Bales Rd.
Carrying Bales Rd. over DITCH 702
340 east of Jahns Rd., Henry, Ohio
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bales Rd. in Henry, Ohio sits above 12% of rated Ohio bridges on inventory load rating (26 t), while its 1968 build year is earlier than 69% of Henry's recorded-year cohort (265 bridges).
Bales Rd. in Henry, Ohio is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1968, 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 OH:3531465
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial 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: Bales Rd.
The Bales Rd. bridge in Henry, Ohio carries Bales Rd. over DITCH 702. It was built in 1968, making it 58 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1974, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 13.4 meters (44 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,368 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Ohio bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 4/9. 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 Bales Rd. compares
Age against the county: built in 1968, earlier than 184 of Henry's 265 bridges with a recorded construction year (69%), against a county median build year of 1983. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Ohio bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (26,729 rated).
Bales Rd. vs every rated Ohio bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
26 Top 88% higher than 12% of 26,729 bridges
rated Ohio 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.
Henry inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 265 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
- 1968
- Last Reconstructed
- 1974
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 13.4 m (44 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.8 m (32 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,368 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 3531465
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 5/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • 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
Bales 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 Bales Rd. against other structures in Henry and across Ohio. Ohio 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 Bales Rd.?
Bales Rd. in Henry, Ohio has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Bales Rd. inspected?
Bales 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 1,368 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Bales 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 Bales Rd.?
Bales Rd. has an NBI inventory load rating of 25.9 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Bales Rd.?
Bales Rd. is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is Bales Rd. and does age affect safety?
Bales Rd. was built in 1968, making it 58 years old and last reconstructed in 1974.
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.