Total bridges
360
Public highway bridges in Polk County
County profile · official public datasets
360 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 55.3% rated Good, 44.7% Fair, 0% Poor.
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Polk County posts a top-1% lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
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.
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Polk County ranks #1 of 67 Florida counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 0%). Polk County, Florida contains 360 public highway bridges. Roughly 55.3% are rated “Good,” 44.7% “Fair,” and 0% “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.
Total bridges
360
Public highway bridges in Polk County
Good condition
55.3%
199 of 360 rated 7-9
Fair condition
44.7%
161 of 360 rated 5-6
Poor condition
0%
0 of 360 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#1 of 67
Among Florida counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Share of 360 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
170 of the 360 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 55.3% 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.
360 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
1910–1919
1 bridges
1920–1929
7 bridges
1930–1939
10 bridges
1940–1949
23 bridges
1950–1959
27 bridges
1960–1969
83 bridges
1970–1979
26 bridges
1980–1989
18 bridges
1990–1999
89 bridges
2000–2009
38 bridges
2010–2019
28 bridges
2020–2029
10 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 89 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 24.7% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1979) matches the Florida average (1983).
The 5 Florida counties nearest Polk County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 0% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1979 against a peer-group mean of 1983 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 66 Florida counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas County | 435 | 63.7% | 34.5% | 1.8% | 1983 |
| Lee County | 391 | 75.4% | 23.8% | 0.8% | 1982 |
| Collier County | 370 | 73.2% | 24.9% | 1.9% | 1981 |
| Polk County (this page) | 360 | 55.3% | 44.7% | 0% | 1979 |
| Sarasota County | 298 | 57.7% | 41.6% | 0.7% | 1982 |
| Osceola County | 255 | 62.4% | 37.6% | 0% | 1985 |
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 Polk County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
Two NBI-derived peer sets for Polk County, both outside Florida so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Nearest county inventories outside FL (360 bridges here).
Nearest mean year-built outside FL (1979 here).
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Over: CSX RR & CITY STREETS
0.1MI WEST OF MAIN ST., Polk, FL
Over: PAYNE BRANCH
3.3 M S OF SR674, Polk, FL
Over: I-4 (SR-400)
2.5 MI EAST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Over: ENGLISH CREEK
0.5 MI NORTH OF EWELL RD, Polk, FL
Over: HORSE CREEK
0.4MI N OF BARGIN BARN RD, Polk, FL
Over: WHIDDEN CREEK
3.2 MI S OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: LAKE PARKER CANAL
0.8MI NORTH OF US-92, Polk, FL
Over: PEACE RIVER CANAL
0.3MI WEST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Over: LAKE HOWARD CANAL
1.1 MI. WEST OF US-17, Polk, FL
Over: PEACE RIVER CANAL
0.3MI WEST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Over: ALT. US-27 (SR-17)
1.2 MI EAST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Over: CARTERS CANAL
1.1MI W OF MARIGOLD AVE., Polk, FL
Over: LILY CANAL
5MI S OF CYPRESS PARKWAY, Polk, FL
Over: LAKE MARION CREEK
1.1MI W OF MARIGOLD AVE., Polk, FL
Over: BEAR CREEK
0.2 MI NORTH OF SR-60, Polk, FL
Over: SWEET CLOUD DITCH
3.8 MI W OF SR-60, Polk, FL
Over: HENRY BUNNS CREEK
2.0 MI WEST OF US-17, Polk, FL
Over: BRANCH OF CHARLIE CREEK
6.3 Mi. West of US-27, Polk, FL
Over: TRIANGLE LAKE
0.2 MI WEST OF SR-37, Polk, FL
Over: PEACE CREEK
1 MI NORTH OF SR-60, Polk, FL
Over: SIX MILE CREEK
3.1 MI NORTH OF CR-640, Polk, FL
Over: PEACE CREEK RELIEF
4.1 MI WEST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Over: CLINCH CREEK
0.6 MI. SOUTH OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: LAKE GIBSON DRAIN CANAL
1.8MI E OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: BEAR CREEK
0.4 MI NORTH OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: Peace Creek
0.36 Mi. West of US-27, Polk, FL
Over: CSX R/R
0.7 MI EAST OF SR-37, Polk, FL
Over: BOWLEGS CREEK
1 MI EAST OF US-17, Polk, FL
Over: I-4 (SR-400)
4.0 MI EAST OF SR-559, Polk, FL
Over: BRIANS RUN
8.0 MI E OF US-17, Polk, FL
Over: MANURE CREEK
0.25 MI S OF HUTCHINS RD, Polk, FL
Over: CR-582 (SOCRUM LOOP RD)
1.4 MI E OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: CR-582 (SOCRUM LOOP RD)
1.4MI E OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: GRAVEL CREEK
0.2 MI SOUTH OF US-92, Polk, FL
Over: PIT CREEK
0.3MI S OF 1-4 (SR-400), Polk, FL
Over: PEACE CREEK CANAL
1.1 MI NORTH OF SR-60, Polk, FL
Over: GASKIN CREEK
5.2MI E OF US-17 OVERPASS, Polk, FL
Over: ITCHEPACKESASSA CREEK
0.1 MI EAST OF WALKER RD, Polk, FL
Over: LAKE HAMILTON CANAL
0.8MI WEST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Over: MCCOY DRAINAGE DITCH
4.4 MI. NORTH OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: GATOR CREEK
3.7MI NORTH OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: N PRONG ALAFIA RIVER
3.1MI E OF COUNTY LINE RD, Polk, FL
Over: FAIRWAY DITCH
0.5MI E OF MARIGOLD AVE., Polk, FL
Over: MARSH CREEK
0.25MI SOF DEEN STILL RD, Polk, FL
Over: REEDY DITCH
245FT EAST OF CR-630, Polk, FL
Over: HORSE CREEK
1.1 MI NORTH OF CR-547, Polk, FL
Over: I-4 (SR-400)
0.9MI E OF US-98, Polk, FL
Over: LAKE MAY CANAL
0.09 MI. W OF 9TH ST. SW, Polk, FL
Over: PARKER CREEK
GRIFFIN RD AND SR-33, Polk, FL
Over: KISSIMMEE RIVER
26.6 MI EAST OF US-27, Polk, FL
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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.