Total bridges
527
Public highway bridges in New Castle County
County profile · official public datasets
New Castle County, DE
527 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 34.9% rated Good, 64.1% Fair, 0.9% Poor.
- 527
- Public bridges
- 34.9%
- Good condition
- 0.9%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
New Castle County posts a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.
- Top 33%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 0.9%
- Poor-condition share
- 527
- public highway bridges
- 1976
- 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.
New Castle County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, New Castle County ranks #1 of 3 Delaware counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 0.9%). New Castle County, Delaware contains 527 public highway bridges. Roughly 34.9% are rated “Good,” 64.1% “Fair,” and 0.9% “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
34.9%
184 of 527 rated 7-9
Fair condition
64.1%
338 of 527 rated 5-6
Poor condition
0.9%
5 of 527 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#1 of 3
Among Delaware counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 527 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 34.9% (184)
Fair 64.1% (338)
Poor 0.9% (5)
New Castle County's Poor-condition bridges carry 16,646 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0.2% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 0.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 3,329 crossings a day against 13,982 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 527 of 527 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
46.1% of New Castle County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
243 of the 527 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 34.9% 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 63.8% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
DUPONT PKW/US13 SB over BLACKBIRD CREEK, built 1920, carries 10,619 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 16,646 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When New Castle County's bridges were built
527 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- pre-1900 3
Built before 1900
3 bridges
- 1900s 6
1900–1909
6 bridges
- 1910s 7
1910–1919
7 bridges
- 1920s 21
1920–1929
21 bridges
- 1930s 25
1930–1939
25 bridges
- 1940s 10
1940–1949
10 bridges
- 1950s 31
1950–1959
31 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
103 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
88 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
42 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
91 bridges
- 2000s 28
2000–2009
28 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
60 bridges
- 2020s 12
2020–2029
12 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 103 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 19.5% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1976) matches the Delaware average (1977).
How New Castle County compares with Delaware's closest counties by inventory size
The 2 Delaware counties nearest New Castle County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 0.9% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 3. Its average build year of 1976 against a peer-group mean of 1979 is in line with the group.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County (this page) | 527 | 34.9% | 64.1% | 0.9% | 1976 |
| Kent County | 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 New Castle 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 New Castle County, both outside Delaware so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside DE (527 bridges here).
- Merced County, CA · 528 bridges
- LaSalle County, IL · 528 bridges
- Nueces County, TX · 528 bridges
- Marathon County, WI · 530 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside DE (1976 here).
- Marion County, IN · avg 1976 · 958 bridges
- Mohave County, AZ · avg 1976 · 641 bridges
- Comanche County, OK · avg 1976 · 593 bridges
- Prince George's County, MD · avg 1976 · 576 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (338)
NORTHEAST BLVD
FairOver: BRANDYWINE RIVER
WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1932 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 17,243
10th STREET
FairOver: I 95 & RAMP 6163
WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1964 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 211
I 495 SB
FairOver: N/S RR -ABANDONED
NEWPORT, New Castle, DE
Built 1965 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 30,758
I 495 NB
FairOver: Pedestrian Path
NEWPORT, New Castle, DE
Built 1965 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 39,655
MAIN STREET/SR4
FairOver: CALF RUN
STANTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1967 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 17,387
I95 NB/JFK MEM HGY
FairOver: CHRISTINA CREEK
SOUTH NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1962 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 73,828
OLD POSSUM PARK RD
FairOver: MIDDLE RUN
EAST OF NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 279
S. COLLEGE AVE. NB
FairOver: I 95 / JFK MEM HGWY
SOUTH OF NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,054
I95 / JFK MEM HGWY
FairOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN
SOUTH OF NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 117,657
JFK MEM HGWY/I95SB
FairOver: CSX RAILROAD
N. E. OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,081
KOREAN WAR VET HWY
FairOver: APPOQUINIMINK RIVER
SOUTH OF ODESSA, New Castle, DE
Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,428
RISING SUN LANE
FairOver: BRANDYWINE CREEK
N/W WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1900 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,265
BAYNARD BLVD.
FairOver: SHELLPOT CREEK
NORTH OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,973
STONE CROP DR
FairOver: SOUTH BRANCH NAAMANS CRE
NORTHMINSTER, New Castle, DE
Built 1976 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 99
LINCOLN AVE
FairOver: TRIB OF HOLLY OAK CREEK
GWINHURST, New Castle, DE
Built 1980 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 99
MONTCHANIN R/SR100
FairOver: TRIB. TO WILSONS RUN
WEST OF ROCKLAND, New Castle, DE
Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,405
CREEK RD/SR82
FairOver: RED CLAY CREEK
ASHLAND, New Castle, DE
Built 1922 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,428
FOX HILL LANE
FairOver: RED CLAY CREEK
WOODDALE, New Castle, DE
Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 204
ELDERON DRIVE
FairOver: TRIB OF MILL CREEK
S/ OF DELCASTLE REC. AREA, New Castle, DE
Built 1971 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 99
CHAPMAN RD.
FairOver: WATERWAY
W. OF CHRISTIANA, New Castle, DE
Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,874
SR 7 / N. OLD BALT
FairOver: TRIB. TO CHRISTINA RIVER
NORTH OF CHRISTIANA, New Castle, DE
Built 1950 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,632
OTTS CHAPEL RD
FairOver: WEST BRANCH
WEST OF NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,107
FAIRVIEW AVE.
FairOver: WATERWAY
S/W OF MT. PLEASANT, New Castle, DE
Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 99
CHURCHTOWN RD.
FairOver: BACK CREEK
SOUTH OF SUMMIT BRIDGE, New Castle, DE
Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,887
GREARS CORNER RD.
FairOver: BARLOW BRANCH
WEST OF BLACKBIRD, New Castle, DE
Built 1935 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,266
ALLEY MILL RD
FairOver: PAW PAW BRANCH
N/W OF CLAYTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1933 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 951
MARKET ST / US13 B
FairOver: SHELLPOT CREEK
EAST OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1910 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,448
PHILA PK/MARKET
FairOver: STONEY RUN
N.E. OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,363
GRUBBS LANDING RD
FairOver: WATERWAY
CLAYMONT, New Castle, DE
Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,449
KENNETT PIKE/SR52
FairOver: WATERWAY
GREENVILLE, New Castle, DE
Built 1925 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,820
MALLARD RD.
FairOver: ARMY CREEK
S/W OF NEW CASTLE, New Castle, DE
Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 99
LOVERING AVE
FairOver: PEDESTRIAN PATH
BRANDYWINE PARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1900 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,804
OTTS CHAPEL RD
FairOver: I 95 DELAWARE TURNPIKE
S.W. OF NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1962 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,190
SR273-I95 RAMP
FairOver: I95 / JFK MEM HGWY
EAST OF OGLETOWN, New Castle, DE
Built 1963 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,630
RAMP 6059
FairOver: SR1/KOREAN WAR VET MEM
NORTH OF CHRISTIANA, New Castle, DE
Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,960
VIETNAM MEM HGWY
FairOver: SO.BRANCH-NAAMANS CREEK
CLAYMONT, New Castle, DE
Built 1966 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 94,071
I 495 NB
FairOver: SR9
SOUTH OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 43,998
I495S-12TH ST RAMP
FairOver: 84" PIPE/DRAINAGE AREA
WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1976 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,482
NEWARK-CHRISTIANA
FairOver: AMTRAK
OGLETOWN / EAST NEWARK, New Castle, DE
Built 1997 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 12,900
DUPONT PKWY/US13 S
FairOver: WATERWAY
S. OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1992 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 14,790
I 295 NB
FairOver: US 13 NB
FARNHURST, New Castle, DE
Built 1958 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 64,107
I 95 SB
FairOver: SHIPLEY RD
N.E. OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1968 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 33,081
I 495
FairOver: TERMINAL AVE RD 359
SOUTH OF WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1972 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 101,111
SR273 / OGLETOWN R
FairOver: AMTRAK
OGLETOWN, New Castle, DE
Built 1997 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 25,799
KOREAN WAR MEM HGY
FairOver: SR 273/HARES CORNER RD
NORTH OF CHRISTIANA, New Castle, DE
Built 1992 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 46,484
KENNETT PK/SR52
FairOver: SR 141 NEW BRIDGE RD
GREENVILLE, New Castle, DE
Built 1976 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 13,532
WASHINGTON ST.
FairOver: BRANDYWINE CK CONRAIL
WILMINGTON, New Castle, DE
Built 1922 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 9,356
KOREAN WAR VET MEM
FairOver: STONEY CREEK
DELAIRES, New Castle, DE
Built 1972 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 37,755
NAAMANS RD / SR92
FairOver: NAAMANS CREEK
WEST OF MARCUS HOOK, New Castle, DE
Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 11,915
WAY ROAD
FairOver: TRIB OF RED CLAY CREEK
EAST OF ASHLAND, New Castle, DE
Built 1966 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 929
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.