County profile · official public datasets

Clay County, IL

166 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 49.4% rated Good, 37.3% Fair, 13.3% Poor.

166
Public bridges
49.4%
Good condition
13.3%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Clay County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.

87th
of 102 on Poor share
13.3%
Poor-condition share
166
public highway bridges
1982
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.

Clay County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Clay County ranks #87 of 102 Illinois counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 13.3%). Clay County, Illinois contains 166 public highway bridges. Roughly 49.4% are rated “Good,” 37.3% “Fair,” and 13.3% “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

166

Public highway bridges in Clay County

Good condition

49.4%

82 of 166 rated 7-9

Fair condition

37.3%

62 of 166 rated 5-6

Poor condition

13.3%

22 of 166 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#87 of 102

Among Illinois counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 166 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
49.4% (82)
Fair
37.3% (62)
Poor
13.3% (22)

Clay County's Poor-condition bridges carry 4,285 vehicle crossings a day

That is 4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 13.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 195 crossings a day against 355 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 166 of 166 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

33.7% of Clay County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

56 of the 166 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 49.4% 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 32.7% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

FAS 2704(OLD-50) over RACCOON CREEK, built 1993, carries 1,400 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 22-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 4,285 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Clay County's bridges were built

166 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 26 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 15.7% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1982) matches the Illinois average (1979).

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Clay County compares with Illinois's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Illinois counties nearest Clay County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 13.3% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1982 against a peer-group mean of 1980 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 101 Illinois counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Clay County and the 5 Illinois counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Cumberland County 169 6.5%
Clay County (this page) 166 13.3%
Hamilton County 165 2.4%
Mercer County 163 6.7%
Bond County 162 8%
Greene County 162 5.6%

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 Clay 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 Clay County, both outside Illinois so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside IL (166 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside IL (1982 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 166 Good 82 Fair 62 Poor 22

All bridges (166)

TR-102

Good

Over: CREEK

2.3 MI SE XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 154A

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK

3 MI NW LOUISVLE, Clay, IL

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

FAS 2798

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

2.5 MI NE FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150

TR 198

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

2.8 MI N FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 450

TR 105

Good

Over: PANTHER CREEK

3.5 MI S HORD, Clay, IL

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 331A

Good

Over: ELM CREEK

0.5 MI. W FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 225

TR 9

Good

Over: ELM RIVER

2 MI NE RINARD, Clay, IL

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 325

Good

Over: ELM CREEK

0.5 MI N FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 475

TR 373

Good

Over: CREEK

1 MI SE XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 200

Good

Over: PANTHER CREEK

3.5 MI N LOUISVILLE, Clay, IL

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

FAS 801

Good

Over: LAWS CREEK

1.5 MI E INGRAHAM, Clay, IL

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 550

TR 363/MARIGOLD LN

Good

Over: SEMINARY CREEK

2 MI SE FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 19

Good

Over: LIMESTONE CREEK

4.5 MI NE BIBLE GROV, Clay, IL

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 175

TR 212A

Good

Over: RACCOON CREEK

3.5 MI S FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR 280

Good

Over: FLAT BRANCH CREEK

3 MI SW SAILOR SPRGS, Clay, IL

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

CH 11

Good

Over: CONNERS BRANCH

3 MI W XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 385

Good

Over: Elm River

4 Miles SE Flora, Clay, IL

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 368

Good

Over: Big Muddy Creek

2.5 Mi. NE Sailor Sp, Clay, IL

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR-40

Good

Over: Conners Branch

2.5 Mi. NW Xenia, Clay, IL

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR-209

Good

Over: Little Muddy Creek

0.5 Mi. W Sailor Spr, Clay, IL

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 225

Good

Over: FLAT BRANCH CREEK

2.5 Mi W Sailor Spri, Clay, IL

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 221

Good

Over: Trib to Buck Creek

3 Mi. SW Louisville, Clay, IL

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 175

TR 355

Good

Over: Bear Creek

3.5 SW Flora, Clay, IL

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 149

Good

Over: ICG RR

3 MI SW IOLA, Clay, IL

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 219

Good

Over: ICG RR

2 MI W OSKALOOSA, Clay, IL

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 293

Good

Over: ICG RR

4 MI SW OSKALOOSA, Clay, IL

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

FAS 2704 (OLD-50)

Good

Over: BRUSH CREEK

.75 MI E XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 2012 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 1,100

TR-170

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

3.5 MI SW FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 1980 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 50

FAP 328 (US 45)

Good

Over: GROVE CREEK

1.5 MI S LOUISVILLE, Clay, IL

Built 2009 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 5,200

FAS-719 (CH-7)

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK

1 MI W IOLA, Clay, IL

Built 1936 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 450

TR 154A

Good

Over: Buck Creek

4 Mi. SW Louisville, Clay, IL

Built 2018 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 100

FAP 328 (US 45)

Good

Over: BRANCH ELM RIVER

.6 MI N JCT US 50, Clay, IL

Built 2009 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 4,550

FAU-8521

Good

Over: CSX TRANS INC

EAST EDGE FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 1986 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 2,900

FAP 328 (US 45)

Good

Over: SEMINARY CK OVERFLOW

4 MI S JCT US 50, Clay, IL

Built 2009 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 2,250

TR-178

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

3 MI NW FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 1909 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 75

TR 373

Good

Over: NICKOLSON CREEK

0.5 MI E XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 2022 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 100

TR 355

Good

Over: TRIB TO ELM CREEK

2.5 MI SE FLORA, Clay, IL

Built 2012 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 50

TR 89 (Finch Lane)

Good

Over: Panther Creek

2.5 Mi. S Hord, Clay, IL

Built 2016 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 100

FAS 799 (CH 3)

Good

Over: Little Wabash River

0.5 MI. E. Louisvill, Clay, IL

Built 2022 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 950

TR 331

Good

Over: Raccoon Creek

4 Mi. W Flora, Clay, IL

Built 2019 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 100

TR 179

Good

Over: Hurricane Creek

3 Mi. S Wendelin, Clay, IL

Built 2019 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 50

TR 212B

Good

Over: Elm Creek

1 Mi. N Flora, Clay, IL

Built 2019 Load: 54.1 t ADT: 50

FAS 2703-KIN/LOU R

Good

Over: Canadian National RR

.7 MI E MARION CO LI, Clay, IL

Built 2010 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 450

SBI-12 (OLD US 50)

Good

Over: ELM RIVER

.2 MI E JCT US 45S, Clay, IL

Built 2011 Load: 71.6 t ADT: 300

TR-75

Poor

Over: PANTHER CREEK

2 MI S HORD, Clay, IL

Built 1950 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 50

TR-120A

Poor

Over: RACCOON CREEK

4 MI NE XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 1922 Load: 11.7 t ADT: 25

FAS-801 (CH 16)

Poor

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK

1.2 MI W INGERHAM, Clay, IL

Built 1951 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 450

CH-19

Poor

Over: BRUSH CREEK

1 MI E XENIA, Clay, IL

Built 1970 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 100

TR-128 (Goldeneye

Poor

Over: BUCK CREEK

3.5 MI SE OSKALOOSA, Clay, IL

Built 1965 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 25

FAS-798

Poor

Over: LITTLE MUDDY

BIBLE GROVE, Clay, IL

Built 1970 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 475

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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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.