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

Good-condition bridges (42)

MD 234

Good

Over: ALLENS FRESH RUN

0.28 MILES EAST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 2014 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 7,500

MD 6

Good

Over: GILBERT SWAMP

2.94 MI W OF ST MARYS CO, Charles, MD

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,492

MD 6

Good

Over: BR OF PORT TOBACCO CREEK

1.9 MILES WEST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1955 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,552

MD 6

Good

Over: HOGHOLE RUN

2.95 MILES WEST OF US 301, Charles, MD

Built 1955 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,302

MD 224

Good

Over: MARBURY RUN

1.66 MILE SOUTH OF MD 425, Charles, MD

Built 1957 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,502

MD 5

Good

Over: TRIB TO JORDAN SWAMP

0.41 M N OF BR NO 0802300, Charles, MD

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 32,802

MD 425

Good

Over: JANE BERRYS RUN

1.09 MILES NORTH OF MD 6, Charles, MD

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,400

MD 488

Good

Over: PINEY BRANCH

0.92 MILE WEST OF MD 5, Charles, MD

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,540

MD 225

Good

Over: BR OF PORT TOBACCO CREEK

0.23 M E OF BIBURY LANE, Charles, MD

Built 1949 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,302

MD 6

Good

Over: WHEATLEY RUN

3.49 M W OF ST MARYS CO, Charles, MD

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,492

PRINCE EDWARD DR

Good

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

.05 MI N OF BILLINGSLY RD, Charles, MD

Built 1996 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 558

MD 254

Good

Over: NEALE SOUND

1.09 MILE SOUTH OF MD 257, Charles, MD

Built 2019 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,900

MD 228 EB

Good

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

PRINCE GEORGES CO LINE, Charles, MD

Built 1995 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 39,800

MD 228 WB

Good

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

PRINCE GEORGES CO LINE, Charles, MD

Built 1995 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 39,800

MD 5 NBR

Good

Over: MD 231

1.85 M N OF ST MARYS CO, Charles, MD

Built 2006 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 17,551

MD 5 SBR

Good

Over: MD 231

1.85 M N OF ST MARYS CO, Charles, MD

Built 2006 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 17,551

HOMELAND DRIVE

Good

Over: MD 5

AT MD 5, Charles, MD

Built 2006 Load: 38.5 t ADT: 50

MD 224

Good

Over: BR OF POTOMAC RIVER

1.62 MI S. OF MD 344, Charles, MD

Built 2019 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 325

MD 231

Good

Over: GILBERT CREEK

1.06 MILES WEST OF MD 5, Charles, MD

Built 1930 Load: 41.3 t ADT: 2,592

U.S. ROUTE 301

Good

Over: POTOMAC RIVER

ON VIRGINIA LINE, Charles, MD

Built 2022 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 18,550

POPES CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: POPES CREEK

2 MI W US RTE 301, Charles, MD

Built 1997 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 500

SAINT CHARLES PKWY

Good

Over: KERRICK SWAMP

2.1 MI S OF BILLINGSLEY, Charles, MD

Built 2008 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 1,269

BEL ALTON NEWTOWN

Good

Over: CLARK RUN

0.8 MI NE MUDD RD, Charles, MD

Built 1998 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 1,760

MD 234

Good

Over: GILBERT SWAMP RUN

0.14 M W OF ST CLAIR ROAD, Charles, MD

Built 2018 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 6,000

BARON STREET

Good

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

KINGSVIEW SUBDIVISION, Charles, MD

Built 2008 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 230

PINE GROVE ROAD

Good

Over: NEALE SOUND

0.1 MI S MD RTE 254, Charles, MD

Built 1997 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 100

HAMILTON ROAD

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO MATTAWOMAN

TIMBERBROOK DR INTERSECT, Charles, MD

Built 2012 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 1,116

MD 425

Good

Over: BR OF HILL TOP FORK

1.99 MILES SOUTH OF MD 6, Charles, MD

Built 1995 Load: 55.3 t ADT: 2,400

MCDANIEL ROAD

Good

Over: PINEY BRANCH

0.76 MI SE OF MD RTE 228, Charles, MD

Built 2015 Load: 56.7 t ADT: 542

ACTON LANE

Good

Over: MATTAWOMAN CREEK

ON CHARLES COUNTY LINE, Charles, MD

Built 2001 Load: 58.5 t ADT: 9,665

BILLINGSLEY RD WBR

Good

Over: PINEY BRANCH

2.5 MI E OF ST CHAR. PKWY, Charles, MD

Built 1994 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 7,022

MIDDLETOWN ROAD

Good

Over: PINEY BRANCH

0.75 MI S. OF MD RTE 228, Charles, MD

Built 2007 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 3,414

MD 224

Good

Over: BR OF THORNE GUT

5.35 MILES NORTH OF MD 6, Charles, MD

Built 2018 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 50

MD 224

Good

Over: THORNE GUT

4.54 MILES NORTH OF MD 6, Charles, MD

Built 2018 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 71

BASSFORD ROAD

Good

Over: SWANSON CREEK

EAGLE RIDGE SUBDIVISION, Charles, MD

Built 2007 Load: 82.1 t ADT: 2,180

BILLINGSLEY RD EBR

Good

Over: PINEY BRANCH

2.5 MI E OF ST CHAR. PKWY, Charles, MD

Built 1994 Load: 85.7 t ADT: 7,023

Rock Lynn Circle

Good

Over: Pole Branch

LINDEN GROVE SUBDIVISION, Charles, MD

Built 2010 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 365

MD 5 NBR

Good

Over: TRIB TO JORDAN SWAMP

.14 MILE SOUTH OF MD 5 BU, Charles, MD

Built 1964 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 38,312

MIDDLETOWN ROAD

Good

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

0.3 MI S OF SMALLWOOD DR, Charles, MD

Built 2006 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,635

BILLINGSLEY ROAD

Good

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

0.24 MI E OF MIDDLETOWN, Charles, MD

Built 2006 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 17,493

SILENT CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: WETLANDS

.4 MI N OF BILLINGSLEY RD, Charles, MD

Built 2005 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 732

CHERYL TURN

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO PINEY BRANC

1.5 MI NW of US301-MD228, Charles, MD

Built 2021 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 100

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.