WALNUT STREET
Carrying WALNUT STREET over CEDAR CREEK
ST ELMO ST & READING ROAD, Lehigh, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
WALNUT STREET in Lehigh, Pennsylvania sits above 9% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (22 t), while its 1824 build year is earlier than 100% of Lehigh's recorded-year cohort (381 bridges).
WALNUT STREET in Lehigh, Pennsylvania is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1824, it carries 2 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:000000000023503
PRE-1950 · MAT-OTHER · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- MAT-OTHER Other
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial 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: WALNUT STREET
The WALNUT STREET bridge in Lehigh, Pennsylvania carries WALNUT STREET over CEDAR CREEK. It was built in 1824, making it 202 years old today. The structure is built primarily of masonry and spans 2 sections, stretching 10.7 meters (35 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,000 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 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 WALNUT STREET compares
Age against the county: built in 1824, earlier than 380 of Lehigh's 381 bridges with a recorded construction year (100%), against a county median build year of 1961. 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).
WALNUT STREET vs every rated Pennsylvania bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
22 Top 91% higher than 9% 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
- 1824
- Material
- Masonry
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 10.7 m (35 ft)
- Deck Width
- 7.3 m (24 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,000 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000023503
Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • 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
WALNUT STREET 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 WALNUT STREET 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 WALNUT STREET?
WALNUT STREET in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is WALNUT STREET inspected?
WALNUT STREET'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 1,000 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. WALNUT STREET 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 WALNUT STREET?
WALNUT STREET has an NBI inventory load rating of 21.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining WALNUT STREET?
WALNUT STREET is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is WALNUT STREET and does age affect safety?
WALNUT STREET was built in 1824, making it 202 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.