WARWICK FURNACE RD
Carrying WARWICK FURNACE RD over SOUTH BR. FRENCH CREEK
1.6 Mi S PA-23 3249-F6, Chester, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
WARWICK FURNACE RD in Chester, Pennsylvania sits above 2% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (6 t), while its 1889 build year is earlier than 96% of Chester's recorded-year cohort (680 bridges).
WARWICK FURNACE RD in Chester, Pennsylvania is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1889, 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:000000000010686
PRE-1950 · MAT-OTHER · SINGLE-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · LOCAL-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- MAT-OTHER Other
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light 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: WARWICK FURNACE RD
The WARWICK FURNACE RD bridge in Chester, Pennsylvania carries WARWICK FURNACE RD over SOUTH BR. FRENCH CREEK. It was built in 1889, making it 137 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1987, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of aluminum/iron and spans 1 section, stretching 17.7 meters (58 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 565 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 4/9, 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 WARWICK FURNACE RD compares
Age against the county: built in 1889, earlier than 656 of Chester's 680 bridges with a recorded construction year (96%), 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).
WARWICK FURNACE RD vs every rated Pennsylvania bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
6 Top 98% higher than 2% 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
- 1889
- Last Reconstructed
- 1987
- Material
- Aluminum/Iron
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 17.7 m (58 ft)
- Deck Width
- 5.2 m (17 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 565 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000010686
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
- • 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
WARWICK FURNACE 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 WARWICK FURNACE RD 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 WARWICK FURNACE RD?
WARWICK FURNACE RD in Chester, Pennsylvania has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is WARWICK FURNACE RD inspected?
WARWICK FURNACE 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 565 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. WARWICK FURNACE 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 WARWICK FURNACE RD?
WARWICK FURNACE RD has an NBI inventory load rating of 6.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining WARWICK FURNACE RD?
WARWICK FURNACE RD is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is WARWICK FURNACE RD and does age affect safety?
WARWICK FURNACE RD was built in 1889, making it 137 years old and last reconstructed in 1987.
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.