County profile · official public datasets

Washington County, IL

233 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 50.6% rated Good, 43.3% Fair, 6% Poor.

233
Public bridges
50.6%
Good condition
6%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Washington County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

Top 25%
lowest Poor share in state
6%
Poor-condition share
233
public highway bridges
1973
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.

Washington County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Washington County ranks #25 of 102 Illinois counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6%). Washington County, Illinois contains 233 public highway bridges. Roughly 50.6% are rated “Good,” 43.3% “Fair,” and 6% “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

233

Public highway bridges in Washington County

Good condition

50.6%

118 of 233 rated 7-9

Fair condition

43.3%

101 of 233 rated 5-6

Poor condition

6%

14 of 233 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#25 of 102

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

Condition distribution

Share of 233 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
50.6% (118)
Fair
43.3% (101)
Poor
6% (14)

Washington County's Poor-condition bridges carry 41,370 vehicle crossings a day

That is 8.8% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 2,955 crossings a day against 1,003 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 233 of 233 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

42.9% of Washington County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

100 of the 233 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 50.6% 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 33.8% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

I-64 EB over Prairie Rd Abandoned UPR, built 1972, carries 14,000 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 14-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 41,370 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Washington County's bridges were built

233 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 50 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.5% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1973, 6 years older than the Illinois average of 1979.

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

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

The 5 Illinois counties nearest Washington County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1973 against a peer-group mean of 1983 is 10 years older.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Washington County and the 5 Illinois counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Morgan County 234 8.5%
Washington County (this page) 233 6%
Douglas County 232 1.3%
Clark County 230 4.8%
Jackson County 228 6.6%
McHenry County 227 20.3%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside IL (233 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside IL (1973 here).

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

All 233 Good 118 Fair 101 Poor 14

Good-condition bridges (118)

TR 7

Good

Over: BR OF CROOKED CR

4 MI NW OF HOYLETON, Washington, IL

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 275

TR 250

Good

Over: FULTON BRANCH

1 MI W OF WAMAC, Washington, IL

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 229

Good

Over: SUGAR CREEK

4 MI W OF RADOM, Washington, IL

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR 44A

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

6 MI SE OF LIVELY GR, Washington, IL

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 188A

Good

Over: MIDDLE CREEK

2.25 MI N. BEAUCOUP, Washington, IL

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

TR 35

Good

Over: BR OF GRAND POINT CK

2.75 MI NE HOYLETON, Washington, IL

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 257

Good

Over: PANTHER CREEK

3.8MI EAST OF POSEN, Washington, IL

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 160

Good

Over: TRIB TO COON CREEK

3M NW OF HOYLETON, Washington, IL

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

CH 18

Good

Over: WEBSTER CK OVERFLOW

NORTH OF NOLTINGS, Washington, IL

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 525

CH 18

Good

Over: SEWER CREEK OVERFLOW

NORTH OF NOLTINGS, Washington, IL

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 550

TR 206A

Good

Over: BACK CREEK

3MI SE OF BEAUCOUP, Washington, IL

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR 214

Good

Over: BR. GRAND POINT CK

2.5 MI NE HOYLETON, Washington, IL

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 235

Good

Over: BR. OF MUD CREEK

2.5M SW OF LIVELY GR, Washington, IL

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 229

Good

Over: BEAUCOUP CREEK

4 MI S BEAUCOUP, Washington, IL

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR 182

Good

Over: BR OF NORTH CK

1.5 MI N. HUEGELY, Washington, IL

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

TR 166

Good

Over: BR.OF LOCUST CREEK

1 MI WEST OF POSEN, Washington, IL

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 202/ARIZONA RD

Good

Over: BR.OF MIDDLE CREEK

2 MI NE OF BEAUCOUP, Washington, IL

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR77A MAPLE RD

Good

Over: BR. GRAND POINT CK

4 MI SE HOYLETON, Washington, IL

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 53 WILLOW ROAD

Good

Over: BR LITTLE CROCKED CK

SE EDGE NEW MINDEN, Washington, IL

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 198 PANTHER CK

Good

Over: BR. PANTHER CREEK

4 MI. SE POSEN, Washington, IL

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR177 MASSACHUSE R

Good

Over: BR OF RAYSE CK

2MI E OF ASHLEY, Washington, IL

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 250

TR 98/CLEVELAND RD

Good

Over: ELKHORN CREEK

2.25MI NE OF OAKDALE, Washington, IL

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR285/TENNESEE RD

Good

Over: PUNCHEON CREEK

3 MI NE OF DUBOIS, Washington, IL

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 90/PLUM HILL CH

Good

Over: BR. OF WILLIAMS CK.

4MI SW OF ADDIEVILLE, Washington, IL

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 190/BIRCH RD

Good

Over: BR OF NORTH CREEK

3.25MI SW HOYLETON, Washington, IL

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 222/ASH RD

Good

Over: BR. OF GRAND PT CK

3MI SW IRVINGTON, Washington, IL

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR 165

Good

Over: BR OF WILLIAMS CREEK

2MI SSW PLUM HILL, Washington, IL

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

TR 224

Good

Over: BR LITTLE MUDDY CRE

1.75MI NORHT DUBOIS, Washington, IL

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

TR 35/WALNUT HILL

Good

Over: BR LITTLE CROOKED CR

1.5MI NE NEW MINDEN, Washington, IL

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

TR 277

Good

Over: BR OF S FORK MUD CK

NE 1/4 SEC34 T35 R5W, Washington, IL

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

TR 235

Good

Over: BR MUD CREEK

3.5M W OF CLARMIN, Washington, IL

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,150

FAS 836 (CH8)

Good

Over: LITTLE MUDDY RIVER

0.5 MI EAST DUBOIS, Washington, IL

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 550

TR 145

Good

Over: Elkhorn Creek

1.25 Mi E of IL 153, Washington, IL

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

TR 178 Elm Road

Good

Over: Coon Creek

2 Mi NW of Hoyleton, Washington, IL

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

FAS 788 (CH 11)

Good

Over: Branch of North Crk

0.5 Mi S of IL 177, Washington, IL

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 575

IRVINGTON RD-MS570

Good

Over: WEBSTER CREEK

1.4MI S WASH CO LINE, Washington, IL

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 375

FAI 64 EB

Good

Over: KASKASKIA R OVERFLOW

0.2 MI E OF CO LINE, Washington, IL

Built 1969 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 15,500

FAI 64 WB

Good

Over: KASKASKIA R OVERFLOW

0.2 MI E OF CO LINE, Washington, IL

Built 1969 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 15,500

ILL 127

Good

Over: TRIB TO L CROOKED CR

0.30 M N ILL 177, Washington, IL

Built 1936 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 2,650

FAI 64 EB

Good

Over: US 51

1.39 MI W CO LINE, Washington, IL

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 14,300

FAI 64 WB

Good

Over: US 51

1.38 MI W CO LINE, Washington, IL

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 14,300

IL 4/13

Good

Over: ICRR

2.9 mi S of IL 4/13 Jct, Washington, IL

Built 1996 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 4,900

FAS RT 831

Good

Over: LITTLE MUDDY RIVER

0.20 MI WEST RADOM, Washington, IL

Built 1982 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 625

IL 127

Good

Over: OVER NORTH CREEK

4.0 M N NASHVILLE, Washington, IL

Built 1996 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,900

ILL 177

Good

Over: TRIB TO KASKASKIA R

3.5M E OF I-64, Washington, IL

Built 1995 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 1,650

IL 177

Good

Over: W TRIB GRAND PT CRK

7 MI EAST JCT IL 127, Washington, IL

Built 1995 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 1,600

TR 195/KENTUCKY RD

Good

Over: BEAUCOUP CREEK

2MI S OF BEAUCOUP, Washington, IL

Built 2002 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 50

DUBOIS-OAKDALE RD

Good

Over: BEAUCOUP CREEK

3.7MI EAST JCT 127, Washington, IL

Built 1996 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,050

IL 177/160

Good

Over: KASKASKIA RIVER

4.1M W OF OKAWVILLE, Washington, IL

Built 1997 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,750

Addieville Rd - CH

Good

Over: FAI 64

3 M E ILL 177, Washington, IL

Built 1969 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 250

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.