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Cover image for Bridge Clearance Data API for Fleet Routing
Roman Kotenko
Roman Kotenko

Posted on • Originally published at road511.com

Bridge Clearance Data API for Fleet Routing

#api #trucking #go #tutorial

If you're routing commercial vehicles, you need to know which bridges your truck can't clear. The FHWA National Bridge Inventory has 621,000 bridges with height and weight data — but it's buried in an ArcGIS FeatureServer with pagination limits and cryptic field codes.

Road511 normalizes all of it into one queryable API. Plus state-level bridge inventories from PA, OH, TX, VA, NY, FL, WA, and IN with enhanced detail.

The Data

Every bridge record includes:

  • Height clearance — vertical clearance in meters
  • Weight rating — operating and inventory load ratings in metric tons
  • Posting status — open, posted, posted_closed, closed
  • Condition ratings — deck, superstructure, substructure (0-9 scale)
  • Road carried and feature crossed — "I-80 over Passaic River"
  • Year built, ADT, inspection date — for infrastructure analysis

Query by Bounding Box 

curl "https://api.road511.com/api/v1/features?type=bridge_clearances&bbox=-75.5,39.5,-74.5,40.5&limit=50" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_key"
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Returns every bridge in the Philadelphia metro area with clearance and weight data.

Corridor Search

The killer feature for fleet routing — query all restrictions along a route:

curl "https://api.road511.com/api/v1/truck/corridor?from_lat=41.88&from_lng=-87.63&to_lat=40.71&to_lng=-74.01&buffer_km=5&height=4.2&weight=36" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_key"
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This returns every bridge clearance, weight restriction, and truck restriction within 5km of the Chicago-to-NYC corridor that a 4.2m tall, 36-ton truck can't clear. The height and weight parameters filter results to only show conflicts.

GeoJSON for Route Overlays 

curl "https://api.road511.com/api/v1/truck/corridor/geojson?from_lat=41.88&from_lng=-87.63&to_lat=40.71&to_lng=-74.01&buffer_km=5" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_key"
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Drop the response directly onto a map to visualize every restriction along the corridor.

Data Sources

Source Bridges Coverage
FHWA NBI 621,000 All US states + DC + PR
Pennsylvania PennDOT 56,000 PA bridges + 3K restricted roads
Texas TxDOT 58,000 TX posted bridges
Ohio ODOT 45,000 OH posted bridges
Virginia VDOT 40,000 VA posted structures
New York NYSDOT 2,300 NY posted load + height bridges
Washington WSDOT 10,800 WA bridge inventory
Indiana INDOT 4,400 IN LiDAR per-lane clearances
Florida FDOT 824 FL weight-posted bridges

Who Uses This

  • Fleet management software — pre-route clearance checks
  • Logistics platforms — automated route validation
  • Oversize/overweight permitting — clearance verification
  • Engineering firms — infrastructure condition analysis
  • Insurance — bridge condition risk scoring

Try It

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