Total bridges
192
Public highway bridges in Kent County
County profile · official public datasets
Kent County, DE
192 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 55.7% rated Good, 42.7% Fair, 1.6% Poor.
- 192
- Public bridges
- 55.7%
- Good condition
- 1.6%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Kent 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.
- 2nd
- of 3 on Poor share
- 1.6%
- Poor-condition share
- 192
- public highway bridges
- 1983
- 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.
Kent County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Kent County ranks #2 of 3 Delaware counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 1.6%). Kent County, Delaware contains 192 public highway bridges. Roughly 55.7% are rated “Good,” 42.7% “Fair,” and 1.6% “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
55.7%
107 of 192 rated 7-9
Fair condition
42.7%
82 of 192 rated 5-6
Poor condition
1.6%
3 of 192 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#2 of 3
Among Delaware counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 192 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 55.7% (107)
Fair 42.7% (82)
Poor 1.6% (3)
Kent County's Poor-condition bridges carry 19,033 vehicle crossings a day
That is 1.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 1.6% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 6,344 crossings a day against 6,603 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 192 of 192 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
34.9% of Kent County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
67 of the 192 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 55.7% 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 53.6% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
US ROUTE 13 over C & D CANAL, built 1941, carries 10,208 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 3-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 19,033 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Kent County's bridges were built
192 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- pre-1900 1
Built before 1900
1 bridges
- 1900s 1
1900–1909
1 bridges
- 1910s 2
1910–1919
2 bridges
- 1920s 6
1920–1929
6 bridges
- 1930s 8
1930–1939
8 bridges
- 1940s 3
1940–1949
3 bridges
- 1950s 18
1950–1959
18 bridges
- 1960s 21
1960–1969
21 bridges
- 1970s 15
1970–1979
15 bridges
- 1980s 12
1980–1989
12 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
54 bridges
- 2000s 16
2000–2009
16 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
30 bridges
- 2020s 5
2020–2029
5 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 54 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1983, 6 years newer than the Delaware average of 1977.
How Kent County compares with Delaware's closest counties by inventory size
The 2 Delaware counties nearest Kent County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 1.6% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 3. Its average build year of 1983 against a peer-group mean of 1975 is 8 years newer.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 527 | 34.9% | 64.1% | 0.9% | 1976 |
| Kent County (this page) | 192 | 55.7% | 42.7% | 1.6% | 1983 |
| Sussex County | 153 | 40.5% | 57.5% | 2% | 1974 |
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 Kent 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 Kent County, both outside Delaware so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside DE (192 bridges here).
- Barbour County, AL · 192 bridges
- El Dorado County, CA · 192 bridges
- Santa Cruz County, CA · 192 bridges
- Morgan County, CO · 192 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside DE (1983 here).
- Dallas County, TX · avg 1983 · 3,230 bridges
- Bexar County, TX · avg 1983 · 2,342 bridges
- Sedgwick County, KS · avg 1983 · 1,333 bridges
- Will County, IL · avg 1983 · 649 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (82)
S.W. FRONT ST
FairOver: MISPILLION RIVER
MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1900 Load: 8.4 t ADT: 99
BRENFORD RD
FairOver: MASSEYS POND/LEIPSIC RIV
MASSEYS MILLPOND, Kent, DE
Built 1933 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,602
REHOBOTH BLVD.
FairOver: MISPILLION RIVER
MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1929 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 8,098
SR6/WOODLAND BEACH
FairOver: MILL CREEK
EAST OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,560
SMYRNA-LEIPSIC RD
FairOver: LEIPSIC RIVER
LEIPSIC, Kent, DE
Built 1952 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 2,255
DUPONT HWY / US13N
FairOver: LITTLE DUCK CREEK
GARRISON LAKE, Kent, DE
Built 1934 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 14,174
DUPONT HWY / US13S
FairOver: LEIPSIC RIVER
S. OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1929 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,419
WHITELEYSBURG RD
FairOver: MARSHYHOPE DITCH
WEST OF HARRINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 1931 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,571
US13/DUPONT HWGY
FairOver: PUNCHEON RUN
DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1951 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 22,808
KENTON RD/SR15
FairOver: FORK BRANCH
SOUTH OF CHESWOLD, Kent, DE
Built 1934 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,183
BAYSIDE DR/SR9
FairOver: LITTLE RIVER
LITTLE CREEK, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 2,011
NEW WARF RD
FairOver: SWAN CREEK
EAST OF MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1971 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 272
DUPONT HWY/US13
FairOver: ST. JONES RIVER
DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1951 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 22,690
FREDERICA RD.
FairOver: SR1 BAY RD.
FREDERICA, Kent, DE
Built 2011 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 1,339
HILLS MARKET RD
FairOver: BLACK SWAMP CREEK
S/W OF FELTON, Kent, DE
Built 1949 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 667
SANDBOX RD
FairOver: BROWNS BRANCH
N.E. OF HARRINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 1966 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 426
RD 66 WHITE OAK RD
FairOver: SR1/KOREAN WAR VET MEM
EAST OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1990 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,421
DIVISION ST. / SR8
FairOver: ST. JONES RIVER
DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1885 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 11,547
TARAILA RD
FairOver: BEAVERDAM TAX DITCH
NORTH OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 1959 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,022
BIG STONE BEACH RD
FairOver: FISHING BRANCH
NORTH OF MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1990 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 562
POW MIA PARKWAY
FairOver: NEW BURTON RD & N/S RR
WEST DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2017 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,734
UNDERWOODS CORNER
FairOver: JORDAN BRANCH
WEST OF KENTON, Kent, DE
Built 1964 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 756
US 113 & SR1 SB
FairOver: MURDERKILL RIVER
FREDERICA BYPASS, Kent, DE
Built 1965 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 22,753
US113 & SR1 NB
FairOver: MURDERKILL RIVER
FREDERICA BYPASS, Kent, DE
Built 1965 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 22,490
LOOCKERMAN ST
FairOver: ST. JONES RIVER
DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1934 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 7,666
BAY ROAD / US113
FairOver: ST. JONES RIVER
BARKERS LANDING, Kent, DE
Built 1984 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 39,952
STILL RD
FairOver: CHOPTANK RIVER
SOUTH OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 2000 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 148
SCARBOROUGH RD
FairOver: FORK BRANCH
NORTH OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1999 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 14,877
ANDREWVILLE RD
FairOver: MARSHYHOPE CREEK
N/W OF ANDREWVILLE, Kent, DE
Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 395
BROCKOMBRIDGE RD
FairOver: TRIB.MURDERKILL RIVER
SOUTH OF BOWERS BEACH, Kent, DE
Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 35
US 113 / BAY RD.
FairOver: TUB MILL POND/SWAN CREEK
SOUTH OF MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,299
LEIPSIC RD
FairOver: MUDDY BRANCH
NEAR DOVER DOWNS, Kent, DE
Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,677
MT FRIENDSHIP RD
FairOver: LEIPSIC RIVER
EAST OF KENTON, Kent, DE
Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,579
MT OLIVE CEMETERY
FairOver: WILDCAT BRANCH
EAST OF SANDTOWN, Kent, DE
Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 375
EDWARDSVILLE RD
FairOver: WHITE MARSH BRANCH
NE OF WHITELYSBURG, Kent, DE
Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 289
HEMPING RD
FairOver: MARSHYHOPE CREEK
WEST OF HARRINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 1928 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 176
FISHERS BRIDGE RD
FairOver: MARSHYHOPE CREEK
N.E. OF ADAMSVILLE, Kent, DE
Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 569
WILLIAMSVILLE RD.
FairOver: TRIB. TO HAVEN LAKE
WEST OF MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1979 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,094
RD104/KENTON RD
FairOver: MUDSTONE BRANCH
NORTHWEST DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1920 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 6,536
DUPONT HWY/US13
FairOver: ISAACS BRANCH
SOUTH OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1952 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 38,782
FORK LANDING RD
FairOver: BROWNS BRANCH
S.W. OF FREDERICA, Kent, DE
Built 1957 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 281
COW MARSH CREEK RD
FairOver: COW MARSH DITCH
W. OF VIOLA, Kent, DE
Built 1981 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 427
MAIN STREET
FairOver: TIDY ISLAND CREEK
SOUTH OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 1975 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,321
FAST LANDING RD
FairOver: DYKE BRANCH
LEIPSIC, Kent, DE
Built 1995 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 782
WOODLAND BEACH RD.
FairOver: DUCK CREEK
WOODLAND BEACH, Kent, DE
Built 1971 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 370
E. COMMERCE ST
FairOver: SR 1
EAST SMYRNA LIMITS, Kent, DE
Built 1991 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 4,748
LION HOPE RD
FairOver: GRAVELLY RUN
WEST OF KENTON, Kent, DE
Built 2011 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 302
GREENVILLE RD
FairOver: GREEN BRANCH
S/W OF HARRINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 1986 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 242
MARKET ST
FairOver: MURDERKILL RIVER
FREDERICA, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 398
MAHAN CORNER RD
FairOver: CULBRETH MARSH DITCH
S.E OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 1957 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 673
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.