SMITH LANE
Carrying SMITH LANE over LITTLE LEHIGH CREEK
NW OF ALBURTIS, Lehigh, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SMITH LANE in Lehigh, Pennsylvania sits above 3% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (10 t), while its 1970 build year is earlier than 40% of Lehigh's recorded-year cohort (381 bridges).
SMITH LANE in Lehigh, Pennsylvania is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1970, 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:000000000023442
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · SUPER-LED · LOCAL-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- 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: SMITH LANE
The SMITH LANE bridge in Lehigh, Pennsylvania carries SMITH LANE over LITTLE LEHIGH CREEK. It was built in 1970, making it 56 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1983, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 10.1 meters (33 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 50 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How SMITH LANE compares
Age against the county: built in 1970, earlier than 152 of Lehigh's 381 bridges with a recorded construction year (40%), against a county median build year of 1961. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Pennsylvania bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (23,297 of 23,299 rated).
SMITH LANE vs every rated Pennsylvania bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
10 Top 97% higher than 3% 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.
Lehigh inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 381 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
- 1970
- Last Reconstructed
- 1983
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 10.1 m (33 ft)
- Deck Width
- 7.3 m (24 ft)
- Owner
- Town/Township Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 50 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000023442
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
- • 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
SMITH LANE 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 SMITH LANE against other structures in Lehigh 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 LANE?
SMITH LANE in Lehigh, Pennsylvania has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is SMITH LANE inspected?
SMITH LANE'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 50 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. SMITH LANE 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 SMITH LANE?
SMITH LANE has an NBI inventory load rating of 10.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SMITH LANE?
SMITH LANE is owned and maintained by Town/Township Highway Agency.
How old is SMITH LANE and does age affect safety?
SMITH LANE was built in 1970, making it 56 years old and last reconstructed in 1983.
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.