COUNTY TRAIL
Carrying COUNTY TRAIL over COULEE
6 E 1 N MINNEWAUKAN, Benson, North Dakota
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
COUNTY TRAIL in Benson, North Dakota sits above 1% of rated North Dakota bridges on inventory load rating (0 t), while its 1942 build year is earlier than 88% of Benson's recorded-year cohort (40 bridges).
COUNTY TRAIL in Benson, North Dakota is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1942, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 4. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor 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 ND:000000003134200
PRE-1950 · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · SUPER-LED · TRACE-ADT · TRACE-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- TRACE-ADT Trace ADT
- TRACE-LOAD Trace load
- CAT-POOR Poor
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: COUNTY TRAIL
The COUNTY TRAIL bridge in Benson, North Dakota carries COUNTY TRAIL over COULEE. It was built in 1942, making it 84 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 2 sections, stretching 11.9 meters (39 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 1 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of North Dakota bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How COUNTY TRAIL compares
Age against the county: built in 1942, earlier than 35 of Benson's 40 bridges with a recorded construction year (88%), against a county median build year of 1989. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across North Dakota bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (4,249 of 4,255 rated).
COUNTY TRAIL vs every rated North Dakota bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
0 Top 99% higher than 1% of 4,249 bridges
rated North Dakota 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.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Benson inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 40 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
- 1942
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 11.9 m (39 ft)
- Deck Width
- 6.2 m (20 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 1 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000003134200
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 4/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
COUNTY TRAIL 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 COUNTY TRAIL against other structures in Benson 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 COUNTY TRAIL?
COUNTY TRAIL in Benson, North Dakota has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is COUNTY TRAIL inspected?
COUNTY TRAIL'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 1 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. COUNTY TRAIL 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 COUNTY TRAIL?
COUNTY TRAIL has an NBI inventory load rating of 0.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining COUNTY TRAIL?
COUNTY TRAIL is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is COUNTY TRAIL and does age affect safety?
COUNTY TRAIL was built in 1942, making it 84 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.