RTE I278
Carrying RTE I278 over MEEKER AVENUE MEEKER AV
1.3 MI SW JCT I278 & I495, Kings, New York
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
RTE I278 in Kings, New York sits above 11% of rated New York bridges on inventory load rating (24 t), while its 1950 build year is earlier than 55% of Kings's recorded-year cohort (242 bridges).
RTE I278 in Kings, New York is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1950, 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 NY:000000001065609
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · LONG-SPAN-RUN · DECK-LED · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 39 spans
- DECK-LED Deck-led
- HEAVY-ADT Heavy 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.
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: RTE I278
The RTE I278 bridge in Kings, New York carries RTE I278 over MEEKER AVENUE MEEKER AV. It was built in 1950, making it 76 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1995, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 39 sections, stretching 783.3 meters (2570 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 140,343 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of New York 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). At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules.
How RTE I278 compares
Age against the county: built in 1950, earlier than 132 of Kings's 242 bridges with a recorded construction year (55%), against a county median build year of 1955. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across New York bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (17,641 of 17,642 rated).
RTE I278 vs every rated New York bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
24 Top 89% higher than 11% of 17,641 bridges
rated New York 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.
Kings inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 242 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
- 1950
- Last Reconstructed
- 1995
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 39
- Structure Length
- 783.3 m (2570 ft)
- Deck Width
- 24.7 m (81 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 140,343 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000001065609
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 5/9, 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
RTE I278 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 RTE I278 against other structures in Kings and across New York. New York 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 RTE I278?
RTE I278 in Kings, New York has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is RTE I278 inspected?
RTE I278'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 140,343 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. RTE I278 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 RTE I278?
RTE I278 has an NBI inventory load rating of 23.6 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining RTE I278?
RTE I278 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is RTE I278 and does age affect safety?
RTE I278 was built in 1950, making it 76 years old and last reconstructed in 1995.
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.