Total bridges
139
Public highway bridges in St. Helena County
County profile · official public datasets
St. Helena County, LA
139 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 33.1% rated Good, 58.3% Fair, 8.6% Poor.
- 139
- Public bridges
- 33.1%
- Good condition
- 8.6%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
St. Helena County posts a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- Top 41%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 8.6%
- Poor-condition share
- 139
- public highway bridges
- 1979
- 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.
St. Helena County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, St. Helena County ranks #26 of 64 Louisiana counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 8.6%). St. Helena County, Louisiana contains 139 public highway bridges. Roughly 33.1% are rated “Good,” 58.3% “Fair,” and 8.6% “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
33.1%
46 of 139 rated 7-9
Fair condition
58.3%
81 of 139 rated 5-6
Poor condition
8.6%
12 of 139 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#26 of 64
Among Louisiana counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 139 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 33.1% (46)
Fair 58.3% (81)
Poor 8.6% (12)
St. Helena County's Poor-condition bridges carry 12,642 vehicle crossings a day
That is 7.3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 8.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,149 crossings a day against 720 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 133 of 139 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
50.4% of St. Helena County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
70 of the 139 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 33.1% 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 22.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
LA0037 over CREEK, built 1960, carries 2,894 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 12-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 12,642 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When St. Helena County's bridges were built
139 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1940s 1
1940–1949
1 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
36 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
32 bridges
- 1970s 11
1970–1979
11 bridges
- 1980s 12
1980–1989
12 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
15 bridges
- 2000s 4
2000–2009
4 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
23 bridges
- 2020s 5
2020–2029
5 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 36 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 25.9% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1979) matches the Louisiana average (1982).
How St. Helena County compares with Louisiana's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Louisiana counties nearest St. Helena County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 8.6% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1979 against a peer-group mean of 1985 is 6 years older.
Showing the 5 closest of 63 Louisiana counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoyelles County | 147 | 47.6% | 33.3% | 19% | 1987 |
| Iberia County | 143 | 44.1% | 46.2% | 9.8% | 1985 |
| St. Helena County (this page) | 139 | 33.1% | 58.3% | 8.6% | 1979 |
| Morehouse County | 136 | 33.8% | 52.9% | 13.2% | 1983 |
| East Feliciana County | 133 | 32.3% | 42.1% | 25.6% | 1980 |
| Franklin County | 131 | 64.9% | 32.1% | 3.1% | 1989 |
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 St. Helena 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 St. Helena County, both outside Louisiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside LA (139 bridges here).
- Bulloch County, GA · 139 bridges
- Garrett County, MD · 139 bridges
- Midland County, MI · 139 bridges
- Leflore County, MS · 139 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside LA (1979 here).
- Pima County, AZ · avg 1979 · 1,150 bridges
- Jefferson County, KY · avg 1979 · 662 bridges
- Spartanburg County, SC · avg 1979 · 638 bridges
- McPherson County, KS · avg 1979 · 586 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (139)
LA1047
FairOver: W NATALBANY CREEK
1.5 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 287
LA0038
FairOver: CRITTENDON CREEK
LA0038, St. Helena, LA
Built 1952 Load: 12.5 t ADT: 1,535
LA0038
FairOver: CREEK
0.2 M E OF LA 432, St. Helena, LA
Built 1954 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 933
LA0038
FairOver: CREEK
0.3 M E OF LA 432, St. Helena, LA
Built 1954 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 933
LA0038
FairOver: BEAVER CREEK
3.9 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1952 Load: 14.8 t ADT: 1,535
LA1047
FairOver: WEST NATALBANY CREEK
0.4 M SW OF LA 1048, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 14.8 t ADT: 287
LA0038
FairOver: JOINERS CREEK
3.2 M W OF LA 43, St. Helena, LA
Built 1954 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 933
LA0037
FairOver: TWELVE MILE CREEK
LA0037, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 1,730
LA0043
FairOver: COTTON PATCH BRANCH
0.1 M N OF LA 38, St. Helena, LA
Built 1960 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 825
LA0043
FairOver: TWELVE MILE CREEK
LA0043, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 865
LA0432
FairOver: DRAIN
0.9 M NW OF LA 38, St. Helena, LA
Built 1965 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 532
LA0037
FairOver: AMITE R RELIEF
0.1 M SW OF LA 63, St. Helena, LA
Built 1955 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,362
LA0037
FairOver: LILLEGS CREEK
1.1 M N OF LA 63, St. Helena, LA
Built 1955 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,241
LA0441
FairOver: KILLIAN BRANCH
0.1 M N OF LA 16, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 584
LA0441
FairOver: CRITTENDON CREEK
LA0441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1959 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 420
LA0441
FairOver: HUTCHINSON CREEK
LA0441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1959 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 420
LA0448
FairOver: GREASY CREEK
LA0448, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 547
LA1036
FairOver: EAST SPRING BRANCH
LA1036, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 601
LA1036
FairOver: BEAR CREEK
LA1036, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 601
LA0441
FairOver: DAY BRANCH
LA0441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 393
LA0010
FairOver: AMITE RIVER RELIEF
1.2 M W OF LA 38, St. Helena, LA
Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,534
LA0010
FairOver: AMITE RIVER RELIEF
1.0 M W OF LA 38, St. Helena, LA
Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,534
LA0448
FairOver: BLACK CREEK
LA0448, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 547
LA0441
FairOver: SABE CREEK
LA0441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 420
LA0440
FairOver: SPRING CREEK
1.3 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 409
LA0440
FairOver: TAYLOR CREEK
1.9 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 409
LA1041
FairOver: DUTCHMAN CREEK
LA1041, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 403
LA1045
FairOver: NATALBANY RIVER
LA1045, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,509
LA1046
FairOver: SPILLER CREEK
1.6 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 572
LA1046
FairOver: CAPS CREEK
2.5 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 572
LA1048
FairOver: CREEK
1.1 M SE OF LA 1047, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 287
LA1048
FairOver: CREEK
1.2 M SE OF LA 1047, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 287
LA1046
FairOver: NATALBANY RIVER
LA1046, St. Helena, LA
Built 1956 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 572
LA0037
FairOver: GLASS BRANCH
2.1 M SW OF LA 10, St. Helena, LA
Built 1960 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,781
LA0448
FairOver: ROCKY CREEK
LA0448, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 547
LA1047
FairOver: BENTON BRANCH
0.3 M E OF LA 441, St. Helena, LA
Built 1957 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 287
LA1036
FairOver: EAST HOG BRANCH
LA1036, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 601
LA1045
FairOver: TICKFAW RIVER
LA1045, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 1,509
LA1043
FairOver: SANDY RUN
1.8 M N OF LA 10, St. Helena, LA
Built 1971 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 320
LA0448
FairOver: MILL CREEK
LA0448, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 547
LA1045
FairOver: TICKFAW RIVER RELIEF
LA1045, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,509
LA1045
FairOver: TICKFAW RIVER RELIEF
LA1045, St. Helena, LA
Built 1962 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,509
LA0449
FairOver: BRUSHY CREEK
LA0449, St. Helena, LA
Built 1965 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 1,228
LA0449
FairOver: BRUSHY CREEK
3.21 MI. SOUTH OF LA 37, St. Helena, LA
Built 1965 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 1,228
LA0449
FairOver: HOFFMAN CREEK
2.3 M S OF LA 37, St. Helena, LA
Built 1965 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 1,228
LA0449
FairOver: WEST HOG BRANCH
LA0449, St. Helena, LA
Built 1966 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,467
LA0449
FairOver: DRAIN
3.0 M S OF LA 16, St. Helena, LA
Built 1966 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,467
LA1046
FairOver: LITTLE NATALBANY
0.1 M SE OF LA 1046, St. Helena, LA
Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 572
LA0010
FairOver: AMITE RIVER @ DARLINGTON
1.5 M W OF LA 38, St. Helena, LA
Built 1963 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 2,534
LA0043
FairOver: ST JOSEPH BRANCH
0.1 M N OF LA 10, St. Helena, LA
Built 1976 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 1,419
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.