ROUTE 30 BY-PASS
Carrying ROUTE 30 BY-PASS over WEST BR BRANDYWINE CREEK
NEAR VALLEY 28J2, Chester, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS in Chester, Pennsylvania sits above 14% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (26 t), while its 1963 build year is earlier than 55% of Chester's recorded-year cohort (680 bridges).
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS in Chester, Pennsylvania is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1963, 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 PA:000000000009967
INTERSTATE-ERA · PRESTRESS · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUB-LED · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 4 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-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.
Bridge Snapshot: ROUTE 30 BY-PASS
The ROUTE 30 BY-PASS bridge in Chester, Pennsylvania carries ROUTE 30 BY-PASS over WEST BR BRANDYWINE CREEK. It was built in 1963, making it 63 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1978, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 4 sections, stretching 77.4 meters (254 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 29,503 vehicles, placing it in the heavily-trafficked tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by State 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 ROUTE 30 BY-PASS compares
Age against the county: built in 1963, earlier than 372 of Chester's 680 bridges with a recorded construction year (55%), against a county median build year of 1966. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Pennsylvania bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (23,297 of 23,299 rated).
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS vs every rated Pennsylvania bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
26 Top 86% higher than 14% of 23,297 bridges
rated Pennsylvania 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.
Chester inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 680 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
- 1963
- Last Reconstructed
- 1978
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 4
- Structure Length
- 77.4 m (254 ft)
- Deck Width
- 20.0 m (66 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 29,503 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000009967
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 6/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • 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
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS 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 ROUTE 30 BY-PASS against other structures in Chester and across Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania 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 ROUTE 30 BY-PASS?
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS in Chester, Pennsylvania 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 ROUTE 30 BY-PASS inspected?
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS'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 29,503 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ROUTE 30 BY-PASS 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 ROUTE 30 BY-PASS?
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS has an NBI inventory load rating of 26.3 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ROUTE 30 BY-PASS?
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is ROUTE 30 BY-PASS and does age affect safety?
ROUTE 30 BY-PASS was built in 1963, making it 63 years old and last reconstructed in 1978.
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.