COLUMBIA AVE
Carrying COLUMBIA AVE over CONRAIL RR 3 STREETS
00.10 S MICHIGAN ST, Lake, Indiana
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
COLUMBIA AVE in Lake, Indiana sits above 15% of rated Indiana bridges on inventory load rating (26 t), while its 1963 build year is earlier than 76% of Lake's recorded-year cohort (501 bridges).
COLUMBIA AVE in Lake, Indiana is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1963, 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 IN:4500156
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 11 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- 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: COLUMBIA AVE
The COLUMBIA AVE bridge in Lake, Indiana carries COLUMBIA AVE over CONRAIL RR 3 STREETS. It was built in 1963, making it 63 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 2002, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 11 sections, stretching 293.8 meters (964 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 17,931 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Indiana bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 7/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How COLUMBIA AVE compares
Age against the county: built in 1963, earlier than 382 of Lake's 501 bridges with a recorded construction year (76%), against a county median build year of 1991. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Indiana bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (19,495 rated).
COLUMBIA AVE vs every rated Indiana bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
26 Top 85% higher than 15% of 19,495 bridges
rated Indiana 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.
Lake inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 501 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
- 1963
- Last Reconstructed
- 2002
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 11
- Structure Length
- 293.8 m (964 ft)
- Deck Width
- 19.3 m (63 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 17,931 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 4500156
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) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • At 6/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
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 COLUMBIA AVE 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 COLUMBIA AVE against other structures in Lake and across Indiana. Indiana 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 COLUMBIA AVE?
COLUMBIA AVE in Lake, Indiana has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is COLUMBIA AVE inspected?
COLUMBIA AVE'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 17,931 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. COLUMBIA AVE 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 COLUMBIA AVE?
COLUMBIA AVE has an NBI inventory load rating of 26.1 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining COLUMBIA AVE?
COLUMBIA AVE is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is COLUMBIA AVE and does age affect safety?
COLUMBIA AVE was built in 1963, making it 63 years old and last reconstructed in 2002.
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.