Old Highway 40
Carrying Old Highway 40 over N. FORK BIG CREEK TRIB.
2.0E OF VICTORIA, Ellis, Kansas
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Old Highway 40 in Ellis, Kansas sits above 46% of rated Kansas bridges on inventory load rating (26 t), while its 1949 build year is earlier than 83% of Ellis's recorded-year cohort (275 bridges).
Old Highway 40 in Ellis, Kansas is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1949, 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 KS:000000000260700
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · DECK-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- DECK-LED Deck-led
- 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: Old Highway 40
The Old Highway 40 bridge in Ellis, Kansas carries Old Highway 40 over N. FORK BIG CREEK TRIB.. It was built in 1949, making it 77 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 3 sections, stretching 35.8 meters (117 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,000 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Kansas bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure at 7/9, substructure at 6/9. 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 Highway 40 compares
Age against the county: built in 1949, earlier than 229 of Ellis's 275 bridges with a recorded construction year (83%), against a county median build year of 1965. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Kansas bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (24,893 of 24,894 rated).
Old Highway 40 vs every rated Kansas bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
26 Top 54% higher than 46% of 24,893 bridges
rated Kansas 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.
Ellis inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 275 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
- 1949
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 35.8 m (117 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.3 m (27 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,000 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000260700
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) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • 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
Old Highway 40 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 Highway 40 against other structures in Ellis and across Kansas. Kansas 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 Highway 40?
Old Highway 40 in Ellis, Kansas has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Old Highway 40 inspected?
Old Highway 40'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 1,000 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Old Highway 40 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 Highway 40?
Old Highway 40 has an NBI inventory load rating of 25.5 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Old Highway 40?
Old Highway 40 is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is Old Highway 40 and does age affect safety?
Old Highway 40 was built in 1949, making it 77 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.