NFA A178
Carrying NFA A178 over SMITH BRANCH
NELSON ROAD, Tipton, Tennessee
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
NFA A178 in Tipton, Tennessee sits above 39% of rated Tennessee bridges on inventory load rating (32 t), while its 1988 build year is earlier than 48% of Tipton's recorded-year cohort (201 bridges).
NFA A178 in Tipton, Tennessee is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1988, it carries 1 rated component on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair 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 TN:840A1780003
LATE-CENTURY · CONCRETE · MULTI-SPAN · CULVERT-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- CONCRETE Concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- CULVERT-LED Culvert-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
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: NFA A178
The NFA A178 bridge in Tipton, Tennessee carries NFA A178 over SMITH BRANCH. It was built in 1988, making it 38 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 2 sections, stretching 10.4 meters (34 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 130 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Tennessee bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show culvert at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How NFA A178 compares
Age against the county: built in 1988, earlier than 97 of Tipton's 201 bridges with a recorded construction year (48%), against a county median build year of 1988.
Live comparison across Tennessee bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (20,355 of 20,379 rated).
NFA A178 vs every rated Tennessee bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
32 Top 61% higher than 39% of 20,355 bridges
rated Tennessee 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.
Tipton inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 201 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
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 10.4 m (34 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.1 m (27 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 130 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 840A1780003
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether NFA A178 is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare NFA A178 against other structures in Tipton and across Tennessee. Tennessee 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 NFA A178?
NFA A178 in Tipton, Tennessee on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is NFA A178 inspected?
NFA A178'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 130 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. NFA A178 is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for NFA A178?
NFA A178 has an NBI inventory load rating of 32.4 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining NFA A178?
NFA A178 is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is NFA A178 and does age affect safety?
NFA A178 was built in 1988, making it 38 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.