County profile · official public datasets

Meade County, KS

84 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 73.8% rated Good, 26.2% Fair, 0% Poor.

84
Public bridges
73.8%
Good condition
0%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Meade County posts a top-5% lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across rated county bridge inventory.

Top 3%
lowest Poor share in state
0%
Poor-condition share
84
public highway bridges
1969
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.

Meade County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Meade County ranks #3 of 104 Kansas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 0%). Meade County, Kansas contains 84 public highway bridges. Roughly 73.8% are rated “Good,” 26.2% “Fair,” and 0% “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

84

Public highway bridges in Meade County

Good condition

73.8%

62 of 84 rated 7-9

Fair condition

26.2%

22 of 84 rated 5-6

Poor condition

0%

0 of 84 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#3 of 104

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

Condition distribution

Share of 84 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
73.8% (62)
Fair
26.2% (22)
Poor
0% (0)

63.1% of Meade County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

53 of the 84 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 73.8% 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.

When Meade County's bridges were built

84 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 20 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 23.8% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1969) matches the Kansas average (1972).

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

How Meade County compares with Kansas's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Kansas counties nearest Meade County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 0% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1969 against a peer-group mean of 1969 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 103 Kansas counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Meade County and the 5 Kansas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Kiowa County 90 3.3%
Meade County (this page) 84 0%
Thomas County 82 2.4%
Finney County 78 2.6%
Kearny County 72 0%
Edwards County 69 4.3%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside KS (84 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside KS (1969 here).

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

All 84 Good 62 Fair 22 Poor 0

All bridges (84)

Road 16

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

2.2S 2.3W OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1977 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 50

Road Q

Fair

Over: TRIB. TO SAND CREEK

9.53S 3.3E OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1920 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 10

Road AA

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.7E 13.0S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1950 Load: 10.4 t ADT: 30

RS 738 Road 18

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

13.7S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1969 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 50

Road 13

Fair

Over: SHORTS CREEK

5.0W 10.6S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1955 Load: 17.0 t ADT: 10

K23 HWY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

0.42 MI S US54, Meade, KS

Built 1935 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,170

Road H

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

1.1W OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1946 Load: 18.6 t ADT: 40

K23 HWY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

2.64 MI S US54, Meade, KS

Built 1936 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 715

K98 HWY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

1.84 MI E K23, Meade, KS

Built 1935 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 350

RS 452 Road V

Fair

Over: STUMPIE ARROYO

8.0S 6.0W OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1974 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 45

K98 HWY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK OVERFLOW

7.65 MI E K23, Meade, KS

Built 1957 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 350

K98 HWY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

7.24 MI E K23, Meade, KS

Built 1957 Load: 31.6 t ADT: 350

RS 455 Road 29

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

11.0E 7.0S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 25

RS 285 Road 4

Fair

Over: UNNAMED DRAW

8.9N OF PLAINS, Meade, KS

Built 1955 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 615

Road 19

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

S.E. EDGE OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1950 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 200

Road 19

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

S.E. EDGE OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1945 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 200

Road H

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.5S 4.7W OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1921 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

Road U

Fair

Over: DRAW

12.2E 7.0S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1920 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20

Road L

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

1.2E 2.0N OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1981 Load: 32.9 t ADT: 30

Road 27

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

1.0E 3.4N OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1988 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 40

Road 25

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

1.2W 6.0N OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1984 Load: 38.8 t ADT: 30

US-54 HWY

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

7.68 MI NE EJCT US160, Meade, KS

Built 1991 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 4,210

RS 455 Road 31

Good

Over: Five Mile Creek

13.0E 13.3S of Meade, Meade, KS

Built 2000 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 25

Road 15

Good

Over: CREEK

3.3W 11.2S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1962 Load: 9.2 t ADT: 100

RS 251 Road 26

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK OVERFLOW

0.3N OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1958 Load: 11.1 t ADT: 195

RS 455 Road 31

Good

Over: Unnamed Stream

15.5S 13.0E of Meade, Meade, KS

Built 2000 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 25

US54 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

0.47 MI NE K98 HWY, Meade, KS

Built 1953 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 3,935

Road 15

Good

Over: CREEK

3.3W 7.7S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1979 Load: 17.0 t ADT: 50

K23 HWY

Good

Over: STUMPIE ARROYO

13.48 MI NE OKLA STATE LN, Meade, KS

Built 1962 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 600

US54 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

3.12 MI NE EJCT US160, Meade, KS

Built 1953 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,210

US54 HWY

Good

Over: DRY LAKE DRAINAGE

7.26 MI NE EJCT US160, Meade, KS

Built 1946 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,210

K23 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

4.44 MI N US54, Meade, KS

Built 1934 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 855

Road 16

Good

Over: CREEK

2.3W 6.1S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1977 Load: 18.6 t ADT: 50

US54 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

9.23 MI NE EJCT US160, Meade, KS

Built 1953 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 4,210

K23 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

3.17 MI S US54, Meade, KS

Built 1936 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 715

US54 HWY

Good

Over: DRY LAKE DRAINAGE

2.50 MI NE SEWARD COLN, Meade, KS

Built 1969 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 5,430

US54 HWY

Good

Over: DRY LAKE DRAINAGE

2.81 MI NE SEWARD COLN, Meade, KS

Built 1969 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 5,430

RS 251 Road 26

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK

0.5N OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1972 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 195

Road 23

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

5.0E 6.0S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1967 Load: 21.2 t ADT: 30

Road BB

Good

Over: TRIB. TO CROOKED CREEK

3.0E 14.0S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1996 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 20

RS 251 Road 26

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK

5.8N OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 1965 Load: 22.6 t ADT: 195

US54 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

0.83 MI W. OF K-23, Meade, KS

Built 1951 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 4,296

Road 21

Good

Over: CREEK

1.0N 5.0W OF FOWLER, Meade, KS

Built 2006 Load: 23.1 t ADT: 30

RS 455 Road S

Good

Over: TRIB. TO SAND CREEK

10.2E 5.0S OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 2021 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 40

K23 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

8.37 MI NW OF US-54 JCT, Meade, KS

Built 1934 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 785

Lake Meade Park Rd

Good

Over: Trib to Stumpe Arroyo

MEADE S.F.L. & W.A., Meade, KS

Built 2005 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 10

K23 HWY

Good

Over: SHORTS CREEK

9.72 MI N OKLA. STATE LN, Meade, KS

Built 1962 Load: 29.2 t ADT: 600

Road L

Good

Over: CREEK

2.0N 6.0W OF MEADE, Meade, KS

Built 1981 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 20

K23 HWY

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK DRAINAGE

6.76 MI N US54, Meade, KS

Built 1934 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 855

RS 285 Road A

Good

Over: DRAW UNNAMED

14.0N 0.2W OF PLAINS, Meade, KS

Built 1961 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 450

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.