County profile · official public datasets

Charles County, MD

94 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 44.7% rated Good, 46.8% Fair, 8.5% Poor.

94
Public bridges
44.7%
Good condition
8.5%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

20th
of 24 on Poor share
8.5%
Poor-condition share
94
public highway bridges
1974
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.

Charles County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Charles County ranks #20 of 24 Maryland counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 8.5%). Charles County, Maryland contains 94 public highway bridges. Roughly 44.7% are rated “Good,” 46.8% “Fair,” and 8.5% “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

94

Public highway bridges in Charles County

Good condition

44.7%

42 of 94 rated 7-9

Fair condition

46.8%

44 of 94 rated 5-6

Poor condition

8.5%

8 of 94 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#20 of 24

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

Condition distribution

Share of 94 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
44.7% (42)
Fair
46.8% (44)
Poor
8.5% (8)

Charles County's Poor-condition bridges carry 21,728 vehicle crossings a day

That is 2.8% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 8.5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 2,716 crossings a day against 7,989 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 94 of 94 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

47.9% of Charles County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

45 of the 94 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 40.3% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

MD 225 over BR OF MATTAWOMAN CREEK, built 1951, carries 8,750 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 21,728 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Charles County's bridges were built

94 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 18 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 19.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1974) matches the Maryland average (1972).

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

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

The 5 Maryland counties nearest Charles County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 8.5% Poor share is the 5th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1974 against a peer-group mean of 1973 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Charles County and the 5 Maryland counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Wicomico County 99 6.1%
Charles County (this page) 94 8.5%
Queen Anne's County 88 1.1%
Worcester County 82 2.4%
Caroline County 70 8.6%
St. Mary's County 50 4%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MD (94 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MD (1974 here).

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

All 94 Good 42 Fair 44 Poor 8

Fair-condition bridges (44)

LIVERPOOL PT ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVERDAM CREEK

0.1 MI W ADAMS WILLETT RD, Charles, MD

Built 1924 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 409

MERRIMACK PLACE

Fair

Over: DITCHLEY PRONG

0.1 MI E SHILOH CHURCH RD, Charles, MD

Built 1920 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 50

MD 225

Fair

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

0.03 MILE EAST OF MD 224, Charles, MD

Built 1957 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 12,302

MD 257

Fair

Over: MILL RUN

0.053 M N OF MILL RUN RD, Charles, MD

Built 1900 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 3,990

MD 225

Fair

Over: PORT TOBACCO CREEK

1.85 MILES WEST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1929 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 12,302

MD 227

Fair

Over: MILL SWAMP

2.01 MILES WEST OF MD 210, Charles, MD

Built 1956 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 5,611

MD 224

Fair

Over: REEDER RUN

1.03 MILE NORTH OF MD 344, Charles, MD

Built 1928 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,192

MD 488

Fair

Over: KERRICK SWAMP

1.99 MILES EAST OF MD 6, Charles, MD

Built 1931 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 6,540

MD 227

Fair

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

1.29 MILES EAST OF MD 224, Charles, MD

Built 1930 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 3,231

COUNTRY LANE

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF MATTAWOMAN CREE

1 mile East of US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1960 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 228

MD 6

Fair

Over: PORT TABACCO CREEK

2.55 MILES WEST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,302

MD 6

Fair

Over: MILL RUN

0.03 M W OF MILL SWAMP RD, Charles, MD

Built 1961 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,302

MD 227

Fair

Over: MILL SWAMP

2.29 MILES WEST OF MD 210, Charles, MD

Built 1956 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,611

MD 227

Fair

Over: PAGES SWAMP

1.15 MILES WEST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1900 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,771

MD 228

Fair

Over: PINEY BRANCH

1.18 M E OF PG CO LINE, Charles, MD

Built 1957 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 39,800

CONSTITUTION DRIVE

Fair

Over: PINEY BRANCH

1 Mile West of US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 208

COURTNEY DRIVE

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY OF MATTAWOMAN

.5 MILE E. OF MD RTE 228, Charles, MD

Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 250

MD 229

Fair

Over: OLD WOMANS RUN

0.6 MILE EAST OF MD 227, Charles, MD

Built 1939 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 3,581

MD 234

Fair

Over: MIRANT POWER COMPANY

0.19 MILE EAST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 6,741

MD 257

Fair

Over: CSX TRANS

0.08 MILE EAST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 6,290

BILLINGSLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

1.5 MI E OF MD RTE 224, Charles, MD

Built 1984 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 7,843

MD 6

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.04 M W OF BR NO 0800500, Charles, MD

Built 1929 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 12,432

MD 5 SB

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.44 MILE SOUTH OF MD 488, Charles, MD

Built 1932 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 37,490

MD 6

Fair

Over: WARDS RUN

0.34 M W OF HILLTOP ROAD, Charles, MD

Built 1929 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 3,302

MD 5 SB

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.54 MILE SOUTH OF MD 488, Charles, MD

Built 1931 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 41,209

WOODVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: SWANSON CREEK

1 MI E WILKERSON ROAD, Charles, MD

Built 1934 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,383

MD 5 NB

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.44 MILE SOUTH OF MD 488, Charles, MD

Built 1966 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 37,490

MD 5 NB

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.54 MILE SOUTH OF MD 488, Charles, MD

Built 1966 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 37,490

BUMPY OAK ROAD

Fair

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

0.8 MI N ASHLAND RD, Charles, MD

Built 1978 Load: 42.2 t ADT: 4,509

MD 6

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.09 M W OF BR NO 0800600, Charles, MD

Built 1933 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 9,300

MD 6

Fair

Over: ZEKIAH SWAMP

0.04 M E OF BR NO 0800600, Charles, MD

Built 1929 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 12,432

MD 6

Fair

Over: NANJEMOY CREEK

1.4 MILES WEST OF MD 425, Charles, MD

Built 1922 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 1,972

MD 234

Fair

Over: ALLENS FRESH RUN

1.0 MILE EAST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1933 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 6,741

POORHOUSE ROAD

Fair

Over: MILL RUN

1 MI SE RIPLEY ROAD, Charles, MD

Built 1996 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 3,475

SMALLWOOD DRIVE WB

Fair

Over: CSX TRANSPORTATION

0.25 mi E MD RTE 925, Charles, MD

Built 1966 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 13,201

SMALLWOOD DRIVE EB

Fair

Over: CSX TRANSPORTATION

0.25 mi E MD RTE 925, Charles, MD

Built 1966 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 13,201

TRUMAN MANOR LANE

Fair

Over: SWANSON CREEK

1 MI E GALLANT GREEN RD, Charles, MD

Built 1992 Load: 55.3 t ADT: 1,221

MD 225

Fair

Over: BR OF MATTAWOMAN CREEK

1.88 MILES EAST OF MD 224, Charles, MD

Built 1929 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 12,302

SOUTH HAMPTON DRIV

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO MATTAWOMAN

1 mile w. Indianhead Hwy, Charles, MD

Built 1998 Load: 71.7 t ADT: 3,000

CHAPEL POINT RD

Fair

Over: WILLS BRANCH

1.1 MI S LOCUST GROVE DR, Charles, MD

Built 1997 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 838

SILENT CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

.15 MI N OF BILLINGSLY RD, Charles, MD

Built 2009 Load: 87.5 t ADT: 610

MD 225

Fair

Over: BR OF PORT TOBACCO CREEK

1.81 MILES WEST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1950 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 12,100

DUBOIS ROAD

Fair

Over: TRINITY CHURCH RUN

2 MI S MD RTE 6, Charles, MD

Built 1970 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 1,403

BILLINGSLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIB TO KERRICK CREEK

1 mile East of US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1998 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 17,283

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.