County profile · official public datasets

Cecil County, MD

193 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 32.1% rated Good, 63.7% Fair, 4.1% Poor.

193
Public bridges
32.1%
Good condition
4.1%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

Top 42%
lowest Poor share in state
4.1%
Poor-condition share
193
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.

Cecil County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Cecil County ranks #10 of 24 Maryland counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.1%). Cecil County, Maryland contains 193 public highway bridges. Roughly 32.1% are rated “Good,” 63.7% “Fair,” and 4.1% “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

193

Public highway bridges in Cecil County

Good condition

32.1%

62 of 193 rated 7-9

Fair condition

63.7%

123 of 193 rated 5-6

Poor condition

4.1%

8 of 193 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#10 of 24

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

Condition distribution

Share of 193 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
32.1% (62)
Fair
63.7% (123)
Poor
4.1% (8)

Cecil County's Poor-condition bridges carry 8,460 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.1% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,058 crossings a day against 3,703 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 193 of 193 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

51.8% of Cecil County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

100 of the 193 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 32.1% 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 56% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

MECHANICS VALLEY R over CSX RAILROAD, built 1975, carries 4,734 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 8,460 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Cecil County's bridges were built

193 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 41 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1972) matches the Maryland average (1972).

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

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

The 5 Maryland counties nearest Cecil County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.1% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1972 against a peer-group mean of 1971 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Cecil County and the 5 Maryland counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Harford County 275 4.7%
Allegany County 245 6.1%
Carroll County 205 5.4%
Cecil County (this page) 193 4.1%
Garrett County 139 11.5%
Wicomico County 99 6.1%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MD (193 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MD (1972 here).

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

All 193 Good 62 Fair 123 Poor 8

All bridges (193)

KNIGHTS CORNER ROA

Good

Over: LONG BRANCH

0.87 MI NW OF MD 285, Cecil, MD

Built 2011 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 759

BOHEMIA CHURCH ROA

Good

Over: LITTLE BOHEMIA CREEK

Bohemia Church Road, Cecil, MD

Built 2012 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 580

LITTLE EGYPT RD

Good

Over: CHRISTINA RIVER

0.34 MI N OF MD 273, Cecil, MD

Built 1967 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 2,375

BLAKE RD

Good

Over: LITTLE ELK CREEK

0.46 MI E OF LI ELK CK RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2010 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 417

MD 286

Good

Over: BACK CREEK

0.3 M E OF FERRY SLIP RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2003 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 2,311

GALLAHER ROAD

Good

Over: GRAMIES RUN

0.27 MI N OF RUSSELL RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2004 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 743

MD 213

Good

Over: AMTRAK

0.13 MILE SOUTH OF MD 545, Cecil, MD

Built 1989 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 21,818

MD 272

Good

Over: AMTRAK

0.32 MILE SOUTH OF US 40, Cecil, MD

Built 2020 Load: 49.2 t ADT: 11,950

NOTTINGHAM RD

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.82 MI S OF UNION CHURCH, Cecil, MD

Built 2012 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 1,423

FRIST ROAD

Good

Over: BASIN RUN

0.19 MI S OF LIBERTY G RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2007 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 405

OLD TELEGRAPH ROAD

Good

Over: SANDY BRANCH

0.05 MI S OF MIDDLE N RD, Cecil, MD

Built 1965 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 361

CALVERT ROAD

Good

Over: NORTHEAST CREEK

1.49 MILES N OF MD 274, Cecil, MD

Built 2011 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 1,321

WINCH RD

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.33 MILES S OF IS 95, Cecil, MD

Built 2010 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 246

APPLETON ROAD

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.5 MI. S OF BARKSDALE RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2011 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 5,425

MD 545

Good

Over: LITTLE ELK CREEK

0.03 MILE NORTH OF IS 95, Cecil, MD

Built 2011 Load: 53.8 t ADT: 4,721

MD 272 SB

Good

Over: BR OF NORTH EAST RIVER

1.03 MILE SOUTH OF US 40, Cecil, MD

Built 1987 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 7,412

DR. JACK ROAD

Good

Over: OCTORARO CREEK

.05 MI. N OF BASIN RUN RD, Cecil, MD

Built 1989 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 2,044

MD 7B

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.13 MILE SOUTH OF MD 327, Cecil, MD

Built 2006 Load: 54.9 t ADT: 1,700

RAGAN ROAD

Good

Over: BRANCH OF OCTORARO CREEK

0.89 MI E OF US RTE 222, Cecil, MD

Built 2011 Load: 57.7 t ADT: 327

STEVENSON ROAD

Good

Over: LITTLE NORTHEAST CREEK

0.02 MI E OF STEVENSON RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2008 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 3,009

MD 7C

Good

Over: AMTRAK

2.34 MILE NORTH OF MD 272, Cecil, MD

Built 1991 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 4,860

BARKSDALE ROAD

Good

Over: WEST BRANCH OF CHRISTIAN

0.32 MI E OF APPLETON RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2008 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 2,053

NEW CUT ROAD

Good

Over: MILL POND STREAM

1.02 MILES N OF MD 282, Cecil, MD

Built 2000 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 242

DOGWOOD RD

Good

Over: DOGWOOD RUN

0.1 MI E OF GILLESPIE RD, Cecil, MD

Built 1996 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 991

MERRY KNOLL LANE

Good

Over: BRANCH OF OCTORARO CREEK

0.45 MI N OF US RTE 1, Cecil, MD

Built 1990 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 188

LUMS ROAD

Good

Over: NORTHEAST CREEK

0.49 MI E OF MD 272, Cecil, MD

Built 1992 Load: 62.1 t ADT: 1,586

RESERVOIR ROAD

Good

Over: MINOR TRIB OF MILL CREEK

0.5 MI E OF MD 222, Cecil, MD

Built 2016 Load: 62.9 t ADT: 874

RED TOAD ROAD

Good

Over: PRINCIPIO CREEK

0.06 MI N OF PRINCIPIO RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2008 Load: 65.3 t ADT: 1,060

MD 213

Good

Over: CSX TRANSPORTATION

0.16 MILE NORTH OF IS 95, Cecil, MD

Built 1991 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 8,241

HORSESHOE ROAD

Good

Over: STONE RUN

0.91 MI N OF US 1, Cecil, MD

Built 2000 Load: 70.3 t ADT: 1,369

MD 213

Good

Over: BIG ELK CREEK

0.1 MILE SOUTH OF MD 7D, Cecil, MD

Built 1999 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 22,306

KIRKS MILL LANE

Good

Over: NORTHEAST CREEK

0.71 MI N OF MD 274, Cecil, MD

Built 2003 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 546

MD 222

Good

Over: ROCK RUN

0.84 MILE NORTH OF MD 276, Cecil, MD

Built 2016 Load: 86.2 t ADT: 2,700

THEODORE ROAD

Good

Over: PRINCIPIO CREEK

0.65 MI E OF BELVIDERE RD, Cecil, MD

Built 2006 Load: 87.1 t ADT: 2,708

FINGERBOARD SCHOOL

Good

Over: CABIN JOHN CREEK

.3 Mi South Cherry Grove, Cecil, MD

Built 1975 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 195

MILL STREET

Poor

Over: ROCK RUN

.01 MI S. OF RACE STREET, Cecil, MD

Built 1940 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

RUSSELL ROAD

Poor

Over: BASIN RUN

0.24 MI W OF COLORA RD, Cecil, MD

Built 1930 Load: 13.2 t ADT: 94

LIBERTY GROVE ROAD

Poor

Over: ROCK RUN CREEK

0.7 N OF OLD SCHOOLHOUSE, Cecil, MD

Built 1940 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 918

GRANITE AVENUE

Poor

Over: ROCK RUN CREEK

0.8 MI E OF MAIN ST., Cecil, MD

Built 1930 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300

WHEATLEY ROAD

Poor

Over: WEST BRANCH

0.99 MI NE OF MD 272, Cecil, MD

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 304

BELVIDERE ROAD

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.82 MI S OF IS 95, Cecil, MD

Built 1973 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,623

MIDDLE NECK ROAD

Poor

Over: SANDY BRANCH

0.05 EAST OF OLD TELE RD, Cecil, MD

Built 1998 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 387

MECHANICS VALLEY R

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.58 MILES N OF MD 7, Cecil, MD

Built 1975 Load: 49.4 t ADT: 4,734

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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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.