Ball Town Rd
Carrying Ball Town Rd over ARD CREEK
.7 MI. S OF HWY. 438, Washington, Louisiana
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Ball Town Rd in Washington, Louisiana sits above 1% of rated Louisiana bridges on inventory load rating (6 t), while its 1960 build year is earlier than 75% of Washington's recorded-year cohort (285 bridges).
Ball Town Rd in Washington, Louisiana is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1960, 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 LA:625930582894541
INTERSTATE-ERA · TIMBER · MULTI-SPAN · SUPER-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- TIMBER Wood or timber
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light 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: Ball Town Rd
The Ball Town Rd bridge in Washington, Louisiana carries Ball Town Rd over ARD CREEK. It was built in 1960, making it 66 years old today. The structure is built primarily of wood or timber and spans 2 sections, stretching 10.7 meters (35 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,680 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Louisiana bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How Ball Town Rd compares
Age against the county: built in 1960, earlier than 213 of Washington's 285 bridges with a recorded construction year (75%), against a county median build year of 1975. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Louisiana bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (12,682 of 12,698 rated).
Ball Town Rd vs every rated Louisiana bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
6 Top 99% higher than 1% of 12,682 bridges
rated Louisiana 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.
Washington inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 285 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
- 1960
- Material
- Wood or Timber
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 10.7 m (35 ft)
- Deck Width
- 5.5 m (18 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,680 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 625930582894541
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
Ball Town 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 Ball Town Rd against other structures in Washington and across Louisiana. Louisiana 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 Ball Town Rd?
Ball Town Rd in Washington, Louisiana has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Ball Town Rd inspected?
Ball Town 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 1,680 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Ball Town 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 Ball Town Rd?
Ball Town Rd has an NBI inventory load rating of 6.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Ball Town Rd?
Ball Town Rd is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is Ball Town Rd and does age affect safety?
Ball Town Rd was built in 1960, making it 66 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.