Ask a Librarian & FAQs

There are at least two ways to search the NBI through an official government source rather than an aggregator:

You can access the LTBP InfoBridge: Data map website from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

• Click the small "Show Bridges" button.
• There are NBI and NBE (National Bridge Elements) subpages/tabs.
• One benefit of this source is that, under NBI, then All, the coded fields are spelled out with their descriptions, for example, “Record Type (5A): 1 - On Structure.”

Another way to get to the data is from the BTS National Bridge Inventory GIS site:

• Dynamically search the National Bridge Inventory by clicking View Map.
• Zoom in
• Click a blue dot to see the bridge data.
• Using the box of data, you can then use the Coding Guide to determine, for example, “RECORD_TYPE_005A: 1” means Route carried "on" the structure.

You may also find the following useful:

• National Transportation Statistics (BTS), “Condition of US Highway Bridges”
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Bridges and Structures
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card: Structurally Deficient Bridges