US 46
Carrying US 46 over NJ 17 NORTHBOUND
3.7 MILES EAST OF GSP, Bergen, New Jersey
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
US 46 in Bergen, New Jersey sits above 57% of rated New Jersey bridges on inventory load rating (44 t), while its 1936 build year is earlier than 80% of Bergen's recorded-year cohort (577 bridges).
US 46 in Bergen, New Jersey is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1936, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 3. 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 NJ:0221152
PRE-1950 · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · DECK-LED · HEAVY-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- DECK-LED Deck-led
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy 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.
Structural health score
A composite of the deck, superstructure, and substructure NBI condition ratings plus the inventory load rating, benchmarked against the full national bridge corpus, distinct from the Good/Fair/Poor category above.
Bridge Snapshot: US 46
The US 46 bridge in Bergen, New Jersey carries US 46 over NJ 17 NORTHBOUND. It was built in 1936, making it 90 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1963, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 25.0 meters (82 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 50,868 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of New Jersey bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection places the weakest component in poor condition (see the full component ratings below). A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How US 46 compares
Age against the county: built in 1936, earlier than 464 of Bergen's 577 bridges with a recorded construction year (80%), against a county median build year of 1963. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across New Jersey bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (6,826 of 6,827 rated).
US 46 vs every rated New Jersey bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
44 Top 43% higher than 57% of 6,826 bridges
rated New Jersey 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.
Bergen inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 577 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
- 1936
- Last Reconstructed
- 1963
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 25.0 m (82 ft)
- Deck Width
- 19.8 m (65 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 50,868 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 0221152
Condition Analysis
- • At 3/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 4/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
US 46 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 US 46 against other structures in Bergen and across New Jersey. New Jersey 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 US 46?
US 46 in Bergen, New Jersey has a deck rating of 3/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is US 46 inspected?
US 46'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 50,868 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. US 46 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 US 46?
US 46 has an NBI inventory load rating of 43.5 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining US 46?
US 46 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is US 46 and does age affect safety?
US 46 was built in 1936, making it 90 years old and last reconstructed in 1963.
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.