County profile · official public datasets

Carroll County, MD

205 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 28.3% rated Good, 66.3% Fair, 5.4% Poor.

205
Public bridges
28.3%
Good condition
5.4%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

15th
of 24 on Poor share
5.4%
Poor-condition share
205
public highway bridges
1968
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.

Carroll County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Carroll County ranks #15 of 24 Maryland counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 5.4%). Carroll County, Maryland contains 205 public highway bridges. Roughly 28.3% are rated “Good,” 66.3% “Fair,” and 5.4% “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

205

Public highway bridges in Carroll County

Good condition

28.3%

58 of 205 rated 7-9

Fair condition

66.3%

136 of 205 rated 5-6

Poor condition

5.4%

11 of 205 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#15 of 24

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

Condition distribution

Share of 205 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
28.3% (58)
Fair
66.3% (136)
Poor
5.4% (11)

Carroll County's Poor-condition bridges carry 28,687 vehicle crossings a day

That is 3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 5.4% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 2,608 crossings a day against 4,702 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 204 of 205 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

54.1% of Carroll County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

111 of the 205 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 28.3% 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 70.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

MD 26 over LIBERTY RESERVOIR, built 1954, carries 20,192 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 11-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 28,687 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Carroll County's bridges were built

205 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 53 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 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1968) matches the Maryland average (1972).

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

How Carroll County compares with Maryland's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Maryland counties nearest Carroll County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 5.4% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1968 against a peer-group mean of 1968 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 23 Maryland counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Carroll County and the 5 Maryland counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Washington County 300 4.7%
Harford County 275 4.7%
Allegany County 245 6.1%
Carroll County (this page) 205 5.4%
Cecil County 193 4.1%
Garrett County 139 11.5%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MD (205 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MD (1968 here).

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

All 205 Good 58 Fair 136 Poor 11

Fair-condition bridges (136)

BAUMGARDNER ROAD

Fair

Over: PINEY CREEK

0.12 MI N OF KEYSVILLE RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t

PEARRE ROAD

Fair

Over: SAMS CREEK

WEST OF NEW WINDSOR, Carroll, MD

Built 1908 Load: 8.6 t ADT: 23

Roberts Mill Road

Fair

Over: Maryland Midland Railway

0.1 MI SE OF MD 194, Carroll, MD

Built 1929 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 1,105

RINEHART ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG PIPE CREEK

0.62 MI N OF SAW MILL RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1961 Load: 17.7 t ADT: 1,030

SLACKS ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY OF PINEY RUN

1.06 MI N RAINCLIFFE ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1975 Load: 17.7 t ADT: 905

BLOOM ROAD

Fair

Over: MORGAN RUN

250 FT S OF SALEM BOTTOM, Carroll, MD

Built 1980 Load: 19.5 t ADT: 520

MD 27

Fair

Over: MARYLAND MIDLAND RR

.12 MILE SOUTH OF MD 852G, Carroll, MD

Built 1959 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 18,790

BABYLON ROAD

Fair

Over: SILVER RUN

0.05 MI N OF MAYBERRY RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1960 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 117

HARNEY ROAD

Fair

Over: ALLOWAY CREEK

1.26 MILES S OF PA LINE, Carroll, MD

Built 1919 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 1,911

STONE ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG PIPE CREEK

0.37 MI SE OF MAYBERRY RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1984 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 448

BERBERI ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO NORTH BRANC

1.3 MI E OF MD 140, Carroll, MD

Built 2005 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 140

MD 86

Fair

Over: BR OF GUNPOWDER FALLS

0.24 MI S OF PA LINE, Carroll, MD

Built 1929 Load: 21.3 t ADT: 3,322

MD 32

Fair

Over: LIBERTY RESERVOIR

2.53 MILE SOUTH OF MD 91, Carroll, MD

Built 1952 Load: 21.3 t ADT: 14,020

MD 97

Fair

Over: BIG PIPE CREEK

3.35 MILE NORTH OF MD 496, Carroll, MD

Built 1934 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 15,340

SNOWDEN RUN ROAD

Fair

Over: SNOWDEN RUN

1.89 MI W OF MINERAL HILL, Carroll, MD

Built 1974 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 503

BAUMGARDNER ROAD

Fair

Over: PINEY CREEK

0.70 MI N OF KEYSVILLE RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1982 Load: 23.1 t ADT: 99

GRIMVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: GILLIS FALLS

0.04 MI N OF FLAG MARSH, Carroll, MD

Built 1981 Load: 23.1 t ADT: 280

GAITHER ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH BRANCH PATAPSCO RI

ON HOWARD COUNTY LINE, Carroll, MD

Built 1978 Load: 23.1 t ADT: 1,282

MD 75

Fair

Over: SAMS CREEK

ON FREDERICK CO LINE, Carroll, MD

Built 1972 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,151

MD 140

Fair

Over: BIG PIPE CREEK

0.91 MILE SOUTH OF MD 832, Carroll, MD

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 13,070

SILVER RUN VALLEY

Fair

Over: BIG SILVER RUN

0.75 MI E OF MD 97, Carroll, MD

Built 1900 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 480

MD 86

Fair

Over: BR OF GUNPOWDER FALLS

1.74 MI S OF PA LINE, Carroll, MD

Built 1972 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,442

BAPTIST ROAD

Fair

Over: ALLOWAY CREEK

0.09 MI N OF STARNERS DAM, Carroll, MD

Built 1940 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 269

SALEM BOTTOM ROAD

Fair

Over: MORGAN RUN

0.26 MI SE OF BLOOM ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1964 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 982

YORK ROAD NO 1

Fair

Over: SOUTH BRANCH GUNPOWDER F

1 M NE OF LINEBORO RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1940 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 88

BAKER ROAD

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF MORGAN RUN

0.93 MI EAST OF MD 27, Carroll, MD

Built 1974 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 408

MD 31

Fair

Over: DICKERSON RUN

0.05 MI W OF NEW WINDSOR, Carroll, MD

Built 1924 Load: 28.6 t ADT: 4,861

LINTON ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE MORGAN RUN

1.25 MILES N OF MD 26, Carroll, MD

Built 1980 Load: 28.6 t ADT: 867

ARNOLD ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVER RUN

0.03 MI W OF POOLE ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1974 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 348

MD 84

Fair

Over: ROOP BRANCH

.29 MILE NORTH OF MD 800B, Carroll, MD

Built 1948 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,702

MD 482

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH PATAPSCO RIV

0.80 MI W OF HAMPSTEAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1936 Load: 31.3 t ADT: 8,212

FLICKINGER ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG PIPE CREEK

0.34 MI N OF STONE RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1940 Load: 31.3 t ADT: 180

MD 31

Fair

Over: SAMS CREEK

ON FREDERICK CO LINE, Carroll, MD

Built 1921 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 2,611

TREVANION ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG PIPE CREEK

2.05 MILES N OF MD 84, Carroll, MD

Built 1966 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 2,569

JOHN HYDE ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE PIPE CREEK

0.01 MI S OF JASONTOWN RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1900 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 320

MD 32

Fair

Over: PINEY RUN

.432 MILE NORTH OF MD 851, Carroll, MD

Built 1957 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 26,590

SR6 (BUTTERCUP ROA

Fair

Over: PINEY RUN

@ SPRINGFIELD HOSPITAL, Carroll, MD

Built 1927 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,400

MD 91

Fair

Over: MIDDLE RUN

0.02 MILE NORTH OF MD 879, Carroll, MD

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10,670

MD 97

Fair

Over: PINEY RUN

1.0 MILE SOUTH OF MD 850H, Carroll, MD

Built 1979 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10,080

MD 31

Fair

Over: LITTLE PIPE CREEK

0.02 MILE WEST OF MD 852, Carroll, MD

Built 1963 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,321

MD 27

Fair

Over: CRANBERRY BRANCH

.52 MILE NORTH OF MD 852G, Carroll, MD

Built 1959 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,790

MD 140

Fair

Over: BEAR BRANCH

1.87 MILE SOUTH OF MD 832, Carroll, MD

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,070

MD 31

Fair

Over: TURKEYFOOT RUN

1.57 MILE WEST OF MD 852, Carroll, MD

Built 1963 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,321

MD 91

Fair

Over: BEAVER RUN

.21 MILE NORTH OF MD 879C, Carroll, MD

Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,260

MD 97

Fair

Over: PINEY BRANCH

2.42 MI S OF MD 850H, Carroll, MD

Built 1982 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 8,770

DEEP RUN ROAD

Fair

Over: DEEP RUN

0.2 E OLD HANOVER ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 942

HOFFMAN MILL ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH PATAPSCO RIV

1 MI W OF HOUCKSVILLE RD., Carroll, MD

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 751

FRIZZELLBURG ROAD

Fair

Over: MEADOW BRANCH

1.07 MILES S OF MD 832, Carroll, MD

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 679

MD 852

Fair

Over: LITTLE PIPE CREEK

0.04 M W OF ADAMS MILL RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1900 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 400

BARTHOLOW ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE MORGAN RUN

1.73 MILES N OF MD 32, Carroll, MD

Built 1968 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,061

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.