Old Hwy 40
Carrying Old Hwy 40 over TRIB. SMOKY HILL RIVER
2.0S 4.0E OF WILSON, Ellsworth, Kansas
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Old Hwy 40 in Ellsworth, Kansas sits above 13% of rated Kansas bridges on inventory load rating (15 t), while its 1933 build year is earlier than 88% of Ellsworth's recorded-year cohort (259 bridges).
Old Hwy 40 in Ellsworth, Kansas is rated Good in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1933, it carries 1 rated component on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 7. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Good 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:000000000270600
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · CULVERT-LED · LOCAL-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-GOOD
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- CULVERT-LED Culvert-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light load
- CAT-GOOD Good
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 Hwy 40
The Old Hwy 40 bridge in Ellsworth, Kansas carries Old Hwy 40 over TRIB. SMOKY HILL RIVER. It was built in 1933, making it 93 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 2 sections, stretching 6.6 meters (22 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 580 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 culvert at 7/9. The weakest component sits in good condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How Old Hwy 40 compares
Age against the county: built in 1933, earlier than 229 of Ellsworth's 259 bridges with a recorded construction year (88%), against a county median build year of 1964. 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 Hwy 40 vs every rated Kansas bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
15 Top 87% higher than 13% 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.
Ellsworth inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 259 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
- 1933
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 6.6 m (22 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.5 m (34 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 580 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000270600
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 Old Hwy 40 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 Old Hwy 40 against other structures in Ellsworth 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 Hwy 40?
Old Hwy 40 in Ellsworth, Kansas on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Old Hwy 40 inspected?
Old Hwy 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 580 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Old Hwy 40 is currently shown as Good condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for Old Hwy 40?
Old Hwy 40 has an NBI inventory load rating of 14.5 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Old Hwy 40?
Old Hwy 40 is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is Old Hwy 40 and does age affect safety?
Old Hwy 40 was built in 1933, making it 93 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.