Total bridges
300
Public highway bridges in DeKalb County
County profile · official public datasets
DeKalb County, AL
300 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 31.3% rated Good, 62% Fair, 6.7% Poor.
- 300
- Public bridges
- 31.3%
- Good condition
- 6.7%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
DeKalb County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- 57th
- of 67 on Poor share
- 6.7%
- Poor-condition share
- 300
- public highway bridges
- 1967
- 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.
DeKalb County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, DeKalb County ranks #57 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.7%). DeKalb County, Alabama contains 300 public highway bridges. Roughly 31.3% are rated “Good,” 62% “Fair,” and 6.7% “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.
Good condition
31.3%
94 of 300 rated 7-9
Fair condition
62%
186 of 300 rated 5-6
Poor condition
6.7%
20 of 300 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#57 of 67
Among Alabama counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 300 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 31.3% (94)
Fair 62% (186)
Poor 6.7% (20)
DeKalb County's Poor-condition bridges carry 2,355 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0.3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.7% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 118 crossings a day against 2,655 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 300 of 300 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
69.3% of DeKalb County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
208 of the 300 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 31.3% 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 22.7% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
COUNTY ROAD 43 over REEDY CREEK, built 1970, carries 534 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 20-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 2,355 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When DeKalb County's bridges were built
300 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- pre-1900 1
Built before 1900
1 bridges
- 1900s 4
1900–1909
4 bridges
- 1920s 15
1920–1929
15 bridges
- 1930s 10
1930–1939
10 bridges
- 1940s 20
1940–1949
20 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
52 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
88 bridges
- 1970s 29
1970–1979
29 bridges
- 1980s 22
1980–1989
22 bridges
- 1990s 27
1990–1999
27 bridges
- 2000s 22
2000–2009
22 bridges
- 2010s 6
2010–2019
6 bridges
- 2020s 4
2020–2029
4 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 88 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 29.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1967, 7 years older than the Alabama average of 1974.
How DeKalb County compares with Alabama's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Alabama counties nearest DeKalb County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.7% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1967 against a peer-group mean of 1971 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 66 Alabama counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covington County | 332 | 31.9% | 63% | 5.1% | 1970 |
| Limestone County | 324 | 45.1% | 52.8% | 2.2% | 1972 |
| Jackson County | 314 | 29% | 67.2% | 3.8% | 1961 |
| DeKalb County (this page) | 300 | 31.3% | 62% | 6.7% | 1967 |
| Walker County | 275 | 36.4% | 58.2% | 5.5% | 1974 |
| Morgan County | 271 | 39.1% | 59.4% | 1.5% | 1977 |
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside AL (300 bridges here).
- Christian County, KY · 300 bridges
- Washington County, MD · 300 bridges
- Newton County, MO · 300 bridges
- Dawson County, NE · 300 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1967 here).
- Los Angeles County, CA · avg 1967 · 3,547 bridges
- Allegheny County, PA · avg 1967 · 1,294 bridges
- Sonoma County, CA · avg 1967 · 609 bridges
- Merced County, CA · avg 1967 · 528 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (186)
CO RT 76
FairOver: BLACK OAK CREEK
.5MI N BLACKOAK CH.T7SR6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1975 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 213
CO RD 823
FairOver: MILLER CREEK
1 MI W CO RT 155 2SR10E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1977 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 155
CO RD 642
FairOver: TRIB. W FORK LTL RIVER
1.2 MI W AL 117 T5 R10, DeKalb, AL
Built 1978 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 159
CO RD 83
FairOver: TRIBUTARY TO MUSH CREEK
0.2 MI E AL HWY 11 T8SR8E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1986 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 1,575
FAS 15 CR 81
FairOver: JOHNNIES CREEK
0.5MI W JCT CORT 89T8SR8E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1960 Load: 29.3 t ADT: 1,551
CO RD 46
FairOver: SOUTH FORK SCARHAM CREEK
0.5 MI N CO RT 192 T8SR6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1968 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 252
FAS 27 CO RD 137
FairOver: BEESON BRANCH
0.2 MI N US 11, DeKalb, AL
Built 1954 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 7,679
US11
FairOver: LINE CREEK
JCT US11*SR35, DeKalb, AL
Built 1967 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 15,263
COUNTY ROAD 223
FairOver: LITTLE SAND VALLEY CREEK
1 MI N. OF AL HWY 68, DeKalb, AL
Built 2004 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 93
US 11; SR 7
FairOver: BRANCH
IN CITY OF FORT PAYNE, DeKalb, AL
Built 2007 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 11,316
US 11
FairOver: BIG WILLS CREEK
0.6MI N JCT US11*I59, DeKalb, AL
Built 1926 Load: 30.6 t ADT: 5,938
CO RD 111
FairOver: LITTLE SHOAL CREEK
1.0 MI W WHITON T8SR5E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1965 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 175
FAS 30 CO RD 122
FairOver: SOUTH SAUTY CREEK
1.8 MI W JCT SR 75 T5SR8E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1967 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 511
BROOKWOOD DR
FairOver: BIG WILLS CREEK
300 FT N OF SR 35, DeKalb, AL
Built 1975 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 335
CO RD 8
FairOver: BRAY CREEK
1 MI E LATHAMVILLE T9SR6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1965 Load: 31.2 t ADT: 269
I-59
FairOver: MUSH CREEK
5 MI N JCT SR 68 * I59, DeKalb, AL
Built 1964 Load: 31.5 t ADT: 16,286
CO RD 46
FairOver: SCARHAM CREEK
.75 MI N SKIRUM T8SR6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1954 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 364
CO RD 562
FairOver: SOUTH SAUTY CREEK
INTER. CR 562 * CR 194, DeKalb, AL
Built 1957 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 131
US 11
FairOver: WILLS CREEK
4.9 MI N JCT US11*SR68, DeKalb, AL
Built 1936 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 2,403
US 11; SR 7
FairOver: LITTLE WILLS CREEK
0.1 MI N JCT US11 * SR68, DeKalb, AL
Built 1936 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 1,719
CO RD 102
FairOver: STRAIGHT CREEK
1.5 MI N CO RT 67 T5SR7E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1960 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 310
GODFREY AVE
FairOver: BRANCH
0.2 MI S OF 8TH ST, DeKalb, AL
Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,900
CO RD 15
FairOver: COAL CREEK
.5 MI N CO RT 4, DeKalb, AL
Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 196
SR 68
FairOver: BRANCH
IN CITY OF COLLINSVILLE, DeKalb, AL
Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,922
US11
FairOver: BRANCH
5.4 MI N JCT US 11*I59, DeKalb, AL
Built 1926 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 1,305
US11
FairOver: BRANCH
IN CITY OF FORT PAYNE, DeKalb, AL
Built 1936 Load: 33.2 t ADT: 4,430
CO RT 10
FairOver: COAL CREEK
1.25 MI N ARONEY T9SR5E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1993 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 180
I59
FairOver: WHITEHALL BRANCH
3MI N JCT I59 * US11, DeKalb, AL
Built 1960 Load: 33.8 t ADT: 14,558
GREENBRIAR DR
FairOver: SAUTY CREEK
0.5 MI S SR 40, DeKalb, AL
Built 1979 Load: 33.8 t ADT: 170
CO RD 108
FairOver: CANEY CREEK
.2MI E OF AL 75, DeKalb, AL
Built 1961 Load: 34.6 t ADT: 866
SR 35
FairOver: BRANCH
IN CITY OF FORT PAYNE, DeKalb, AL
Built 1968 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 20,486
FAS 14 CO RD 843
FairOver: REEDY CREEK
.5MI N JCT CO RT 52T7SR6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1953 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 995
SR 68
FairOver: LITTLE WILLS CREEK
0.2 MI E JCT US11 * SR68, DeKalb, AL
Built 1984 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 5,267
CO RD 538
FairOver: REEDY CREEK
SEC 26 T6S R6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1987 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 121
US11
FairOver: BRANCH
1.3 MI N JCT US11*I59, DeKalb, AL
Built 1926 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 5,298
SR 117
FairOver: BRANCH
1.6 MI SE JCT I-59, DeKalb, AL
Built 1927 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 3,503
US 11; SR 68
FairOver: TOWN CREEK
JCT US 11 * SR 68, DeKalb, AL
Built 1993 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 7,037
US 11; SR 7
FairOver: I-59
US11 OVP MP 224.7, DeKalb, AL
Built 1960 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 5,190
SR 227
FairOver: SAND VALLEY CREEK
6 MI S JCT SR 68, DeKalb, AL
Built 1943 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 416
FAS 18 CO RD 52
FairOver: REEDY CREEK
0.5 MI W JCT CO RT 43, DeKalb, AL
Built 1957 Load: 38.4 t ADT: 678
SR 176
FairOver: STREAM
14.6 MI N.JCT SR68, DeKalb, AL
Built 1985 Load: 38.4 t ADT: 224
CO RD 90
FairOver: MORGAN CREEK
1.0 MI N AL 35 T6SR8E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1968 Load: 39.3 t ADT: 384
I59
FairOver: BEESON CREEK
3 MI N JCT I59*SR35, DeKalb, AL
Built 1959 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 20,830
SR 75
FairOver: BLACK OAK CREEK
6.3 MI S JCT SR 35, DeKalb, AL
Built 1942 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 7,564
SR 40
FairOver: SAUTY CREEK
0.2 MI W JCT SR 75, DeKalb, AL
Built 1949 Load: 41.2 t ADT: 6,071
CO RT 127
FairOver: HICKS CREEK
2.2 MI S CO RT 89 T7SR9E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1969 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 779
CO RT 12
FairOver: TRIB. TO CHASTAIN CREEK
1.5 MI S AL 68 T9SR6E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1971 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 153
CO RT 180
FairOver: CANEY CREEK
2.0 MI NE AL 35 T6SR8E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1971 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 916
US11
FairOver: BRANCH
1.5 MI N JCT US11*I59, DeKalb, AL
Built 1926 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 2,534
CO RT 421
FairOver: BURNS BRANCH
1.5 MI W ARONEY T9SR5E, DeKalb, AL
Built 1970 Load: 45.3 t ADT: 162
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
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.