ND HIGHWAY 17
Carrying ND HIGHWAY 17 over MAUVAIS COULEE
5 EAST OF CANDO, Towner, North Dakota
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: ND HIGHWAY 17
The ND HIGHWAY 17 bridge in Towner, North Dakota carries ND HIGHWAY 17 over MAUVAIS COULEE. It was built in 1962, making it 64 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 3 sections, stretching 29.0 meters (95 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 560 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of North Dakota bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. Because at least one major component scores 4 or lower, this bridge falls in FHWA's Poor condition category. That category is not a closure order. Its NBI inventory load rating is 43.3 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How ND HIGHWAY 17 compares
Live comparison across North Dakota.
Historical Sufficiency Rating
PlainBridge-computedFHWA discontinued this calculated item; it does not determine current condition, funding eligibility, posting, or closure. How the historical reference is calculated.
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1962
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 29.0 m (95 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.9 m (36 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 560 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 0017042967
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 4/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
How to read this record
ND HIGHWAY 17 is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare ND HIGHWAY 17 against other structures in Towner and across North Dakota. North Dakota 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 ND HIGHWAY 17?
ND HIGHWAY 17 in Towner, North Dakota has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is ND HIGHWAY 17 inspected?
ND HIGHWAY 17'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 560 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ND HIGHWAY 17 is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for ND HIGHWAY 17?
ND HIGHWAY 17 has an NBI inventory load rating of 43.3 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ND HIGHWAY 17?
ND HIGHWAY 17 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is ND HIGHWAY 17 and does age affect safety?
ND HIGHWAY 17 was built in 1962, making it 64 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.
Every figure on PlainBridge is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.