.
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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.