County profile · official public datasets

Lafayette County, LA

322 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 44.7% rated Good, 47.5% Fair, 7.8% Poor.

322
Public bridges
44.7%
Good condition
7.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

Top 31%
lowest Poor share in state
7.8%
Poor-condition share
322
public highway bridges
1986
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.

Lafayette County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Lafayette County ranks #20 of 64 Louisiana counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.8%). Lafayette County, Louisiana contains 322 public highway bridges. Roughly 44.7% are rated “Good,” 47.5% “Fair,” and 7.8% “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

322

Public highway bridges in Lafayette County

Good condition

44.7%

144 of 322 rated 7-9

Fair condition

47.5%

153 of 322 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.8%

25 of 322 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#20 of 64

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

Condition distribution

Share of 322 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
44.7% (144)
Fair
47.5% (153)
Poor
7.8% (25)

Lafayette County's Poor-condition bridges carry 99,956 vehicle crossings a day

That is 3.3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 3,998 crossings a day against 8,168 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 322 of 322 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

31.7% of Lafayette County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

102 of the 322 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 44.7% 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 29.3% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

JOHNSTON STREET over COULEE MINE BR, built 1958, carries 29,320 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 25-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 99,956 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Lafayette County's bridges were built

322 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 70 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.7% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1986) matches the Louisiana average (1982).

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

How Lafayette County compares with Louisiana's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Louisiana counties nearest Lafayette County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.8% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1986 against a peer-group mean of 1982 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 63 Louisiana counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Lafayette County and the 5 Louisiana counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Vernon County 341 7.6%
Ouachita County 337 12.8%
Lafayette County (this page) 322 7.8%
St. Landry County 317 7.6%
Natchitoches County 313 15.3%
Washington County 285 11.6%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside LA (322 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside LA (1986 here).

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

Good-condition bridges (144)

S. Dearborne Rd.

Good

Over: Bayou Queue De Tortue

1.1 MI SOUTH OF LA 342, Lafayette, LA

Built 2013 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 20

Chemin Metairie Rd

Good

Over: COULEE

0.43 MI S LA 3073, Lafayette, LA

Built 2011 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,110

Rue Des Babineaux

Good

Over: ILE Des Cannes Coulee

0.7 MI. W. OF LA 93, Lafayette, LA

Built 2013 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 238

Rue Des Babineaux

Good

Over: COULEE ILE DES CANNES

0.9 MI. W. OF LA 93, Lafayette, LA

Built 2013 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 304

Rue Des Babineaux

Good

Over: QUE DE TOTUE BAYOU

1 M. West of LA 724, Lafayette, LA

Built 2013 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 502

Bonin Rd.

Good

Over: ISAAC VEROT COULEE

0.85 Mi SW of LA 182, Lafayette, LA

Built 2015 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 4,590

Leblanc Rd.

Good

Over: ILE DES CANNES COULEE

0.30 Mi W of US 167, Lafayette, LA

Built 2013 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 620

LA0094

Good

Over: COULEE

1.62 MI E of US 90, Lafayette, LA

Built 2000 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 18,293

I0010

Good

Over: FRANCOIS COULEE

5.4 Mi. West of LA 328, Lafayette, LA

Built 2003 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,969

LA7281

Good

Over: CREEK

0.65 MI EAST OF LA 176, Lafayette, LA

Built 1970 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 10,589

LA0719

Good

Over: BAYOU QUEUE DE TORTUE

2.1 Mi. N. of LA 720, Lafayette, LA

Built 1983 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,382

Fatima Rd

Good

Over: COULEE

0.3 Mi W of Bajat Rd, Lafayette, LA

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 145

Dover Rd.

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

0.24 MI N OF LA 3073, Lafayette, LA

Built 1974 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 700

Meridian Ave

Good

Over: Retention pond

1.5 Mi NW of LA 3073, Lafayette, LA

Built 2014 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 280

LA0094

Good

Over: COULEE

2.05 MI EAST OF US 90, Lafayette, LA

Built 2000 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 18,293

I0010

Good

Over: LOUISIANA AVENUE

1.38 MI E of I-49, Lafayette, LA

Built 2003 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 56,748

I0010

Good

Over: LOUISIANA AVENUE

4.83 Mi. West of LA 328, Lafayette, LA

Built 2003 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 2,969

Ayreshire Dr.

Good

Over: Rena Coulee

0.03 MI N of Rena Dr, Lafayette, LA

Built 2012 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 4,092

LA0726

Good

Over: COULEE BEAU

0.5 MI EAST OF LA 182, Lafayette, LA

Built 2005 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 13,175

Facile Rd

Good

Over: Coulee Ile Des Cannes

0.2 M. South Jenkins Rd, Lafayette, LA

Built 2019 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 442

S. Larriviere Rd.

Good

Over: LA SALLE COULEE

0.08 Mi S of LA 92, Lafayette, LA

Built 2005 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 766

Old Maurice Rd.

Good

Over: MINE COULEE

0.1 Mi NE of Vital Street, Lafayette, LA

Built 1974 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 760

E. Amedee Dr.

Good

Over: SUNBEAM COULEE

0.35 MI E OF LA 3073, Lafayette, LA

Built 2015 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 383

LA0342

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.3 MI WEST OF LA 343, Lafayette, LA

Built 1996 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,309

Ridge Rd

Good

Over: COULEE ILE DES CANNES

2.0 MI EAST OF LA 342, Lafayette, LA

Built 1996 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 14,524

Hapsburg Lane

Good

Over: Coulee

0.45 Mi W of US 167, Lafayette, LA

Built 2023 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 150

Elias G Road

Good

Over: Coulee Ile Des Cannes

0.5 Mi W of LA167, Lafayette, LA

Built 2019 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 774

Harwell Dr.

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

.2 MI NE of Grande Ave, Lafayette, LA

Built 1987 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 1,162

I0049

Good

Over: Pont Des Mouton

1.58 Mi S of LA 98, Lafayette, LA

Built 1981 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 11,728

Robley Dr.

Good

Over: ILE DES CANNES COULEE

1.4 Mi S of E Brousard Rd, Lafayette, LA

Built 2010 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 2,020

Canaan Rd

Good

Over: ANSELM COULEE

0.4 Mi E Kaliste Saloom, Lafayette, LA

Built 2010 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 172

Trappey Rd.

Good

Over: Drain

0.2 Mi. N of Kidder Road, Lafayette, LA

Built 1999 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 1,110

Louisiana Ave.

Good

Over: COULEE

0.57 Mi S of I-10, Lafayette, LA

Built 2004 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 4,250

Louisiana Ave.

Good

Over: COULEE

1.93 Mi N of La 94, Lafayette, LA

Built 2004 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 4,675

W Congress Street

Good

Over: Queue de Tortue Bayou

0.6 Mi E of LA 343, Lafayette, LA

Built 2018 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 1,687

Lebesque Rd

Good

Over: Coulee Mine

0.6 Mi. W. Of LA 182, Lafayette, LA

Built 2019 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 5,010

Malapart Rd.

Good

Over: MIMS COULEE

0.5M WEST OF LA 182, Lafayette, LA

Built 1991 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 780

Eraste Landry Rd.

Good

Over: SUNBEAM COULEE

0.10 Mi W of LA 3184, Lafayette, LA

Built 2011 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 4,092

Andre Street

Good

Over: Gaston Coulee

.25 MI E of N Church St, Lafayette, LA

Built 2019 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 75

Mermentau Rd.

Good

Over: ANSELM COULEE

1.0 MI. S. OF LA 92, Lafayette, LA

Built 2013 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 119

US0090

Good

Over: Albertsons Pkwy

0.75 Miles N. of La 182, Lafayette, LA

Built 2018 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 62,432

Kaliste Saloom Rd.

Good

Over: Anselm Coulee

0.07 Mi. NE of La 733, Lafayette, LA

Built 2019 Load: 54.1 t ADT: 14,643

Gloria Switch Rd.

Good

Over: BAYOU ST. CLAIRE

1.3 Miles West of LA 354, Lafayette, LA

Built 1987 Load: 57.2 t ADT: 8,240

Dulles Dr.

Good

Over: Coulee

0.1 MI E of LA 93, Lafayette, LA

Built 2022 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 1,228
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.