Total bridges
116
Public highway bridges in Caldwell County
County profile · official public datasets
Caldwell County, KY
116 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 12.1% rated Good, 81% Fair, 6.9% Poor.
- 116
- Public bridges
- 12.1%
- Good condition
- 6.9%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Caldwell County pairs a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 45%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 6.9%
- Poor-condition share
- 116
- public highway bridges
- 1972
- 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.
Caldwell County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Caldwell County ranks #54 of 120 Kentucky counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.9%). Caldwell County, Kentucky contains 116 public highway bridges. Roughly 12.1% are rated “Good,” 81% “Fair,” and 6.9% “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.
Good condition
12.1%
14 of 116 rated 7-9
Fair condition
81%
94 of 116 rated 5-6
Poor condition
6.9%
8 of 116 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#54 of 120
Among Kentucky counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 116 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 12.1% (14)
Fair 81% (94)
Poor 6.9% (8)
Caldwell County's Poor-condition bridges carry 12,548 vehicle crossings a day
That is 8.6% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,569 crossings a day against 531 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 116 of 116 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
49.1% of Caldwell County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
57 of the 116 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 12.1% 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 44.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
I-69 over TRADEWATER RIVER, built 1963, carries 5,532 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 8-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 12,548 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Caldwell County's bridges were built
116 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 2
1920–1929
2 bridges
- 1930s
1930–1939
16 bridges
- 1940s 9
1940–1949
9 bridges
- 1950s 8
1950–1959
8 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
17 bridges
- 1970s 9
1970–1979
9 bridges
- 1980s 11
1980–1989
11 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
28 bridges
- 2000s 7
2000–2009
7 bridges
- 2010s 9
2010–2019
9 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 28 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 24.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1972, 6 years older than the Kentucky average of 1978.
How Caldwell County compares with Kentucky's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Kentucky counties nearest Caldwell County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.9% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1972 against a peer-group mean of 1977 is 5 years older.
Showing the 5 closest of 119 Kentucky counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grayson County | 119 | 39.5% | 54.6% | 5.9% | 1972 |
| Clark County | 117 | 27.4% | 60.7% | 12% | 1976 |
| Fleming County | 117 | 32.5% | 62.4% | 5.1% | 1976 |
| Franklin County | 117 | 13.7% | 75.2% | 11.1% | 1980 |
| Caldwell County (this page) | 116 | 12.1% | 81% | 6.9% | 1972 |
| Morgan County | 114 | 50.9% | 46.5% | 2.6% | 1981 |
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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County, both outside Kentucky so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside KY (116 bridges here).
- Howard County, AR · 116 bridges
- Cassia County, ID · 116 bridges
- Worth County, IA · 116 bridges
- Sheridan County, KS · 116 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside KY (1972 here).
- Santa Clara County, CA · avg 1972 · 964 bridges
- Madison County, AL · avg 1972 · 710 bridges
- Kern County, CA · avg 1972 · 668 bridges
- York County, PA · avg 1972 · 569 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (94)
KY-902
FairOver: OOTAN BRANCH
9.5 MI.NE. JCT KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 1981 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 74
KY-139
FairOver: TOM NELSON CREEK
2.0 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 1931 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,078
KY-293
FairOver: STEVENS CREEK
.70 MI NOR. OF W KY PKWY, Caldwell, KY
Built 1938 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,058
KY-91
FairOver: GOOSE CREEK
1.3 MI S.E. OF JCT KY 128, Caldwell, KY
Built 1935 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,346
KY-91
FairOver: FRIENDSHIP BRANCH
1.9 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 672, Caldwell, KY
Built 1935 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,346
KY-91
FairOver: SINKING FORK CREEK
1.5 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 672, Caldwell, KY
Built 1935 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,346
KY-126
FairOver: UNNAMED STREAM
1.0 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 514, Caldwell, KY
Built 1932 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 349
KY-126
FairOver: CANTRILL SPRING CREEK
1.2 MI S.E. OF JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1933 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 349
KY-91
FairOver: FORK OF SKIN FRAME CREEK
4.1 MI N.W. OF JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1923 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,306
KY-70
FairOver: UNNAME STREAM
1.3 MI WEST OF JCT KY 293, Caldwell, KY
Built 1947 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 261
KY-70
FairOver: UNNAME STREAM
.05 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 293, Caldwell, KY
Built 1948 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 761
KY-1119
FairOver: Briarfield Branch
1.3 MI EAST OF JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1951 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 159
KY-1272
FairOver: BRANCH OF DRY CREEK
.10 MI N.E. OF JCT KY 145, Caldwell, KY
Built 1953 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 293
SOUTH JEFFERSON ST
FairOver: UNNAMED STREAM
.07 MI SOU. OF JCT US 62, Caldwell, KY
Built 1956 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,553
WEST FORK RD
FairOver: W.FK DONALDSON CREEK
.1 MI N KY 70, Caldwell, KY
Built 1991 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 46
MASHBURN RD
FairOver: BURNS CREEK
.2 MI.WEST - KY 672, Caldwell, KY
Built 1994 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 23
DONALDSON RD
FairOver: FORK-DONALDSON CREEK
.3 MI W. JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1990 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 43
HARDY MILL RD
FairOver: BRUSHY GROVE CREEK
1.6 MI W KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 1992 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 35
CR1302 Redbud Tra
FairOver: Gulf Creek
0.2 mi S Jct Ky 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 2007 Load: 41.6 t ADT: 63
KY-276
FairOver: WESTBOUND LANES I-24
1.5 MI E OF JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1977 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 362
KY 2619
FairOver: I-69
0.6 mi. N. Jct. US 62, Caldwell, KY
Built 2011 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 192
CANNON RD
FairOver: DONALDSON CREEK
.8 MI N -JCT KY 70, Caldwell, KY
Built 1993 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 38
I-69
FairOver: P&L RAILWAY & KY
EBL .2 MI W OF KY 91 NTRC, Caldwell, KY
Built 1962 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 5,117
US-62
FairOver: TRADEWATER RIVER
.01 MI W-HOPKINS CO LINE, Caldwell, KY
Built 1991 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 1,972
ENON RD
FairOver: DONALDSON CREEK
.6 MI W OF JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1970 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 131
I-69
FairOver: EAST FORK
.50 MI EAST OF KY 2613 OP, Caldwell, KY
Built 1963 Load: 46.5 t ADT: 11,063
WHITE SCHOOL RD
FairOver: TRADEWATER RIVER
@ HOPKINS CO.LN., Caldwell, KY
Built 1984 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 48
ECHO VALLEY RD
FairOver: UNNAMED STREAM
.5 MI SE-CRITON CO LINE, Caldwell, KY
Built 1991 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 34
UNION GROVE SCHOOL
FairOver: LIVINGSTON CREEK
.65 MI N.-JCT KY 70, Caldwell, KY
Built 1990 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 58
KY-278
FairOver: P&L RAILWAY
4.1 MI. W KY 672, Caldwell, KY
Built 1983 Load: 47.8 t ADT: 313
SOUTH JEFFERSON ST
FairOver: TUDOR CREEK
@ JCT KY 91 NORTH, Caldwell, KY
Built 1990 Load: 48.7 t ADT: 1,434
OLD FREDONIA RD
FairOver: MCELROY CREEK
.75 MI W OF JCT CR 5249, Caldwell, KY
Built 1979 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 79
PRINCETON-OLNEY RD
FairOver: PRATT CREEK
1.8 MI EAST OF KY. 293, Caldwell, KY
Built 1965 Load: 52.9 t ADT: 196
KY-128
FairOver: GOOSE CREEK
0.7 MI. SE JCT. KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 1982 Load: 54.1 t ADT: 404
KY-139
FairOver: CANADA CREEK
2.5 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 1932 Load: 57.5 t ADT: 1,078
US-62
FairOver: SINKHOLES
1.3 MI. W JCT KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 2001 Load: 58.2 t ADT: 4,317
CR 1354 Turley Rd
FairOver: Unknown ditch
0.5 mi East of KY 91, Caldwell, KY
Built 2002 Load: 58.8 t ADT: 12
US-641
FairOver: LIVINGSTON CREEK
1.4 MI S.E. OF JCT KY 70, Caldwell, KY
Built 1984 Load: 66.3 t ADT: 763
KY-276
FairOver: EASTBOUND LANES I-24
1.5 MI E OF JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY
Built 1977 Load: 66.9 t ADT: 362
KY 139
FairOver: Dry Creek
0.5 mi S jct. ky 126, Caldwell, KY
Built 2010 Load: 78.7 t ADT: 1,544
KY-91
FairOver: TUDOR CREEK
@ JCT KY 139 NORTH, Caldwell, KY
Built 1990 Load: 80.2 t ADT: 4,350
US-62
FairOver: FORK-EAST FORK CREEK
.1 MI W- HOPKINS CO LINE, Caldwell, KY
Built 1991 Load: 87.3 t ADT: 892
I-69
FairOver: WARD CREEK
2.5 MI EAST OF KY 293 OP, Caldwell, KY
Built 1963 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 11,063
KY-91
FairOver: EASLEY CREEK
0.8 MI SE JCT KY 70, Caldwell, KY
Built 2002 Load: 96.3 t ADT: 2,306
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.