Total bridges
371
Public highway bridges in Lee County
County profile · official public datasets
Lee County, IL
371 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 39.9% rated Good, 48% Fair, 12.1% Poor.
- 371
- Public bridges
- 39.9%
- Good condition
- 12.1%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Lee County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- 83rd
- of 102 on Poor share
- 12.1%
- Poor-condition share
- 371
- public highway bridges
- 1980
- 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.
Lee County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Lee County ranks #83 of 102 Illinois counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 12.1%). Lee County, Illinois contains 371 public highway bridges. Roughly 39.9% are rated “Good,” 48% “Fair,” and 12.1% “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
39.9%
148 of 371 rated 7-9
Fair condition
48%
178 of 371 rated 5-6
Poor condition
12.1%
45 of 371 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#83 of 102
Among Illinois counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 371 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 39.9% (148)
Fair 48% (178)
Poor 12.1% (45)
Lee County's Poor-condition bridges carry 9,240 vehicle crossings a day
That is 1.4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 11.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 210 crossings a day against 1,179 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 370 of 371 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
39.9% of Lee County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
148 of the 371 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 39.9% 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 20.6% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
CH 1 LOST NATION R over FRANKLIN CREEK, built 1957, carries 1,900 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 45-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 9,240 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Lee County's bridges were built
371 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1900s 4
1900–1909
4 bridges
- 1920s 1
1920–1929
1 bridges
- 1930s 8
1930–1939
8 bridges
- 1940s 2
1940–1949
2 bridges
- 1950s 30
1950–1959
30 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
49 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
65 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
97 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
54 bridges
- 2000s 35
2000–2009
35 bridges
- 2010s 23
2010–2019
23 bridges
- 2020s 3
2020–2029
3 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 97 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 26.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1980) matches the Illinois average (1979).
How Lee County compares with Illinois's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Illinois counties nearest Lee County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 12.1% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1980 against a peer-group mean of 1979 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 101 Illinois counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogle County | 377 | 46.2% | 46.2% | 7.7% | 1981 |
| Bureau County | 375 | 41.3% | 43.5% | 15.2% | 1978 |
| Lee County (this page) | 371 | 39.9% | 48% | 12.1% | 1980 |
| Tazewell County | 358 | 25.4% | 60.1% | 14.5% | 1976 |
| Fayette County | 357 | 56.6% | 38.4% | 5% | 1976 |
| Peoria County | 352 | 24.1% | 57.7% | 18.2% | 1983 |
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 Lee 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 Lee County, both outside Illinois so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside IL (371 bridges here).
- Genesee County, MI · 371 bridges
- Carroll County, MO · 371 bridges
- Fayette County, TX · 371 bridges
- Clinton County, IA · 372 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside IL (1980 here).
- Tulsa County, OK · avg 1980 · 1,135 bridges
- Miami-Dade County, FL · avg 1980 · 1,057 bridges
- Pulaski County, AR · avg 1980 · 721 bridges
- McLennan County, TX · avg 1980 · 714 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (178)
MELUGINS GROVE RD
FairOver: WILLOW CREEK
0.5 MI N OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10
HERMAN ROAD
FairOver: TRIB OF GREEN RIVER
0.5 M E BROOKLYN RD, Lee, IL
Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10
CARNAHAN RD - TR 2
FairOver: BR OF GREEN RIV
0.4 M S BUTLER HILL, Lee, IL
Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50
BUTLER HILL ROAD
FairOver: TRIB. OF GREEN RIVER
0.3 MI W BROOKLYN RD, Lee, IL
Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75
SNYDER RD
FairOver: UNNAMED STREAM
0.1 M W GERMAN RD, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50
GERMAN ROAD - TR26
FairOver: STREAM
.2 MI. S. OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75
CENTER RD
FairOver: BUREAU CREEK
0.3 MI N BUREAU CO L, Lee, IL
Built 1972 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 25
HOYLE RD
FairOver: TRIB OF FIVE MILE BR
1.0 MI S OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 10
I 39&US 51SB
FairOver: PERRY RD-FAS 176
EAST EDGE STEWARD, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,750
I 39&US 51NB
FairOver: PERRY RD-FAS 176
EAST EDGE STEWARD, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,750
CH 31
FairOver: FIVE MILE BRANCH
.9 MI E OF SR 26, Lee, IL
Built 1932 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 150
IL 26 (FAP 316)
FairOver: DRAINAGE DITCH
1.5 MI. S. OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 1991 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 1,850
IL 2
FairOver: DRAINAGE DITCH
E OF DIXON-CEMENT PL, Lee, IL
Built 1993 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 5,800
I 39 & US 51 SB
FairOver: STEWARD CREEK
0.25 MI S PERRY ROAD, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 9,550
I 39 & US 51 NB
FairOver: STEWARD CREEK
0.25 MI S PERRY ROAD, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 9,550
US 52
FairOver: GREEN RIVER
SOUTH EDGE OF AMBOY, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,900
TR-71 OLD MILL ROA
FairOver: FRANKLIN CREEK
2.3 MI W FRANKLIN GR, Lee, IL
Built 1988 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 100
BROOKLYN RD
FairOver: GREEN RIVER TRIB
0.5 MI S OF US RT 30, Lee, IL
Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 275
IL 26
FairOver: UP RR
S EDGE OF DIXON, Lee, IL
Built 1989 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 14,200
I 39&US 51
FairOver: STEWARD CREEK BRANCH
0.06 MI S PERRY RD, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 19,500
TR-289 (ST MARYS R
FairOver: TRIB OF BUREAU CREEK
0.25 M W CENTER ROAD, Lee, IL
Built 1982 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 25
HARMON ROAD
FairOver: DRAINAGE DITCH
0.5 M N OF HARMON, Lee, IL
Built 1965 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 450
TR 132A ROCKYFORD
FairOver: I-88
2 MI SW FRANKLIN GRV, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 125
OGEE ROAD
FairOver: UNNAMED STREAM
0.5 M N S PAW PAW RD, Lee, IL
Built 1982 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 100
NACHUSA RD
FairOver: I-88
.5 MI S NACHUSA, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 200
TR 188 MIDWAY RD
FairOver: I-88
.65 MI S OF ASHTON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 250
TR 220 BROOKLYN RD
FairOver: I-88
3.5 MI E OF ASHTON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 200
FAP 561-IL 2 EB
FairOver: DRAINAGE DITCH
E SAUK VAL. COLLEGE, Lee, IL
Built 1991 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 11,500
Reynolds Road
FairOver: I-88
1 MI E FRANKLIN GR, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 525
PUMP FACTORY RD
FairOver: MAIN DITCH
2.2 MI SO.STERLINGRD, Lee, IL
Built 1979 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 100
IL 251
FairOver: WILLOW CREEK
0.8 MI. N. OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 2000 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,100
TR 152 GROVE RD
FairOver: I-88
S OF FRANKLIN GROVE, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 150
NELSON RD TR 14A
FairOver: I-88
2 MI S OF NELSON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 775
HARMON RD
FairOver: I-88
4 MI N OF HARMON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 325
TR 216 MERIDIAN RD
FairOver: I-88
2.5 MI E OF ASHTON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 100
FAP 561-IL 2 EB
FairOver: LITTLE CREEK
W SAUK VAL. COLLEGE, Lee, IL
Built 1991 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 11,000
TR 232 BUSH GROVE
FairOver: I-88
.5 MI SW OGLE CO LN, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 35
US ROUTE 52
FairOver: BRNCH GREEN RIVER
3.0 MI SE AMBOY, Lee, IL
Built 2002 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 2,300
CH 36 MOUND HILL R
FairOver: SUGAR CREEK
0.6 MI N PRAIRIEVLLE, Lee, IL
Built 1957 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 650
TR 222 THORPE RD
FairOver: I-88
4 MI SW OF ROCHELLE, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 50
IL 2 WB
FairOver: DRAINAGE DITCH
E SAUK VAL. COLLEGE, Lee, IL
Built 2010 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 11,500
PUMP FACTORY RD
FairOver: I-88
1.5 MI SW OF DIXON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 250
ATKINSON RD
FairOver: I-88
3 MI SW OF DIXON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 50
IL 2
FairOver: ROCK RIVER
AT GRAND DETOUR, Lee, IL
Built 1994 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 4,850
IL 2
FairOver: DITCH
3 MI. W. OF DIXON, Lee, IL
Built 2003 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 11,500
BOLLMAN RD TR 22
FairOver: I-88
1 MI N OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 25
TWP RD 50 HOYLE RD
FairOver: I-88
2.5 MI SW OF DIXON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 100
I 39&US 51
FairOver: STREAM
2 MI N OF US 30, Lee, IL
Built 1984 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 19,100
TR 98 BIRCH RD
FairOver: I-88
SE OF DIXON, Lee, IL
Built 1974 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 200
PERRY ROAD-FAS 176
FairOver: STEWARD CREEK BRANCH
0.2 MI E OF STEWARD, Lee, IL
Built 1983 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 1,600
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.