Total bridges
177
Public highway bridges in Washington County
County profile · official public datasets
Washington County, AL
177 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 32.8% rated Good, 56.5% Fair, 10.7% Poor.
- 177
- Public bridges
- 32.8%
- Good condition
- 10.7%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Washington County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.
- 65th
- of 67 on Poor share
- 10.7%
- Poor-condition share
- 177
- public highway bridges
- 1981
- 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.
Washington County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Washington County ranks #65 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 10.7%). Washington County, Alabama contains 177 public highway bridges. Roughly 32.8% are rated “Good,” 56.5% “Fair,” and 10.7% “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
32.8%
58 of 177 rated 7-9
Fair condition
56.5%
100 of 177 rated 5-6
Poor condition
10.7%
19 of 177 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#65 of 67
Among Alabama counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 177 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 32.8% (58)
Fair 56.5% (100)
Poor 10.7% (19)
Washington County's Poor-condition bridges carry 1,615 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0.6% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 10.7% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 85 crossings a day against 1,451 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 177 of 177 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
36.7% of Washington County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
65 of the 177 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 32.8% 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 15.5% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
LUKE RIVERS RD over BILBO CREEK, built 1984, carries 250 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 19-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 1,615 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Washington County's bridges were built
177 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 7
1920–1929
7 bridges
- 1930s 4
1930–1939
4 bridges
- 1940s 7
1940–1949
7 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
17 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
21 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
20 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
33 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
21 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
29 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
18 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 33 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 18.6% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1981, 7 years newer than the Alabama average of 1974.
How Washington County compares with Alabama's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Alabama counties nearest Washington County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 10.7% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1981 against a peer-group mean of 1970 is 11 years newer.
Showing the 5 closest of 66 Alabama counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar County | 181 | 26% | 71.8% | 2.2% | 1966 |
| Blount County | 180 | 12.8% | 79.4% | 7.8% | 1968 |
| Hale County | 177 | 49.2% | 45.8% | 5.1% | 1972 |
| Macon County | 177 | 24.9% | 64.4% | 10.7% | 1973 |
| Washington County (this page) | 177 | 32.8% | 56.5% | 10.7% | 1981 |
| Colbert County | 172 | 31.4% | 66.9% | 1.7% | 1972 |
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 Washington 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 Washington County, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside AL (177 bridges here).
- Seminole County, FL · 177 bridges
- Dodge County, MN · 177 bridges
- Pierce County, NE · 177 bridges
- Marion County, TN · 177 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1981 here).
- Franklin County, OH · avg 1981 · 922 bridges
- Greenville County, SC · avg 1981 · 635 bridges
- Montgomery County, OH · avg 1981 · 632 bridges
- McLean County, IL · avg 1981 · 624 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (100)
CO RD 36
FairOver: NORTON BR
1 1/2 M EAST MISS LINE, Washington, AL
Built 1956 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 800
REEVES/ STEWART RD
FairOver: DRY CREEK
.6 MILE OFF CO/RD 31, Washington, AL
Built 1950 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 50
ANTIOCH RD
FairOver: RED CREEK
ANTIOCH CHURCH, Washington, AL
Built 1964 Load: 11.1 t ADT: 100
LEWIS RD
FairOver: HURRICANE BRANCH
OFF CO.RD.8 NERA MISS LIN, Washington, AL
Built 1998 Load: 11.2 t ADT: 30
BUD ODOM ROAD
FairOver: BATES CREEK
AT BATES CR ON ODOM RD, Washington, AL
Built 1986 Load: 12.6 t ADT: 25
CO RD NO 9
FairOver: POND CREEK
SHILOH ROAD, Washington, AL
Built 1962 Load: 13.1 t ADT: 305
BO HOWARD RD
FairOver: LONG BRANCH
DEER HEAD (43), Washington, AL
Built 1965 Load: 13.3 t ADT: 50
FAITH-WALKER RD
FairOver: FOLSOM'S CREEK
ST. STEPHENS, Washington, AL
Built 1985 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 25
CO RD 28
FairOver: STREAM
4 MI S ST.STEPHENS, Washington, AL
Built 1958 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 118
SR 56
FairOver: CREEK
7.6 MI. E. OF MISS.ST.LN., Washington, AL
Built 1950 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 1,700
WILLIE-PARNELL RD
FairOver: BASSETTS CREEK
EAST OF FAIRHOPE CHURCH, Washington, AL
Built 2008 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 10
LOCKWOOD RD
FairOver: BILBO CREEK
2.8 MI. W. HWY 17/TIBBIE, Washington, AL
Built 2008 Load: 20.5 t ADT: 10
CO RD 19
FairOver: POWELL BRANCH
1 MI SOUTH TOPTON, Washington, AL
Built 1964 Load: 20.6 t ADT: 200
BASHI RD
FairOver: DRY CREEK
BASHI, Washington, AL
Built 1983 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 100
CO RD NO 34
FairOver: ELIAS CREEK
BIGBEE, Washington, AL
Built 1950 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 987
WHIGHAM RD
FairOver: MILL CREEK
WEST OF MILLRY, Washington, AL
Built 1992 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 150
CO RD NO 8
FairOver: GUM BRANCH
1 MI WEST BURBANK, Washington, AL
Built 1968 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 160
CO RD 20
FairOver: TRIB ESCATAWPA RIVER
0.9MI W US 45, Washington, AL
Built 1959 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 200
DRY CREEK RD
FairOver: DRY CREEK
FRANKVILLE, Washington, AL
Built 1982 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 100
PRESTWICK RD
FairOver: GAINES CREEK
PRESTWICK\WAGARVILLE, Washington, AL
Built 1988 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 200
CO RD 15
FairOver: BEAVER DAM CREEK
0.25 MI N JEFFERSON AVE, Washington, AL
Built 1967 Load: 23.2 t ADT: 1,100
CO RD 20
FairOver: COWPEN BRANCH
3 MI EAST OF ABB ROAD, Washington, AL
Built 1964 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 300
CO RD 04
FairOver: TRIB BATES CREEK
0.25MI W ODOM RD, Washington, AL
Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 980
CO RD 01
FairOver: BRUSHY CREEK
0.4MI W US 45, Washington, AL
Built 1963 Load: 24.7 t ADT: 450
CO RD 34
FairOver: BRIER CREEK WEST
2.42 KM E OF MILLRY, Washington, AL
Built 1995 Load: 24.8 t ADT: 1,276
CO RD 15
FairOver: LITTLE BASSETS CREEK
3MI S OF HWY 17, Washington, AL
Built 1967 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 110
US 43
FairOver: TOMBIGBEE RIVER
WASHINGTON * CLARKE CO LI, Washington, AL
Built 1973 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 4,920
US 43
FairOver: TOMBIGBEE RIVER
WASHINGTON * CLARKE CO LI, Washington, AL
Built 1973 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 4,920
SAM WOOD ROAD
FairOver: DUNBAR CREEK
1.5 MI NO. MILLRY, Washington, AL
Built 1961 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 150
SUNFLOWER RD
FairOver: GRAVES CREEK
SUNFLOWER, Washington, AL
Built 1994 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 25
CO RD NO 34
FairOver: TAULER CREEK
3 MI W ST STEPHENS, Washington, AL
Built 1960 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 987
SR 56
FairOver: BRANCH
1.0 MILE E. OF MISS. ST.L, Washington, AL
Built 1950 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,280
CO RD 31
FairOver: SANTA BOGUE CR
SIVER CROSS, Washington, AL
Built 1978 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 855
US 43
FairOver: PAUL BAYOU REL.
.6MI. N. OF CALVERT, Washington, AL
Built 1979 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 6,180
US 43
FairOver: LITTLE PAUL CREEK
2.3MI. N.OF CALVERT, Washington, AL
Built 1979 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 4,785
SR 17
FairOver: BRANCH
11.3 MI.N.OF MOBILECO.LN., Washington, AL
Built 1939 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 1,240
CO RD NO 16
FairOver: BIRCH BRANCH
1/2 MI WEST MCINTOSH, Washington, AL
Built 1962 Load: 28.6 t ADT: 1,082
CO. RD. 18
FairOver: POLL BAYOU CREEK
.5 MI. EAST OF U.S. 43, Washington, AL
Built 1974 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 375
SR 56
FairOver: BASSETTS CREEK
5 MI. E. OF CHATOM, Washington, AL
Built 1973 Load: 29.4 t ADT: 1,930
SR 56
FairOver: CREEK
3.1 MI. E. OF MISS.ST.LN., Washington, AL
Built 1950 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 1,010
US 45
FairOver: ESCATAWPA RIVER
1.6MI. S. OF FRUITDALE, Washington, AL
Built 1948 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,280
US 45
FairOver: RELIEF
1.4MI. S. OF FRUITDALE, Washington, AL
Built 1948 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,280
CO RD NO 8
FairOver: LITTLE CREEK
BURBANK, Washington, AL
Built 1963 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 818
CO RD 20
FairOver: HORN CREEK
2 1/2 MI WEST DEER HEAD, Washington, AL
Built 1956 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 300
CO RD 20
FairOver: LONG BRANCH
2.5 MI E.4 POINTS, Washington, AL
Built 1976 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 180
CO RD NO 16
FairOver: BILBO CREEK
TOPTON TO REEDS CH-ROAD, Washington, AL
Built 1972 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 500
BUNKER STREET
FairOver: BRUSHY CREEK
0.3 MI W US45-YELLOWPINE, Washington, AL
Built 1999 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 50
CO. RD. 34
FairOver: MILL CREEK
MILLRY, Washington, AL
Built 1947 Load: 30.9 t ADT: 500
US 43
FairOver: LEWIS CREEK
4.7 MI. N. OF MCINTOSH, Washington, AL
Built 1984 Load: 30.9 t ADT: 3,975
SR 17
FairOver: BRANCH
10.6 MI.N.OF MOBILECO.LN., Washington, AL
Built 1939 Load: 31.3 t ADT: 1,240
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.