County profile · official public datasets

Baldwin County, AL

381 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 48.3% rated Good, 50.4% Fair, 1.3% Poor.

381
Public bridges
48.3%
Good condition
1.3%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Baldwin County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

Top 25%
lowest Poor share in state
1.3%
Poor-condition share
381
public highway bridges
1991
avg year built

Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.

Baldwin County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Baldwin County ranks #17 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 1.3%). Baldwin County, Alabama contains 381 public highway bridges. Roughly 48.3% are rated “Good,” 50.4% “Fair,” and 1.3% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.

Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.

Total bridges

381

Public highway bridges in Baldwin County

Good condition

48.3%

184 of 381 rated 7-9

Fair condition

50.4%

192 of 381 rated 5-6

Poor condition

1.3%

5 of 381 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#17 of 67

Among Alabama counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 381 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
48.3% (184)
Fair
50.4% (192)
Poor
1.3% (5)

Baldwin County's Poor-condition bridges carry 39,100 vehicle crossings a day

That is 1.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 1.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 7,820 crossings a day against 1,901 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.

Computed over the 381 of 381 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

25.7% of Baldwin County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

98 of the 381 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 48.3% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.

Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

One structure carries 81.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

US 98 over FLY CREEK, built 1968, carries 31,822 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 5-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 39,100 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Baldwin County's bridges were built

381 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 81 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1991, 17 years newer than the Alabama average of 1974.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Baldwin County compares with Alabama's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Alabama counties nearest Baldwin County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 1.3% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1991 against a peer-group mean of 1971 is 20 years newer.

Showing the 5 closest of 66 Alabama counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Baldwin County and the 5 Alabama counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Calhoun County 386 3.9%
Baldwin County (this page) 381 1.3%
Shelby County 344 0.9%
Covington County 332 5.1%
Limestone County 324 2.2%
Jackson County 314 3.8%

Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Baldwin County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year

Two NBI-derived peer sets for Baldwin County, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AL (381 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1991 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 381 Good 184 Fair 192 Poor 5

All bridges (381)

COUNTY ROAD 48

Good

Over: PENSACOLA BRANCH

2.4 MI. E. OF CO. RD. 27, Baldwin, AL

Built 2004 Load: 55.1 t ADT: 2,640

COUNTY ROAD 16

Good

Over: SKUNK BAYOU

1.2 MI.E.OF CO.RD.49, Baldwin, AL

Built 2003 Load: 55.1 t ADT: 329

Weeks Branch

Good

Over: Lyter Ln

0.1 miles south of CR 11, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 58.5 t ADT: 50

W 19TH AVE

Good

Over: W 1ST ST DRAINAGE

321 W OF SR 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1990 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 1,283

CO. RD. 55

Good

Over: BRANCH OF POLECAT CREEK

1.2 MI. S. OF S. R. 104, Baldwin, AL

Built 1994 Load: 60.1 t ADT: 1,022

28TH AVE

Good

Over: 28TH AVE DRAINAGE

1 MI W 29TH AVE, Baldwin, AL

Built 1999 Load: 60.1 t ADT: 663

Beasley Rd

Good

Over: Schoolhouse creek

_, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 1,000

CO RD 32

Good

Over: Trib to Negro Creek

1.13 mi E to BBE, Baldwin, AL

Built 2016 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 6,964

County Road 9

Good

Over: Barner Branch

0.1M S of CR 28, Baldwin, AL

Built 2020 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 2,453

BEASLEY RD

Good

Over: SCHOOL HOUSE BRANCH

_, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 63.4 t ADT: 500

COUNTY ROAD 55

Good

Over: BAKER BRANCH

0.2 MI. N. OF CO. RD. 32, Baldwin, AL

Built 1995 Load: 63.7 t ADT: 3,099

UP SHAY BRANCH RD

Good

Over: SHAY BRANCH

0.7 MI W AL 225, Baldwin, AL

Built 1994 Load: 64.6 t ADT: 151

_Co.Rd34

Good

Over: _Drainage Ditch

_0.7 Mi. W of AL. HWY 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 2023 Load: 65.6 t ADT: 277

SR 181

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH CROSS

3.07 mi N OF SR 104, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 65.9 t ADT: 17,173

County Road 85

Good

Over: Davis Branch

1.03 miles north of US 90, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 66.8 t ADT: 100

CO RD 34

Good

Over: Trib to Negro Creek

.75 mi east of CR 83, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 77.9 t ADT: 50

County Road 9

Good

Over: Polecat Creek

1.2 Mi. N. of CR 32, Baldwin, AL

Built 2019 Load: 79.5 t ADT: 1,743

Saddle Wood Lane

Good

Over: BR. off Point Clear Cr.

500 west of poloridge dr, Baldwin, AL

Built 2000 Load: 83.1 t ADT: 50

LINHOLM ROAD

Good

Over: EIGHT MILE CREEK

_, Baldwin, AL

Built 2020 Load: 84.9 t ADT: 44

SHOOTS LANE

Good

Over: CREEK (NO NAME)

MI. N OF CR24, Baldwin, AL

Built 2023 Load: 88.0 t ADT: 73

EAST SEVENTH ST

Good

Over: NEGRO CREEK

0.5 MI S CO RD 36, Baldwin, AL

Built 1998 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 396

GRIGGERS RD.

Good

Over: BRANCH OF EIGHT MILE CR.

0.5 M. E. OF CR 64, Baldwin, AL

Built 2012 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 36

Affirmed Ave

Good

Over: Drainage

_WETLANDS, Baldwin, AL

Built 2021 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 52

Linholm Rd

Good

Over: Elam Creek

.87 miles west of CR 87, Baldwin, AL

Built 2023 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 50

LEITERMAN ROAD

Good

Over: PALMETTO CREEK

1.6 MILES EAST OF cr 95, Baldwin, AL

Built 2023 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 400

Dry Branch

Good

Over: Linholm Road

_, Baldwin, AL

Built 2022 Load: 89.2 t ADT: 44

TRUCK TRAIL 17

Poor

Over: STYX RIVER

4.2 MI. E. OF AL. HWY. 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1929 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 37

TRUCK TRAIL 17

Poor

Over: ROANS CREEK

3.2 MI. E. OF AL. HWY. 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1929 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 45

STILL ROAD

Poor

Over: HOLLINGER CREEK

1.0 MI. S. OF S.R. 112, Baldwin, AL

Built 1957 Load: 9.9 t ADT: 57

CO.RD.32

Poor

Over: FISH RIVER

0.6 MI. W. OF CO. RD. 9, Baldwin, AL

Built 1962 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 7,139

US 98

Poor

Over: FLY CREEK

0.5 MI W SR 104, Baldwin, AL

Built 1968 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 31,822

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges

Every figure on PlainBridges 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. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.