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.
Good-condition bridges (107)
SMYRNA-LEIPSIC RD
GoodOver: SR 1
SOUTH SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1991 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 1,990
THOMPSONVILLE RD
GoodOver: FISHING BRANCH
NORTH OF MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 1,928
BROWNSVILLE RD
GoodOver: MARSHYHOPE CREEK
WEST OF HARRINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 2022 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 189
MCKEE RD.
GoodOver: FORK BRANCH
NORTH DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1986 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 5,505
US113S/DUPONT BLVD
GoodOver: HAVEN LAKE
WEST MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1963 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 14,590
RD 357
GoodOver: SR 1 N&S
MAIN GATE DAFB, Kent, DE
Built 1998 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 13,847
SR1 SB
GoodOver: BOWERS BEACH RD
LITTLE HEAVEN, Kent, DE
Built 2019 Load: 41.8 t ADT: 22,305
SR1 NB
GoodOver: BOWERS BEACH RD
LITTLE HEAVEN, Kent, DE
Built 2019 Load: 41.8 t ADT: 22,305
SANDY BEND RD
GoodOver: TAPPAHANNA DITCH
EAST OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 1957 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 1,404
PONDEROSA DR
GoodOver: BEAVER GUT DITCH
NORTH OF LITTLE HEAVEN, Kent, DE
Built 1999 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 1,508
PUNCHEON RUN
GoodOver: ST. JONES RIVER
SOUTH DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2000 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 6,279
PUNCHEON RUN CONNE
GoodOver: ST JONES RIVER
SOUTH DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2000 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 6,279
DUPONT HWY SB
GoodOver: MURDERKILL RIVER
SOUTH OF FELTON, Kent, DE
Built 1920 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 12,269
S. GOVERNORS AVE
GoodOver: PUNCHEON RUN
DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2009 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 8,786
SR 12/FEDERICA RD.
GoodOver: SPRING CREEK
FREDERICA, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 1,707
PROSPECT CHURCH RD
GoodOver: BRIGHT-HAINES DITCH
S/E OF VERNON, Kent, DE
Built 2023 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 790
BIG WOODS RD
GoodOver: SPRUANCES BRANCH
WEST OF LEIPSIC, Kent, DE
Built 1997 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 142
TUXWARD RD.
GoodOver: TAPPAHANNA DITCH
EAST OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 2023 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 1,069
TAPPAHANNA BRIDGE
GoodOver: TAPPAHANNA DITCH
EAST OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 2022 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 262
KOREAN WAR VET HWY
GoodOver: DUCK CREEK
EAST OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 22,108
KOREAN WAR MEM HWY
GoodOver: DUCK CREEK
EAST OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 22,108
KOREAN WAR VET MEM
GoodOver: MILL CREEK
EAST OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 19,906
KOREAN WAR VET HWY
GoodOver: MILL CREEK
EAST OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 19,906
GALLO RD
GoodOver: GREEN BRANCH
WEST OF FARMINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 1985 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 569
JACKSON DITCH RD.
GoodOver: BROWNS BRANCH
N.E. HARRINGTON, Kent, DE
Built 2012 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 531
SR1/KOREAN WAR VET
GoodOver: US 113/BAY RD
S/E DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 14,009
CARPENTER BRIDGE R
GoodOver: ASH GUT
S/W OF FREDERICA, Kent, DE
Built 1991 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 2,811
RAMP
GoodOver: SR1/KOREAN WAR VET MEM
NORTH OF DOVER TOLL PLAZA, Kent, DE
Built 1992 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 5,734
N. DOVER TOLL RAMP
GoodOver: SR1/KOREAN WAR VET MEM
NORTH OF DOVER TOLL PLAZA, Kent, DE
Built 1992 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 2,074
PUNCHEON RUN CONN.
GoodOver: SR 1
S. OF ADMIN BLDG/DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2000 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 11,304
KOREAN WAR VET MEM
GoodOver: ALSTON BRANCH
NORTH OF CHESWOLD, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 21,019
KOREAN WAR VET MEM
GoodOver: ALSTON BRANCH
NORTH OF CHESWOLD, Kent, DE
Built 1992 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 21,019
MAHAN CORNER RD
GoodOver: COW MARSH CREEK
NORTH OF SANDTOWN, Kent, DE
Built 1957 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 673
KOREAN VET MEM HWY
GoodOver: SR 1 INTERCHANGE
S.E. OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1992 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 19,906
TWIN WILLOWS RD.
GoodOver: SNOWS BRANCH
S.E. OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 585
WEST RAILROAD AVE
GoodOver: ISAAC BRANCH
WYOMING, Kent, DE
Built 2013 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 6,220
MCKEE RD.
GoodOver: MUDSTONE BRANCH
N/W OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1996 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 4,661
UPPER KING RD.
GoodOver: TIDBURY CREEK
NORTH OF WOODSIDE, Kent, DE
Built 2000 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 4,661
SR1/KOREAN WAR VET
GoodOver: SR8/ N. LITTLE CREEK RD
EAST OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 16,056
SR1/KOREAN WAR VET
GoodOver: SR8/ N. LITTLE CREEK RD
EAST OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 1993 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 16,056
N. LITTLE CREEK RD
GoodOver: LITTLE RIVER
EAST OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2014 Load: 51.8 t ADT: 865
SR1/KOREAN WAR VET
GoodOver: SR 1 INTERCHANGE RAMP
S.E. OF SMYRNA, Kent, DE
Built 1992 Load: 51.8 t ADT: 19,905
CHESTNUT GROVE RD
GoodOver: CAHOON BRANCH
WEST OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2013 Load: 52.5 t ADT: 2,325
CANTERBURY RD/SR15
GoodOver: HUDSON BRANCH
EAST OF CANTERBURY, Kent, DE
Built 2013 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 4,070
DENNEYS RD
GoodOver: FORK BRANCH
NORTH OF DOVER, Kent, DE
Built 2015 Load: 54.8 t ADT: 1,486
WASHINGTON ST
GoodOver: MISPILLION RIVER
MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1933 Load: 54.8 t ADT: 99
BARRETTS CHAP
GoodOver: DOUBLE RUN CREEK
SOUTH OF LITTLE HEAVEN, Kent, DE
Built 2015 Load: 56.1 t ADT: 1,754
US113N/DUPONT BLVD
GoodOver: HAVEN LAKE
WEST MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1963 Load: 57.7 t ADT: 14,589
HALLTOWN RD/SR8
GoodOver: BEAVERDAM DITCH
EAST OF MARYDEL, Kent, DE
Built 2019 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 4,308
WALNUT ST
GoodOver: MISPILLION RIVER
MILFORD, Kent, DE
Built 1987 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 4,888
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.