Palo Colorado Road over Mill Creek
Monterey County, California · rated Good in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory
United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled
- Palo Colorado Road over Mill Creek in Monterey County, California, is rated in good condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of ).
- Its lowest-rated component is the deck, rated 7 (good condition) on the 0-9 scale.
- It was built in 1954 and reconstructed in 2001, making it 71 years old at the 2025 inventory.
- It carries about 550 vehicles a day (traffic count year 2013).
- Its listed owner is the county highway agency.
- It is one of 215 of the 378 inventoried bridges in Monterey County rated good (56.9%); 27 (7.1%) are rated poor.
- Its traffic status in the 2025 inventory is closed to all traffic (NBI item 41).
- Its condition class and component ratings are unchanged from the 2024 inventory.
- Its most recent inspection on record is dated September 2023, on a 24-month routine inspection cycle.
- It has fracture-critical members (NBI item 92A): steel tension members without a redundant load path, which get their own scheduled inspections.
- A good rating means every major component - deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert - is rated 7 or higher on FHWA's 0-9 scale: no more than minor problems.
View this bridge on a map → (36.36125, -121.82236)
Component ratings
| Component | Rating (2024) | Rating (2025) | FHWA scale meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck | 7 | 7 | Good condition |
| Superstructure | 7 | 7 | Good condition |
| Substructure | 7 | 7 | Good condition |
Bridge details
| Structure | Steel girder and floorbeam |
| Length | about 63 ft |
| Location | 6.9 Mi SE SH 1 |
| NBI structure number | 44C0164 |
| Condition class | Good |
| Traffic status (item 41) | Closed to all traffic |
| Last inspection (item 90) | September 2023 |
| Inspection interval (item 91) | 24 months |
| Scour (item 113) | U: unknown foundation, not evaluated for scour |
| Fracture critical (item 92A) | Yes |
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 data as reported by the California department of transportation.
Busiest bridges in Monterey County
| Bridge | Built | Vehicles/day | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR 1 Abandoned RR over Divarty Street | 1973 | 59,000 | Good |
| U.S. Highway 101 over Elkhorn Slough Tributary | 1930 | 59,000 | Fair |
| US 101 SB S101 Off over Little Bear Creek | 1965 | 49,000 | Good |
| US Highway 101 NB over Little Bear Creek | 1965 | 49,000 | Good |
| US Highway 101 SB over N101-abbott&abbott-s101 | 1954 | 41,000 | Good |
| US Highway 101 SB over Alisal Road | 1954 | 41,000 | Good |
All bridges nearby: Monterey County, CA bridge conditions · every bridge in Monterey County · California bridges.
Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.