70th Street
Carrying 70th Street over SEPTA (AHSL)
S of Lindbergh Blv 36F07, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
70th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania sits above 15% of rated Pennsylvania bridges on inventory load rating (27 t), while its 1980 build year is earlier than 24% of Philadelphia's recorded-year cohort (584 bridges).
70th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1980, 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:000000000039246
LATE-CENTURY · PRESTRESS · SINGLE-SPAN · SUB-LED · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- 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: 70th Street
The 70th Street bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania carries 70th Street over SEPTA (AHSL). It was built in 1980, making it 46 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 1 section, stretching 23.5 meters (77 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 9,700 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Pennsylvania bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal 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 70th Street compares
Age against the county: built in 1980, earlier than 139 of Philadelphia's 584 bridges with a recorded construction year (24%), against a county median build year of 1964. 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).
70th Street vs every rated Pennsylvania bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
27 Top 85% higher than 15% 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.
Philadelphia inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 585 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
- 1980
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 23.5 m (77 ft)
- Deck Width
- 23.3 m (76 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 9,700 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000039246
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • 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 poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
70th 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 70th Street against other structures in Philadelphia 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 70th Street?
70th Street in Philadelphia, 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 70th Street inspected?
70th 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 9,700 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. 70th 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 70th Street?
70th Street has an NBI inventory load rating of 27.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining 70th Street?
70th Street is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is 70th Street and does age affect safety?
70th Street was built in 1980, making it 46 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.