RAMAL PR 656
Carrying RAMAL PR 656 over GRANDE DE ARECIBO RIVER
11 KM S E OF ARECIBO, Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
RAMAL PR 656 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico sits above 1% of rated Puerto Rico bridges on inventory load rating (0 t), while its 1988 build year is earlier than 18% of Arecibo's recorded-year cohort (51 bridges).
RAMAL PR 656 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1988, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 0. 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 PR:019171
LATE-CENTURY · CONCRETE · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · LOCAL-ADT · TRACE-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- CONCRETE Concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 8 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- TRACE-LOAD Trace 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: RAMAL PR 656
The RAMAL PR 656 bridge in Arecibo, Puerto Rico carries RAMAL PR 656 over GRANDE DE ARECIBO RIVER. It was built in 1988, making it 38 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1998, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 8 sections, stretching 103.0 meters (338 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 600 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Puerto Rico bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 0/9, superstructure at 0/9, substructure at 0/9. The weakest component sits in critical condition. At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules.
How RAMAL PR 656 compares
Age against the county: built in 1988, earlier than 9 of Arecibo's 51 bridges with a recorded construction year (18%), against a county median build year of 1974. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Puerto Rico bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (2,385 rated).
RAMAL PR 656 vs every rated Puerto Rico bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
0 Top 99% higher than 1% of 2,385 bridges
rated Puerto Rico 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.
Arecibo inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 51 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
- 1988
- Last Reconstructed
- 1998
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 8
- Structure Length
- 103.0 m (338 ft)
- Deck Width
- 13.1 m (43 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 600 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 019171
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates critical at 0/9, with severe deterioration on the latest inspection.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates critical at 0/9, with severe deterioration on the latest inspection.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in critical condition (0/9), with severe deterioration recorded on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
RAMAL PR 656 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 RAMAL PR 656 against other structures in Arecibo and across Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico 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 RAMAL PR 656?
RAMAL PR 656 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico has a deck rating of 0/9, superstructure rating of 0/9, and substructure rating of 0/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is RAMAL PR 656 inspected?
RAMAL PR 656'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 600 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. RAMAL PR 656 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 RAMAL PR 656?
RAMAL PR 656 has an NBI inventory load rating of 0.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining RAMAL PR 656?
RAMAL PR 656 is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is RAMAL PR 656 and does age affect safety?
RAMAL PR 656 was built in 1988, making it 38 years old and last reconstructed in 1998.
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.