OLD LANCASTER ROAD
Carrying OLD LANCASTER ROAD over AMTRAK (PHILA TO PITT)
BERWYN 24E8, Chester, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
OLD LANCASTER ROAD in Chester, Pennsylvania sits above 83% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (49 t), while its 1957 build year is earlier than 63% of Chester's recorded-year cohort (680 bridges).
OLD LANCASTER ROAD in Chester, Pennsylvania is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1957, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair 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:000000000010316
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
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: OLD LANCASTER ROAD
The OLD LANCASTER ROAD bridge in Chester, Pennsylvania carries OLD LANCASTER ROAD over AMTRAK (PHILA TO PITT). It was built in 1957, making it 69 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 2018, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 20.4 meters (67 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 6,264 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by Railroad.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How OLD LANCASTER ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 1957, earlier than 426 of Chester's 680 bridges with a recorded construction year (63%), 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).
OLD LANCASTER ROAD vs every rated Pennsylvania bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
49 Top 17% higher than 83% 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
- 1957
- Last Reconstructed
- 2018
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 20.4 m (67 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.1 m (27 ft)
- Owner
- Railroad
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 6,264 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000010316
Condition Analysis
- • At 7/9, the deck (driving surface) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 6/9, 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
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether OLD LANCASTER ROAD is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare OLD LANCASTER ROAD 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 OLD LANCASTER ROAD?
OLD LANCASTER ROAD in Chester, Pennsylvania has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is OLD LANCASTER ROAD inspected?
OLD LANCASTER ROAD'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 6,264 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. OLD LANCASTER ROAD is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for OLD LANCASTER ROAD?
OLD LANCASTER ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 49.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining OLD LANCASTER ROAD?
OLD LANCASTER ROAD is owned and maintained by Railroad.
How old is OLD LANCASTER ROAD and does age affect safety?
OLD LANCASTER ROAD was built in 1957, making it 69 years old and last reconstructed in 2018.
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.