Total bridges
194
Public highway bridges in Howard County
County profile · official public datasets
Howard County, IN
194 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 40.2% rated Good, 55.2% Fair, 4.6% Poor.
- 194
- Public bridges
- 40.2%
- Good condition
- 4.6%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Howard County posts a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- Top 48%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 4.6%
- Poor-condition share
- 194
- public highway bridges
- 1976
- 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.
Howard County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Howard County ranks #44 of 92 Indiana counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.6%). Howard County, Indiana contains 194 public highway bridges. Roughly 40.2% are rated “Good,” 55.2% “Fair,” and 4.6% “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.
Good condition
40.2%
78 of 194 rated 7-9
Fair condition
55.2%
107 of 194 rated 5-6
Poor condition
4.6%
9 of 194 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#44 of 92
Among Indiana counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 194 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 40.2% (78)
Fair 55.2% (107)
Poor 4.6% (9)
Howard County's Poor-condition bridges carry 21,532 vehicle crossings a day
That is 2.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.6% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 2,392 crossings a day against 6,261 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 194 of 194 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
49% of Howard County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
95 of the 194 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 40.2% 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 32.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
UNION ST over WILDCAT CREEK, built 1958, carries 6,909 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 9-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 21,532 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Howard County's bridges were built
194 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- pre-1900 1
Built before 1900
1 bridges
- 1910s 4
1910–1919
4 bridges
- 1920s 6
1920–1929
6 bridges
- 1930s 12
1930–1939
12 bridges
- 1940s 13
1940–1949
13 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
20 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
28 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
21 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
23 bridges
- 1990s 15
1990–1999
15 bridges
- 2000s 8
2000–2009
8 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
42 bridges
- 2020s 1
2020–2029
1 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 2010s, when 42 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.6% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 5 to 14 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1976) matches the Indiana average (1978).
How Howard County compares with Indiana's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Indiana counties nearest Howard County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.6% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1976 against a peer-group mean of 1977 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 91 Indiana counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain County | 197 | 24.9% | 67% | 8.1% | 1964 |
| Warrick County | 197 | 48.7% | 47.7% | 3.6% | 1981 |
| Adams County | 194 | 45.4% | 53.6% | 1% | 1983 |
| Howard County (this page) | 194 | 40.2% | 55.2% | 4.6% | 1976 |
| Wabash County | 192 | 28.1% | 65.6% | 6.3% | 1976 |
| Jay County | 191 | 45% | 48.7% | 6.3% | 1982 |
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 Howard 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 Howard County, both outside Indiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside IN (194 bridges here).
- Franklin County, AL · 194 bridges
- Poinsett County, AR · 194 bridges
- Trinity County, CA · 194 bridges
- Colquitt County, GA · 194 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside IN (1976 here).
- Mohave County, AZ · avg 1976 · 641 bridges
- Comanche County, OK · avg 1976 · 593 bridges
- Prince George's County, MD · avg 1976 · 576 bridges
- New Castle County, DE · avg 1976 · 527 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (194)
US 31 SB
GoodOver: STAHL-SHENK DITCH
00.35 N US 35, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 10,637
US 31 NB
GoodOver: DRAIN & MULTI-USE PATH
00.63 S SR 931, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 17,328
CR 400 N
GoodOver: SOUTH FORK DEER CREEK
0.4 MI W CR 400 E, Howard, IN
Built 1996 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 2,218
CR 500S
GoodOver: US 31 NB/SB
1.47 S SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2014 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 1,000
CR 400 E
GoodOver: WILDCAT CREEK
0.1 MI N CR 50 N, Howard, IN
Built 1980 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 664
CR 400 N
GoodOver: SUGAR CREEK
0.5 MI E CR 1100 E, Howard, IN
Built 1998 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 794
CR 500 S
GoodOver: WEST FORK LITTLE WILDCAT
0.4 MI W CR 100 W, Howard, IN
Built 1973 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 522
CR 600 W
GoodOver: WILLIAM VOGUS DITCH
0.3 MI S CR 250 S, Howard, IN
Built 2018 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 1,200
US 31 NB
GoodOver: US 35/SR 22
04.50 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 9,273
US 31 SB
GoodOver: US 35/SR 22
04.50 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 9,554
PHILLIPS ST
GoodOver: WILDCAT CREEK
0.0 MI INT PARK AVE, Howard, IN
Built 1989 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 5,996
CR 850 E
GoodOver: LOOP DRAIN
0.3 MI S CR 100 N, Howard, IN
Built 2017 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 302
CR 400 N
GoodOver: SOUTH FORK LITTLE DEER C
0.2 MI W CR 1150 W, Howard, IN
Built 1999 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 116
CR 1400 E
GoodOver: MIDDLE FORK DITCH
0.2 MI S SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 1994 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 109
US 31 SB
GoodOver: CENTRAL RR
01.56 N US 35, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 23,187
CR 100 W
GoodOver: LITTLE WILDCAT CREEK
0.1 MI N CR 300 S, Howard, IN
Built 2003 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 2,866
CR 800 W
GoodOver: WEST FORK HONEY CREEK
0.5 MI W CR 750 W, Howard, IN
Built 2019 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 355
US 31
GoodOver: E FK LITTLE WILDCAT CRK
1.40 S SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2014 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 15,341
MCCANN ST
GoodOver: WILDCAT CREEK
0.0 MI INT MAPLE ST, Howard, IN
Built 1963 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,910
US 31 NB
GoodOver: CENTRAL RR
01.56 N US 35, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 23,187
US 31 NB
GoodOver: CR 125 E NS RR
0.6 mi S SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2014 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 18,720
US 31 SB
GoodOver: CR125 E NS RR
0.6 mi S SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2014 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 18,720
CR 250 S
GoodOver: WEST FORK HONEY CREEK
0.1 MI W CR 800 W, Howard, IN
Built 1995 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 1,233
SR 22
GoodOver: PETES RUN
02.31 E SR 29, Howard, IN
Built 2019 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 2,178
CR 594 W
GoodOver: WILLIAM VOGUS DITCH
0.2 MI N CR 250 S, Howard, IN
Built 2003 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 500
CR 500 N
GoodOver: SUGAR CREEK
0.1 MI E CR 1100 E, Howard, IN
Built 1994 Load: 45.1 t ADT: 127
CR 1150 W
GoodOver: LITTLE DEER CREEK
0.4 MI N CR 500 N, Howard, IN
Built 1981 Load: 46.4 t ADT: 305
SR 931
GoodOver: LITTLE WILDCAT CREEK
00.29 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2023 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 14,108
SR 26
GoodOver: WEST FORK HONEY CREEK
07.92 W SR 931, Howard, IN
Built 1937 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 5,263
US 31 SB RAMP
GoodOver: MARTIN-YOUNGMAN DITCH
00.25 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 51.8 t ADT: 1,639
US 31 NB/SB
GoodOver: MARTIN-YOUNGMAN DITCH
00.15 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 18,720
CR 100 N
GoodOver: SUGAR CREEK
0.2 MI W CR 1200 E, Howard, IN
Built 1989 Load: 63.3 t ADT: 760
US 31
GoodOver: SCOTT-YOUNGMAN DITCH
00.70 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 22,277
SR 26
GoodOver: SQUIRREL CREEK
07.76 W SR 931, Howard, IN
Built 2003 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 5,263
US 31 NB RAMP
GoodOver: MARTIN-YOUNGMAN DITCH
00.10 N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 2013 Load: 78.1 t ADT: 1,802
CR 550 N
PoorOver: SOUTH FORK DEER CREEK
0.1 MI W CR 50 E, Howard, IN
Built 1960 Load: 12.1 t ADT: 475
DEFENBAUGH STREET
PoorOver: LOCAL PLANT PASS ROAD
0.1 MI E BELMONT ST, Howard, IN
Built 1965 Load: 15.1 t ADT: 5,192
DEFENBAUGH ST
PoorOver: KOKOMO CREEK
0.2 MI NE PARK RD, Howard, IN
Built 1970 Load: 15.7 t ADT: 6,263
CR 175 S
PoorOver: WILDCAT CREEK
0.2 MI E CR 1000 E, Howard, IN
Built 1968 Load: 20.2 t ADT: 151
CR 775 W
PoorOver: WEST FORK HONEY CREEK
0.1 MI N SR 26, Howard, IN
Built 1899 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 193
CR 500 S
PoorOver: MUD CREEK
0.6 MI E CR 900 E, Howard, IN
Built 1969 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 390
CR 600 S
PoorOver: EAST FORK HONEY CREEK
0.5 MI W CR 600 W, Howard, IN
Built 1910 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 158
CR 300 E
PoorOver: WILDCAT CREEK
0.7 MI N CR 50 N, Howard, IN
Built 1958 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,801
UNION ST
PoorOver: WILDCAT CREEK
0.0 MI INT SUPERIOR ST, Howard, IN
Built 1958 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 6,909
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.