RS 738 Road 18
Carrying RS 738 Road 18 over CROOKED CREEK
13.7S OF MEADE, Meade, Kansas
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
RS 738 Road 18 in Meade, Kansas sits above 19% of rated Kansas bridges on inventory load rating (17 t), while its 1969 build year is earlier than 40% of Meade's recorded-year cohort (84 bridges).
RS 738 Road 18 in Meade, Kansas is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1969, 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 KS:000000000600160
INTERSTATE-ERA · CONCRETE · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUB-LED · LOCAL-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- CONCRETE Concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 5 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light 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: RS 738 Road 18
The RS 738 Road 18 bridge in Meade, Kansas carries RS 738 Road 18 over CROOKED CREEK. It was built in 1969, making it 57 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 5 sections, stretching 53.8 meters (177 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 50 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 7/9, superstructure at 7/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How RS 738 Road 18 compares
Age against the county: built in 1969, earlier than 34 of Meade's 84 bridges with a recorded construction year (40%), against a county median build year of 1962. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Kansas bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (24,893 of 24,894 rated).
RS 738 Road 18 vs every rated Kansas bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
17 Top 81% higher than 19% 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.
Meade inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 84 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
- 1969
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 5
- Structure Length
- 53.8 m (177 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.1 m (30 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 50 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000600160
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • At 7/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • 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 RS 738 Road 18 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 RS 738 Road 18 against other structures in Meade 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 RS 738 Road 18?
RS 738 Road 18 in Meade, Kansas has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is RS 738 Road 18 inspected?
RS 738 Road 18'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 50 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. RS 738 Road 18 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 RS 738 Road 18?
RS 738 Road 18 has an NBI inventory load rating of 16.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining RS 738 Road 18?
RS 738 Road 18 is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is RS 738 Road 18 and does age affect safety?
RS 738 Road 18 was built in 1969, making it 57 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.