County profile · official public datasets

Lincoln County, KY

136 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 13.2% rated Good, 83.8% Fair, 2.9% Poor.

136
Public bridges
13.2%
Good condition
2.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Lincoln County posts a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.

Top 11%
lowest Poor share in state
2.9%
Poor-condition share
136
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.

Lincoln County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Lincoln County ranks #13 of 120 Kentucky counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2.9%). Lincoln County, Kentucky contains 136 public highway bridges. Roughly 13.2% are rated “Good,” 83.8% “Fair,” and 2.9% “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

136

Public highway bridges in Lincoln County

Good condition

13.2%

18 of 136 rated 7-9

Fair condition

83.8%

114 of 136 rated 5-6

Poor condition

2.9%

4 of 136 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#13 of 120

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

Condition distribution

Share of 136 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
13.2% (18)
Fair
83.8% (114)
Poor
2.9% (4)

Lincoln County's Poor-condition bridges carry 2,165 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 541 crossings a day against 2,198 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 136 of 136 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

40.4% of Lincoln County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

55 of the 136 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 13.2% 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 62.8% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

KY-78 over NS (CNO&TP) SYSTEM, built 1963, carries 1,360 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 4-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 2,165 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Lincoln County's bridges were built

136 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 36 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 26.5% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1976) matches the Kentucky average (1978).

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

How Lincoln County compares with Kentucky's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Kentucky counties nearest Lincoln County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2.9% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1976 against a peer-group mean of 1980 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 119 Kentucky counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Lincoln County and the 5 Kentucky counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Boone County 138 4.3%
Shelby County 137 8%
Lincoln County (this page) 136 2.9%
Logan County 135 3.7%
Knott County 134 12.7%
Laurel County 131 4.6%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside KY (136 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside KY (1976 here).

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

All bridges (136)

US-127

Fair

Over: BAUGHMAN BRANCH

350 N. OF JCT KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1993 Load: 36.5 t ADT: 6,219

BROUGHTONTOWN RD

Fair

Over: BUCK CREEK

.2 MI S OF JCT KY 1781, Lincoln, KY

Built 1987 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 45

HURRICANE RD

Fair

Over: HURRICANE BRANCH

.5 MI S JCT KY 1781, Lincoln, KY

Built 1990 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 72

MOUNT SALEM RD

Fair

Over: HANGING FK @HUSTONVILLE

.05 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1975 Load: 37.1 t ADT: 877

KY-3246

Fair

Over: FALL LICK CREEK

AT THE.GARRARD CO LINE, Lincoln, KY

Built 1994 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 279

US-27

Fair

Over: DIX RIVER

1.2 MI SOU. OF GARRARD CL, Lincoln, KY

Built 1957 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 8,117

PEYTON WELL RD

Fair

Over: HANGING FORK CREEK

1.7 MI NW OF JCT KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1935 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 644

Elliott Bros. Road

Fair

Over: HANGING FORK

.1 MI.S JCT. KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1993 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 312

PEYTON WELL RD

Fair

Over: PEYTON CREEK

.6 MI.N - KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1993 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 644

US-150

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

.30 MI W OF ROCKCASTLE CL, Lincoln, KY

Built 1936 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 388

TURKEYTOWN RD

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

1.1 MI E -JCT KY 39, Lincoln, KY

Built 1990 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 72

OK SCHULLER RD

Fair

Over: BUCK CREEK

.5 MI W KY 1948, Lincoln, KY

Built 1992 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 36

KY-2750

Fair

Over: FLAX CREEK

.4 MI E OF SE-JCT KY 39, Lincoln, KY

Built 1928 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 388

KY-198

Fair

Over: BR OF PEYTON CREEK

.6 MI S OF JCT KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1937 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,387

US-27

Fair

Over: NEALS CREEK

.85 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 698, Lincoln, KY

Built 1958 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 6,936

US-127

Fair

Over: BR. OF KNOB LICK CK.

1.0 MI SO BOYLE CO LN, Lincoln, KY

Built 1993 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 9,982

KY-501

Fair

Over: NS (CNO&TP) SYSTEM

W @JCT CR5206 @KINGS MTN, Lincoln, KY

Built 1963 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 979

Bowens Road

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

.15 MI. N. OF JCT CR 5339, Lincoln, KY

Built 2003 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 81

KY-3246

Fair

Over: FALL LICK CREEK

1.58 MI EAST OF KY 39, Lincoln, KY

Built 1986 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 279

US-0150

Fair

Over: HANGING FORK CREEK

WBL 1.7 MI SE OF BOYLE CL, Lincoln, KY

Built 1959 Load: 40.7 t ADT: 12,003

KY-698

Fair

Over: PITTS CREEK

.45 MI E OF JCT KY 198, Lincoln, KY

Built 1986 Load: 40.7 t ADT: 234

KY-198

Fair

Over: PEYTON CREEK

1.3 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 1937 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,387

KY-643

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

2.5 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 177, Lincoln, KY

Built 1950 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,217

KY-328

Fair

Over: CANEY CREEK

.25 MI E OF JCT KY 1247, Lincoln, KY

Built 1954 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 607

KY-198

Fair

Over: PETTIS FORK

0.3 MI. N OF JCT CR 1383, Lincoln, KY

Built 1997 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 335

KY-198

Fair

Over: PINE LICK CREEK

0.75 MI. S. JCT CR 1383, Lincoln, KY

Built 1997 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 335

US-127

Fair

Over: NS (CNO&TP SYSTEM)

1.7 MI S. OF JCT KY 1194, Lincoln, KY

Built 1993 Load: 41.2 t ADT: 6,219

KY-590

Fair

Over: HAWKINS BRANCH

2.6 MI. N JCT US 27, Lincoln, KY

Built 2001 Load: 42.7 t ADT: 405

US 150

Fair

Over: Tributary of Dix River

0.25 Mi. East KY 1369, Lincoln, KY

Built 2010 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 5,103

US-150

Fair

Over: HANGING FORK CREEK

EBL 1.7 MI SE OF BOYLE CL, Lincoln, KY

Built 1959 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 6,002

POND SCHOOL RD

Fair

Over: FISHING CREEK

W @ JCT N FISH RD, Lincoln, KY

Built 1935 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 356

SOUTH FISHING CREE

Fair

Over: FISHING CREEK

.2 MI E CASEY CO LINE, Lincoln, KY

Built 1991 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 36

US-150

Fair

Over: HAWKINS BRANCH

.80 MI NOR. OF JCT US150B, Lincoln, KY

Built 1959 Load: 47.4 t ADT: 12,682

KY-1770

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

1.6 MI. WEST JCT. HWY 643, Lincoln, KY

Built 2002 Load: 47.5 t ADT: 232

MOCCASIN RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE MOCCASIN CREEK

1.1 MI SE OF JCT KY 698, Lincoln, KY

Built 1976 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 123

Fox Spoonamore RD

Fair

Over: HANGING FORK

.75 MI W JCT KY 590, Lincoln, KY

Built 2001 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 54

KY 3177

Fair

Over: WALNUT FLAT CREEK

1 MI E OF JCT KY 1770, Lincoln, KY

Built 1978 Load: 48.8 t ADT: 262

CUT OFF PIKE

Fair

Over: LOGAN CREEK

218 W. OF JCT KY 78, Lincoln, KY

Built 2000 Load: 48.8 t ADT: 126

Preachersville RD

Fair

Over: WALNUT FLAT CREEK

1.5 MI E JCT US 150, Lincoln, KY

Built 2001 Load: 48.8 t ADT: 238

Ernest Neal Dr.

Fair

Over: Peyton Creek

0.1 MI W of KY-198, Lincoln, KY

Built 1937 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 110

US-150

Fair

Over: WALNUT FLAT CREEK

4.5 MI EAST OF US 27, Lincoln, KY

Built 1999 Load: 50.7 t ADT: 5,892

KY-78

Fair

Over: ST.ASAPH CREEK

0.2 MI. W.OF JCT KY 300, Lincoln, KY

Built 1990 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 3,226

SAYLOR RD

Fair

Over: DIX RIVER

1.5 MI NE JCT US 150, Lincoln, KY

Built 1999 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 27

ANGEL RIDGE RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK

0.1 MI. SOUTH JCT KY 1778, Lincoln, KY

Built 1976 Load: 53.3 t ADT: 156

KY-1778

Fair

Over: GREEN RIVER

.05 MI S OF JCT KY 698, Lincoln, KY

Built 1988 Load: 54.7 t ADT: 494

KY 198

Fair

Over: NS (CNO&TP) SYSTEM-MCKNN

1 MI E OF JCT CR 1384, Lincoln, KY

Built 1978 Load: 55.7 t ADT: 566

EPHESUS SCHOOL RD

Fair

Over: GILMORE CREEK

.7 MI NO. OF JCT KY 1948, Lincoln, KY

Built 1970 Load: 56.1 t ADT: 105

KY 78

Fair

Over: Blue Lick Creek

1.5 M W of JCT KY 1194, Lincoln, KY

Built 2013 Load: 57.7 t ADT: 1,909

US-127

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

1.4 MI N JCT KY 1194, Lincoln, KY

Built 1993 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 9,808

Gilberts Ck Cutoff

Fair

Over: GILBERTS CREEK

1.168 MI. E. OF JCT US 27, Lincoln, KY

Built 2008 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 110
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.