SMITH BRIDGE ROAD
Carrying SMITH BRIDGE ROAD over WEST BR. CHESTER CREEK
EAST OF US 322 32K12, Delaware, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD in Delaware, Pennsylvania sits above 14% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (26 t), while its 1927 build year is earlier than 89% of Delaware's recorded-year cohort (387 bridges).
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD in Delaware, Pennsylvania is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1927, it carries 2 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 5. 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:000000000015342
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · SINGLE-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard 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: SMITH BRIDGE ROAD
The SMITH BRIDGE ROAD bridge in Delaware, Pennsylvania carries SMITH BRIDGE ROAD over WEST BR. CHESTER CREEK. It was built in 1927, making it 99 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 18.3 meters (60 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 4,685 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How SMITH BRIDGE ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 1927, earlier than 345 of Delaware's 387 bridges with a recorded construction year (89%), against a county median build year of 1973. 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).
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD 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.
Delaware inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 387 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
- 1927
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 18.3 m (60 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.1 m (30 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 4,685 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000015342
Condition Analysis
- • 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 fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
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 SMITH BRIDGE 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 SMITH BRIDGE ROAD against other structures in Delaware 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 SMITH BRIDGE ROAD?
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD in Delaware, Pennsylvania, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is SMITH BRIDGE ROAD inspected?
SMITH BRIDGE 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 4,685 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. SMITH BRIDGE 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 SMITH BRIDGE ROAD?
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 26.3 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SMITH BRIDGE ROAD?
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is SMITH BRIDGE ROAD and does age affect safety?
SMITH BRIDGE ROAD was built in 1927, making it 99 years old.
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.