BLUEWATER HWY
Carrying BLUEWATER HWY over SAN LUIS PASS
SAN LUIS PASS AT CR 257, Galveston, Texas
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
BLUEWATER HWY in Galveston, Texas sits above 3% of rated Texas bridges on inventory load rating (24 t), while its 1966 build year is earlier than 84% of Galveston's recorded-year cohort (344 bridges).
BLUEWATER HWY in Galveston, Texas is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1966, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 5. 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 TX:120850AA0709001
INTERSTATE-ERA · PRESTRESS · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 117 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial 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: BLUEWATER HWY
The BLUEWATER HWY bridge in Galveston, Texas carries BLUEWATER HWY over SAN LUIS PASS. It was built in 1966, making it 60 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 117 sections, stretching 2138.5 meters (7016 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1,200 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Texas bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How BLUEWATER HWY compares
Age against the county: built in 1966, earlier than 289 of Galveston's 344 bridges with a recorded construction year (84%), against a county median build year of 1989. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Texas bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (56,715 of 56,729 rated).
BLUEWATER HWY vs every rated Texas bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
24 Top 97% higher than 3% of 56,715 bridges
rated Texas 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.
Galveston inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 344 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
- 1966
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 117
- Structure Length
- 2138.5 m (7016 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.2 m (33 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1,200 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 120850AA0709001
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
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 BLUEWATER HWY 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 BLUEWATER HWY against other structures in Galveston and across Texas. Texas 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 BLUEWATER HWY?
BLUEWATER HWY in Galveston, Texas has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is BLUEWATER HWY inspected?
BLUEWATER HWY'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 1,200 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. BLUEWATER HWY 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 BLUEWATER HWY?
BLUEWATER HWY has an NBI inventory load rating of 23.6 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining BLUEWATER HWY?
BLUEWATER HWY is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is BLUEWATER HWY and does age affect safety?
BLUEWATER HWY was built in 1966, making it 60 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.