ILL 159
Carrying ILL 159 over FAI 64
0.57 MI E RUBY LANE, St. Clair, Illinois
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
ILL 159 in St. Clair, Illinois sits above 9% of rated Illinois bridges on inventory load rating (24 t), while its 1971 build year is earlier than 60% of St. Clair's recorded-year cohort (486 bridges).
ILL 159 in St. Clair, Illinois is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1971, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. 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:082017600000000
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · DECK-LED · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- DECK-LED Deck-led
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy 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: ILL 159
The ILL 159 bridge in St. Clair, Illinois carries ILL 159 over FAI 64. It was built in 1971, making it 55 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 2012, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 2 sections, stretching 70.7 meters (232 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 33,900 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Illinois bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 7/9, substructure at 7/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How ILL 159 compares
Age against the county: built in 1971, earlier than 291 of St. Clair's 486 bridges with a recorded construction year (60%), against a county median build year of 1979. 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).
ILL 159 vs every rated Illinois bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
24 Top 91% higher than 9% 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.
St. Clair inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 486 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
- 1971
- Last Reconstructed
- 2012
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 70.7 m (232 ft)
- Deck Width
- 33.1 m (109 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 33,900 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 082017600000000
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • At 7/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
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 ILL 159 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 ILL 159 against other structures in St. Clair 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 ILL 159?
ILL 159 in St. Clair, Illinois has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 7/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is ILL 159 inspected?
ILL 159'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 33,900 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ILL 159 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 ILL 159?
ILL 159 has an NBI inventory load rating of 23.7 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ILL 159?
ILL 159 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is ILL 159 and does age affect safety?
ILL 159 was built in 1971, making it 55 years old and last reconstructed in 2012.
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.