SILVER BELL
Carrying SILVER BELL over PAINT CREEK
WEST OF ORION RD, Oakland, Michigan
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SILVER BELL in Oakland, Michigan sits above 10% of rated Michigan bridges on inventory load rating (24 t), while its 1961 build year is earlier than 87% of Oakland's recorded-year cohort (508 bridges).
SILVER BELL in Oakland, Michigan is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1961, 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 MI:000000000008206
INTERSTATE-ERA · PRESTRESS · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local 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: SILVER BELL
The SILVER BELL bridge in Oakland, Michigan carries SILVER BELL over PAINT CREEK. It was built in 1961, making it 65 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 12.2 meters (40 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 326 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Michigan bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 4/9. 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 SILVER BELL compares
Age against the county: built in 1961, earlier than 443 of Oakland's 508 bridges with a recorded construction year (87%), against a county median build year of 1982. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Michigan bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (11,366 of 11,371 rated).
SILVER BELL vs every rated Michigan bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
24 Top 90% higher than 10% of 11,366 bridges
rated Michigan 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.
Oakland inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 508 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
- 1961
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 12.2 m (40 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.1 m (33 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 326 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000008206
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 fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
SILVER BELL 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 SILVER BELL against other structures in Oakland and across Michigan. Michigan 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 SILVER BELL?
SILVER BELL in Oakland, Michigan has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is SILVER BELL inspected?
SILVER BELL'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 326 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. SILVER BELL 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 SILVER BELL?
SILVER BELL has an NBI inventory load rating of 24.3 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SILVER BELL?
SILVER BELL is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is SILVER BELL and does age affect safety?
SILVER BELL was built in 1961, making it 65 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.
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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.