OLD IL 26
Carrying OLD IL 26 over E BR RICHLAND CREEK
.7 MI N ORANGEVILLE, Stephenson, Illinois
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
OLD IL 26 in Stephenson, Illinois sits above 18% of rated Illinois bridges on inventory load rating (28 t), while its 1927 build year is earlier than 97% of Stephenson's recorded-year cohort (342 bridges).
OLD IL 26 in Stephenson, Illinois is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1927, 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:089001800000000
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- LOCAL-ADT Local 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: OLD IL 26
The OLD IL 26 bridge in Stephenson, Illinois carries OLD IL 26 over E BR RICHLAND CREEK. It was built in 1927, making it 99 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 2 sections, stretching 19.7 meters (65 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 475 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Illinois bridges. It is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 3/9, superstructure at 3/9, substructure at 3/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules.
How OLD IL 26 compares
Age against the county: built in 1927, earlier than 331 of Stephenson's 342 bridges with a recorded construction year (97%), against a county median build year of 1981. 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).
OLD IL 26 vs every rated Illinois bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
28 Top 82% higher than 18% 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.
Stephenson inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 342 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
- 1927
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 19.7 m (65 ft)
- Deck Width
- 7.4 m (24 ft)
- Owner
- Town/Township Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 475 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 089001800000000
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in poor condition (3/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates poor at 3/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
- • 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
OLD IL 26 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 OLD IL 26 against other structures in Stephenson 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 OLD IL 26?
OLD IL 26 in Stephenson, Illinois has a deck rating of 3/9, superstructure rating of 3/9, and substructure rating of 3/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is OLD IL 26 inspected?
OLD IL 26'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 475 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. OLD IL 26 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 OLD IL 26?
OLD IL 26 has an NBI inventory load rating of 28.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining OLD IL 26?
OLD IL 26 is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
How old is OLD IL 26 and does age affect safety?
OLD IL 26 was built in 1927, making it 99 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.