County profile · official public datasets

Jefferson County, IL

260 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 47.7% rated Good, 46.2% Fair, 6.2% Poor.

260
Public bridges
47.7%
Good condition
6.2%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Jefferson County pairs a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

Top 27%
lowest Poor share in state
6.2%
Poor-condition share
260
public highway bridges
1984
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.

Jefferson County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Jefferson County ranks #28 of 102 Illinois counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.2%). Jefferson County, Illinois contains 260 public highway bridges. Roughly 47.7% are rated “Good,” 46.2% “Fair,” and 6.2% “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

260

Public highway bridges in Jefferson County

Good condition

47.7%

124 of 260 rated 7-9

Fair condition

46.2%

120 of 260 rated 5-6

Poor condition

6.2%

16 of 260 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#28 of 102

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

Condition distribution

Share of 260 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
47.7% (124)
Fair
46.2% (120)
Poor
6.2% (16)

Jefferson County's Poor-condition bridges carry 67,995 vehicle crossings a day

That is 7.4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.2% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 4,250 crossings a day against 2,457 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 260 of 260 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

36.9% of Jefferson County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

96 of the 260 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 47.7% 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 27.6% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

FAP-821 (ILL-15) over FAI-57, built 1968, carries 18,800 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 16-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 67,995 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Jefferson County's bridges were built

260 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 43 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 16.5% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1984, 5 years newer than the Illinois average of 1979.

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

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

The 5 Illinois counties nearest Jefferson County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.2% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1984 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 Jefferson County and the 5 Illinois counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Grundy County 269 26.8%
Wayne County 266 9%
DeKalb County 261 13%
Montgomery County 261 7.3%
Jefferson County (this page) 260 6.2%
Effingham County 253 4.7%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside IL (260 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside IL (1984 here).

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

All 260 Good 124 Fair 120 Poor 16

All bridges (260)

LOOP RD

Good

Over: CASEY FORK & UP RR

1.5 MI N MT VERNON, Jefferson, IL

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,250

TR 553

Good

Over: CNIC RR

6.25 MI S BELLE RIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

E. STRAZA RD

Good

Over: C.N.I.C RAILROAD

4 MI S BELLE RIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

SHORT ST

Good

Over: CN/IC RR

BLUFORD, Jefferson, IL

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 700

E. Denker Rd.

Good

Over: CNIC RR

4 mi. N of Bluford, Jefferson, IL

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

W LINCOLN ST

Good

Over: FAI-57

.5 MI N DIX INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 75

FAU-8715(OLD-15)

Good

Over: SEVEN MILE CREEK

1 MI E MT VERNON, Jefferson, IL

Built 1986 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 2,850

CH-5

Good

Over: GUN CREEK

2 MI E SPRING GARDEN, Jefferson, IL

Built 1998 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 650

FAU 8736(IL 37)

Good

Over: STREAM

N PART MT VERNON, Jefferson, IL

Built 2005 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 5,850

TR-364

Good

Over: FAI-64

1.7 MI E ILL-37, Jefferson, IL

Built 1971 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 600

FAP-821 (ILL 15)

Good

Over: POLE CAT CREEK

5 MI E WASH CO LN, Jefferson, IL

Built 2017 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,100

FAP-849 (ILL-142)

Good

Over: STREAM

.3 MI NW BELLE RIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 2010 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,550

TR 415

Good

Over: Puncheon Creek

0.75MI E COUNTY LN, Jefferson, IL

Built 2017 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 75

FAS-830 (CH-17)

Good

Over: AUXIER CREEK

0.5 MI N BELLERIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 1990 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,600

I-57 SB

Good

Over: WEST SOUTH STREET

DIX INTERCHANGE, Jefferson, IL

Built 2022 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 12,500

E. ACADEMY ROAD

Good

Over: BALD HILL CREEK

1 MI W OF SCHELLER, Jefferson, IL

Built 2016 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 50

IL 142

Good

Over: STREAM

0.2MI SE MT VERNON, Jefferson, IL

Built 2015 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 6,850

IL 15

Good

Over: ELK HORN CREEK

4.4 MI E WASH CO LN, Jefferson, IL

Built 2020 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 3,100

FAP-821 (IL-15)

Good

Over: STREAM

.5 MI W MARKAM CITY, Jefferson, IL

Built 1993 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 3,500

N PANZIER LN

Good

Over: RAYSE CREEK

2 MI SW WOODLAWN, Jefferson, IL

Built 2014 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 150

I 57 NB

Good

Over: ATCHISON CREEK

2 MI N INA INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 2021 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 18,750

I 57 SB

Good

Over: ATCHISON CREEK

2 MI N INA INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 2021 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 18,750

I 57 NB

Good

Over: W. SOUTH ST - CH 39

DIX INTERCHANGE, Jefferson, IL

Built 2023 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 10,350

TR-1A

Good

Over: TRIB HARPER CREEK

2 MI N MT VERNON, Jefferson, IL

Built 1998 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 450

E MALECKI ROAD

Good

Over: TRIB TO HORSE CREEK

6.5 MI N OF BLUFORD, Jefferson, IL

Built 2016 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 100

FAS-2830(CH-13)

Good

Over: FAI-57

BONNIE, Jefferson, IL

Built 1964 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 550

FAP 821 (IL 15)

Good

Over: BIG MUDDY OVERFLOW

7.9 MI E WASH CO LN, Jefferson, IL

Built 2003 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 5,200

N TOLLE LANE TR384

Good

Over: PANTHER FORK CREEK

5 MI E OF DIX, Jefferson, IL

Built 2016 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 75

I-57 NB

Good

Over: NORFOLK & SOUTHERN RR

0.25 N OF DIX INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 2023 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 12,500

FAS-2826 (ILL-37)

Good

Over: STREAM

2.4 MI S DIX, Jefferson, IL

Built 2008 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 4,000

E. LIBERTY RD

Good

Over: AUXIER CREEK

2.5 MI SW BLUFORD, Jefferson, IL

Built 2021 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 50

IL 37

Good

Over: STREAM

N PART OF INA, Jefferson, IL

Built 2020 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 3,700

FAS-2869 (ILL-37)

Good

Over: Stream

Bonnie, Jefferson, IL

Built 2013 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 3,700

I-57 SB

Good

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILWAY

0.25 MI N DIX INTERCHANGE, Jefferson, IL

Built 2022 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 12,500

N OKLAHOMA LA

Good

Over: ROCKY BRANCH

0.3MI N OF E DUNER, Jefferson, IL

Built 2018 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 50

I 57 NB

Good

Over: FAP-726 & UN PACF RR

2 MI S ILL-15 INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 1968 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 23,150

I 57 SB

Good

Over: FAP-726 & UN PACF RR

2 MI S ILL-15 INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 1968 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 23,150

FAP 821 - IL 15

Good

Over: BIG MUDDY RIVER

8.6 MI E WASH CO LN, Jefferson, IL

Built 2007 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 5,350

I 57 NB

Good

Over: CASEY FORK CREEK

4.5 MI S ILL-15 INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 1966 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 18,750

I 57 SB

Good

Over: CASEY FORK CREEK

4.5 MI S ILL-15 INT, Jefferson, IL

Built 1966 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 18,750

IL 37

Good

Over: STREAM

1.5 MI S IL 148, Jefferson, IL

Built 2022 Load: 62.9 t ADT: 7,250

TR-487

Good

Over: ROCKY BRANCH

3 MI SE BELLE RIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 1988 Load: 68.7 t ADT: 50

I 64

Good

Over: STREAM

1 MI E S TRI-LEVEL, Jefferson, IL

Built 1968 Load: 70.0 t ADT: 14,400

I 57

Good

Over: STREAM

1 MI N BONNIE, Jefferson, IL

Built 1967 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 18,750

TR-188

Poor

Over: CREEK

3.5 MI NE WALTONVILL, Jefferson, IL

Built 1909 Load: 5.8 t ADT: 125

TR-459

Poor

Over: CREEK

2 MI SE BELLE RIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 1909 Load: 8.1 t ADT: 10

FAS-2869 (ILL-37)

Poor

Over: STREAM

5.2 MI S ILL-148, Jefferson, IL

Built 1921 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 4,150

TR-435A

Poor

Over: STREAM

0.5 MI S BELLE RIVE, Jefferson, IL

Built 1993 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 10

I 64 EB

Poor

Over: CASEY FK & UN PAC RR

.2 MI E ILL-37, Jefferson, IL

Built 1972 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 6,350

I 64 WB

Poor

Over: CASEY FK & UN PAC RR

.2 MI E ILL-37, Jefferson, IL

Built 1972 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 6,350

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.