PA 340; Old Phila
Carrying PA 340; Old Phila over Mill Creek
0.7 mi. East of Smoketown, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
PA 340; Old Phila in Lancaster, Pennsylvania sits above 14% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (26 t), while its 1951 build year is earlier than 74% of Lancaster's recorded-year cohort (801 bridges).
PA 340; Old Phila in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1951, 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:000000000021229
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · SUB-LED · HEAVY-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 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: PA 340; Old Phila
The PA 340; Old Phila bridge in Lancaster, Pennsylvania carries PA 340; Old Phila over Mill Creek. It was built in 1951, making it 75 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 2 sections, stretching 32.6 meters (107 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 12,096 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 6/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. Because at least one major component scores 4 or lower, this bridge falls in FHWA's Poor condition category. That category is not a closure order.
How PA 340; Old Phila compares
Age against the county: built in 1951, earlier than 590 of Lancaster's 801 bridges with a recorded construction year (74%), against a county median build year of 1972. 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).
PA 340; Old Phila 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.
Lancaster inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 801 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
- 1951
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 32.6 m (107 ft)
- Deck Width
- 13.7 m (45 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 12,096 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000021229
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
PA 340; Old Phila 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 PA 340; Old Phila against other structures in Lancaster 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 PA 340; Old Phila?
PA 340; Old Phila in Lancaster, Pennsylvania has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is PA 340; Old Phila inspected?
PA 340; Old Phila'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 12,096 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. PA 340; Old Phila 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 PA 340; Old Phila?
PA 340; Old Phila has an NBI inventory load rating of 26.3 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining PA 340; Old Phila?
PA 340; Old Phila is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is PA 340; Old Phila and does age affect safety?
PA 340; Old Phila was built in 1951, making it 75 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.
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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.