County profile · official public datasets

Jefferson County, IN

153 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 41.8% rated Good, 54.2% Fair, 3.9% Poor.

153
Public bridges
41.8%
Good condition
3.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

Top 38%
lowest Poor share in state
3.9%
Poor-condition share
153
public highway bridges
1977
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 #35 of 92 Indiana counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 3.9%). Jefferson County, Indiana contains 153 public highway bridges. Roughly 41.8% are rated “Good,” 54.2% “Fair,” and 3.9% “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

153

Public highway bridges in Jefferson County

Good condition

41.8%

64 of 153 rated 7-9

Fair condition

54.2%

83 of 153 rated 5-6

Poor condition

3.9%

6 of 153 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#35 of 92

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

Condition distribution

Share of 153 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
41.8% (64)
Fair
54.2% (83)
Poor
3.9% (6)

Jefferson County's Poor-condition bridges carry 7,242 vehicle crossings a day

That is 4.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 3.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,207 crossings a day against 448 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 153 of 153 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

34.6% of Jefferson County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

53 of the 153 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 41.8% 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 79.2% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

SR 7 over CLIFTY CREEK, built 1925, carries 5,739 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 6-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 7,242 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

153 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 29 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 19% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1977) matches the Indiana average (1978).

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

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

The 5 Indiana counties nearest Jefferson County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 3.9% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1977 against a peer-group mean of 1979 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 91 Indiana counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Jefferson County and the 5 Indiana counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Jefferson County (this page) 153 3.9%
Kosciusko County 152 6.6%
Benton County 151 2%
Perry County 151 2%
Owen County 150 10%
DeKalb County 149 0%

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 Indiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside IN (153 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside IN (1977 here).

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

Fair-condition bridges (83)

JINESTOWN ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK TRIBUTARY

1 MILE NORTH OF D ROAD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1896 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 2

MORGAN ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK CREEK

0.6 MILES NORTH OF A RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1910 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 5

BARBERSVILLE RD

Fair

Over: INDIAN-KENTUCK CREEK

00.01 S BARBERSVILLE CR, Jefferson, IN

Built 1985 Load: 10.7 t ADT: 100

JINESTOWN ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK TRIBUTARY

0.25 MILE SOUTH OF E RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1895 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 2

CR 1350W

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

00.87 S SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1885 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 100

FIFTH ST

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

00.01 E OF VINE ST, Jefferson, IN

Built 1935 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 225

JINESTOWN ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK CREEK

1 MILE SOUTH OF C ROAD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1920 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 5

WONJU

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK CRK TRIB

0.12 MILE NORTH OF C RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1900 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 5

SR 7

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK CREEK

01.47 N SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1977 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 3,811

SR 256

Fair

Over: LITTLE CREEK

05.05 W SR 62, Jefferson, IN

Built 1962 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 3,224

SR 250

Fair

Over: NEILS CREEK

04.13 E SR 3, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 606

SR 62

Fair

Over: RAZOR FORK

01.50 W SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1920 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 439

OHIO R. SCENIC WAY

Fair

Over: CLIFTY CREEK

01.31 E SR 256, Jefferson, IN

Built 1984 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 5,873

SR 356

Fair

Over: WOODS FORK CREEK

03.00 W SR 62, Jefferson, IN

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 3,517

SR 62

Fair

Over: MCCURRY BRANCH

02.30 E SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 102

SR 250

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK CREEK

02.68 W SR 7, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 788

SR 56

Fair

Over: BEE CAMP CREEK

04.37 E US 421, Jefferson, IN

Built 1937 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 2,538

CAMP MEETING RD

Fair

Over: W FK INDIAN-KENTUCK CR

00.88 E OF US 421, Jefferson, IN

Built 1935 Load: 25.0 t ADT: 100

CR 425N

Fair

Over: WALTON CREEK

00.37 E of CR 1225 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1925 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 100

CR 900N

Fair

Over: FORK OF BEAR CREEK

00.03 E of CR 1000 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1975 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 100

CR 850E

Fair

Over: LITTLE BRUSHY FORK CREEK

00.05 S of LITTLE BRUSHY, Jefferson, IN

Built 1989 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 100

OHIO R. SCENIC WAY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

00.80 W SR 7, Jefferson, IN

Built 1987 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 5,873

CR 400N

Fair

Over: HARBERTS CREEK

00.59 W of CR 350 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1988 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 100

SR 250

Fair

Over: BIG CAMP CREEK

02.99 W SR 7, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,173

ROGERS RD

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF LITTLE CREEK

00.37 N of POLK RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1973 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 225

PROSPECT RD

Fair

Over: BIG SALUDA CREEK

00.21 W of CR 550 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1974 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 325

SR 56

Fair

Over: BIG SPRING CREEK

00.11 E SR 62, Jefferson, IN

Built 1985 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 7,540

SR 62

Fair

Over: BR. OF TODDYS BRANCH

00.50 E SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1992 Load: 29.2 t ADT: 1,138

SR 56

Fair

Over: INDIAN-KENTUCK CREEK

07.22 E US 421, Jefferson, IN

Built 1948 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 2,308

DEPUTY PK

Fair

Over: HARBERTS CREEK

00.31 W of THOMPSON RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1976 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 250

WOLF RUN RD

Fair

Over: WOLF RUN

00.62 N of MANVILLE RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1984 Load: 30.7 t ADT: 175

CHINA-MANVILLE RD

Fair

Over: W FK INDIAN-KENTUCK CR

00.01 E TURKEY BRANCH RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1976 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 275

WEST MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: ABANDONED RR

00.18 W SR 7, Jefferson, IN

Built 1976 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 5,894

SR 62

Fair

Over: W FK INDIAN-KENTUCK CR

00.08 E SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,138

SR 250

Fair

Over: WILSON FORK CREEK

00.05 E SR 62, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 660

CR 500N

Fair

Over: HENSLEY CREEK

00.49 W of CR 600 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1900 Load: 32.0 t ADT: 225

US 421

Fair

Over: OHIO R HIGH & FRONT ST

00.42 S of SR 56, Jefferson, IN

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,853

DEPUTY PK

Fair

Over: HARBERTS CREEK

00.07 E of CR 600 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1987 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 250

SR 62

Fair

Over: TODDYS BRANCH

00.35 E SR 250, Jefferson, IN

Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 439

PARK ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE CROOKED CREEK

00.00 CLIFTY FALLS ST. PA, Jefferson, IN

Built 1947 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 143

CR 550W

Fair

Over: BIG SALUDA CREEK

00.01 S of TEN CENT RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

CR 900S

Fair

Over: E Fk FOURTEEN MILE CREEK

00.25 E of SR 62, Jefferson, IN

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 200

ROGERS RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE CREEK

00.92 S OF CHICKEN RUN RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 325

DEPUTY PK

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

00.02 S of CR 850 W, Jefferson, IN

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 325

RIVER BOTTOM RD

Fair

Over: BIG SALUDA CREEK

00.15 N of SALUDA HILL RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1966 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

BREEDING RD

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

00.13 N of CR 1033 N, Jefferson, IN

Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 375

OLD SR 62

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

00.01 W of US 421, Jefferson, IN

Built 1976 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 50

CR 1250W

Fair

Over: DRY BRANCH LEWIS CREEK

00.45 N of CR 175 N, Jefferson, IN

Built 1935 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

THORNTON RD

Fair

Over: W FK INDIAN-KENTUCK CR

00.38 E WEST FORK RD, Jefferson, IN

Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

EAST STREET

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF CROOKED CREEK

0.1 S of AULENBACH AVE, Jefferson, IN

Built 1940 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,000
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.