Public Road
Carrying Public Road over Coal Creek
.25 M N of Jct US Hwy 287, Boulder, Colorado
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: Public Road
The Public Road bridge in Boulder, Colorado carries Public Road over Coal Creek. It was built in 1927, making it 99 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 2000, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 14.0 meters (46 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 10,350 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Colorado bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range. Its NBI inventory load rating is 31.1 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How Public Road compares
Live comparison across Colorado.
Historical Sufficiency Rating
PlainBridge-computedFHWA discontinued this calculated item; it does not determine current condition, funding eligibility, posting, or closure. How the historical reference is calculated.
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1927
- Last Reconstructed
- 2000
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 14.0 m (46 ft)
- Deck Width
- 14.7 m (48 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 10,350 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- LAF-PUBRD-003
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 6/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Public Road 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 Public Road against other structures in Boulder and across Colorado. Colorado 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 Public Road?
Public Road in Boulder, Colorado has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Public Road inspected?
Public Road'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 10,350 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Public Road 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 Public Road?
Public Road has an NBI inventory load rating of 31.1 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Public Road?
Public Road is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is Public Road and does age affect safety?
Public Road was built in 1927, making it 99 years old and last reconstructed in 2000.
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.
Every figure on PlainBridge is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.