ELM Rd
Carrying ELM Rd over GRIMES Ditch
00.10 S of MADISON Rd, St. Joseph, Indiana
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
ELM Rd in St. Joseph, Indiana sits above 26% of rated Indiana bridges on inventory load rating (30 t), while its 1979 build year is earlier than 55% of St. Joseph's recorded-year cohort (227 bridges).
ELM Rd in St. Joseph, Indiana is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1979, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 4. 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 IN:7100026
INTERSTATE-ERA · PRESTRESS · SINGLE-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- 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: ELM Rd
The ELM Rd bridge in St. Joseph, Indiana carries ELM Rd over GRIMES Ditch. It was built in 1979, making it 47 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 14.0 meters (46 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,207 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Indiana bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 4/9. 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 ELM Rd compares
Age against the county: built in 1979, earlier than 125 of St. Joseph's 227 bridges with a recorded construction year (55%), against a county median build year of 1988. 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).
ELM Rd vs every rated Indiana bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
30 Top 74% higher than 26% 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.
St. Joseph 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
- 1979
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 14.0 m (46 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.5 m (28 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,207 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 7100026
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
ELM 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 ELM Rd against other structures in St. Joseph 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 ELM Rd?
ELM Rd in St. Joseph, Indiana has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is ELM Rd inspected?
ELM 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 1,207 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ELM 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 ELM Rd?
ELM Rd has an NBI inventory load rating of 29.6 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ELM Rd?
ELM Rd is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is ELM Rd and does age affect safety?
ELM Rd was built in 1979, making it 47 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.