SPARKS MILL ROAD
Carrying SPARKS MILL ROAD over GRANNY FINLEY BRANCH
1.1 MI. WEST OF MD 213, Queen Anne's, Maryland
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
SPARKS MILL ROAD in Queen Anne's, Maryland sits above 88% of rated Maryland bridges on inventory load rating (80 t), while its 1985 build year is earlier than 36% of Queen Anne's's recorded-year cohort (88 bridges).
SPARKS MILL ROAD in Queen Anne's, Maryland is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1985, it carries 1 rated component on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. 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 MD:200000Q-0020030
LATE-CENTURY · STEEL · SHORT-BRIDGE · CULVERT-LED · LOCAL-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- STEEL Steel
- SHORT-BRIDGE 14.6 m
- CULVERT-LED Culvert-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy 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: SPARKS MILL ROAD
The SPARKS MILL ROAD bridge in Queen Anne's, Maryland carries SPARKS MILL ROAD over GRANNY FINLEY BRANCH. It was built in 1985, making it 41 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel, stretching 14.6 meters (48 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 221 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Maryland bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show culvert at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. None of this bridge's reported major components fall into the Poor condition range.
How SPARKS MILL ROAD compares
Age against the county: built in 1985, earlier than 32 of Queen Anne's's 88 bridges with a recorded construction year (36%), against a county median build year of 1982. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Maryland bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (5,479 of 5,484 rated).
SPARKS MILL ROAD vs every rated Maryland bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
80 Top 12% higher than 88% of 5,479 bridges
rated Maryland 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.
Queen Anne's inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 88 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
- 1985
- Material
- Steel
- Structure Length
- 14.6 m (48 ft) 0
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 221 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 200000Q-0020030
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 SPARKS MILL ROAD 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 SPARKS MILL ROAD against other structures in Queen Anne's and across Maryland. Maryland 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 SPARKS MILL ROAD?
SPARKS MILL ROAD in Queen Anne's, Maryland on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is SPARKS MILL ROAD inspected?
SPARKS MILL ROAD'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 221 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. SPARKS MILL ROAD 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 SPARKS MILL ROAD?
SPARKS MILL ROAD has an NBI inventory load rating of 79.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining SPARKS MILL ROAD?
SPARKS MILL ROAD is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is SPARKS MILL ROAD and does age affect safety?
SPARKS MILL ROAD was built in 1985, making it 41 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.