Total bridges
309
Public highway bridges in Howard County
County profile · official public datasets
Howard County, MD
309 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 35.9% rated Good, 58.3% Fair, 5.8% Poor.
- 309
- Public bridges
- 35.9%
- Good condition
- 5.8%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Howard County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.
- 16th
- of 24 on Poor share
- 5.8%
- Poor-condition share
- 309
- public highway bridges
- 1978
- 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.
Howard County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Howard County ranks #16 of 24 Maryland counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 5.8%). Howard County, Maryland contains 309 public highway bridges. Roughly 35.9% are rated “Good,” 58.3% “Fair,” and 5.8% “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
35.9%
111 of 309 rated 7-9
Fair condition
58.3%
180 of 309 rated 5-6
Poor condition
5.8%
18 of 309 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#16 of 24
Among Maryland counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 309 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 35.9% (111)
Fair 58.3% (180)
Poor 5.8% (18)
Howard County's Poor-condition bridges carry 46,181 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 5.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 2,566 crossings a day against 20,094 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 308 of 309 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
46.9% of Howard County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
145 of the 309 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 35.9% 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 23.7% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
TAMAR DRIVE over UNNAMED STREAM, built 1970, carries 10,941 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 18-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 46,181 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Howard County's bridges were built
309 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1900s 2
1900–1909
2 bridges
- 1910s 1
1910–1919
1 bridges
- 1920s 10
1920–1929
10 bridges
- 1930s 10
1930–1939
10 bridges
- 1940s 8
1940–1949
8 bridges
- 1950s 13
1950–1959
13 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
34 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
81 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
40 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
59 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
34 bridges
- 2010s 8
2010–2019
8 bridges
- 2020s 9
2020–2029
9 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 81 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 26.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1978, 6 years newer than the Maryland average of 1972.
How Howard County compares with Maryland's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Maryland counties nearest Howard County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 5.8% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1978 against a peer-group mean of 1969 is 9 years newer.
Showing the 5 closest of 23 Maryland counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel County | 389 | 32.6% | 65.8% | 1.5% | 1980 |
| Baltimore city County | 374 | 16% | 75.4% | 8.6% | 1964 |
| Howard County (this page) | 309 | 35.9% | 58.3% | 5.8% | 1978 |
| Washington County | 300 | 28.3% | 67% | 4.7% | 1956 |
| Harford County | 275 | 38.2% | 57.1% | 4.7% | 1973 |
| Allegany County | 245 | 36.7% | 57.1% | 6.1% | 1971 |
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 Howard 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 Howard County, both outside Maryland so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside MD (309 bridges here).
- Mississippi County, AR · 309 bridges
- Athens County, OH · 309 bridges
- Washington County, OH · 309 bridges
- Franklin County, IL · 310 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside MD (1978 here).
- Orange County, CA · avg 1978 · 1,164 bridges
- Sumner County, KS · avg 1978 · 659 bridges
- Allen County, IN · avg 1978 · 613 bridges
- Livingston County, IL · avg 1978 · 579 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (309)
SNOWDEN RIVER PARK
FairOver: ROBERT FULTON DRIVE
1.0 MI S OF MD RTE 175, Howard, MD
Built 1976 Load: 18.6 t ADT: 35,944
US 29 NB
FairOver: US 40
1.35 MILES SOUTH OF IS 70, Howard, MD
Built 1966 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 98,360
VOLLMERHAUSEN RD
FairOver: IS 95 NBR
0.63 MI S OF MD 32, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,667
VOLLMERHAUSEN ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER
0.2 MI W OF GUILFORD RD, Howard, MD
Built 1940 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 3,290
CARROLL MILL ROAD
FairOver: BENSON BRANCH
0.4 MI W MT ALBERT ROAD, Howard, MD
Built 1960 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 577
MD 175
FairOver: PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY
0.69 MILE SOUTH OF US 29, Howard, MD
Built 1975 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 44,142
I-895 NB RAMP
FairOver: PATAPSCO RIVER
0.1 MI SOUTH OF I-195, Howard, MD
Built 1957 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 1,491
I-895
FairOver: US 1 PATAPSCO RIVER RAMP
I-895 Milepost 1.05, Howard, MD
Built 1973 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 15,114
US 29 SB
FairOver: US 40
1.35 MILES SOUTH OF IS 70, Howard, MD
Built 1966 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 98,360
RIDGE ROAD
FairOver: US 29 RAMP H (4)
0.28 MILE EAST OF US 29, Howard, MD
Built 1966 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 5,121
US 1
FairOver: HAMMOND BRANCH
1.28 MILES SOUTH OF MD 32, Howard, MD
Built 1929 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 36,052
US 40
FairOver: PATAPSCO FOREST ROAD
0.5 MI W OF BALTIMORE CO, Howard, MD
Built 1936 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 37,530
MARYLAND AVENUE
FairOver: TIBER BRANCH
AT MAIN STREET, Howard, MD
Built 1955 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 6,000
ST JOHNS LANE
FairOver: IS 70
0.8 MI W OF US 29, Howard, MD
Built 1966 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 4,382
MD 175 EB
FairOver: US 29
4.06 MILES N OF MD 108, Howard, MD
Built 1974 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 22,557
MD 175 WB
FairOver: US 29
4.06 MILES N OF MD 108, Howard, MD
Built 1974 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 21,673
US 1 & RAMP C(8)
FairOver: GUILFORD BRANCH
0.26 M S OF GUILFORD ROAD, Howard, MD
Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 38,190
MD 851
FairOver: SOUTH BR PATAPSCO RIVER
ON CARROLL CO LINE, Howard, MD
Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,301
MD 175
FairOver: PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY
1.56 MILES N OF MD 175HC, Howard, MD
Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 44,142
MD 32 RAMP A(2)
FairOver: GUILFORD BRANCH
0.05 MILE EAST OF US 1, Howard, MD
Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,123
MD 32 CDS CO RD
FairOver: GUILFORD BRANCH
0.418 MILE SOUTH OF US 1, Howard, MD
Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 66,020
FOLLY QUARTER RD
FairOver: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER
2.7 MI S OF MD RTE 144, Howard, MD
Built 1922 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,489
BUSHY PARK ROAD
FairOver: CATTAIL CREEK
0.1 MI W CARRS MILL RD, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 317
FREDERICK ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER
0.5 MI E CENTENNIAL LANE, Howard, MD
Built 1930 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10,927
OLD COLUMBIA ROAD
FairOver: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER
0.01 MI E OF US RTE 29, Howard, MD
Built 1920 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,484
PRICE MANOR WAY
FairOver: HAMMOND BRANCH
0.18 MI N OF FULTON RD, Howard, MD
Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100
US 29 NB
FairOver: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER
1.62 MILES S OF MD 175, Howard, MD
Built 1971 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 73,292
MD 216 EB
FairOver: IS 95
1.56 MILES N OF PG CO, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 20,412
MD 216 WB
FairOver: IS 95
1.56 MILES N OF PG CO, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 20,412
ROGERS AVE
FairOver: IS 70
0.18 MI E OF MD 985A, Howard, MD
Built 1966 Load: 34.9 t ADT: 14,721
CARROLL MILL ROAD
FairOver: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER
0.4 MI W OF FOLLY QUARTER, Howard, MD
Built 1975 Load: 34.9 t ADT: 1,346
I-895 SB
FairOver: B&O RR COUNTY ROADS
Milepost 0.7, Howard, MD
Built 1972 Load: 34.9 t ADT: 6,015
US 1
FairOver: DORSEY RUN
0.04 MILE S OF MD 958P, Howard, MD
Built 1929 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 21,992
IS 95 NB
FairOver: MD 103
0.50 MILE SOUTH OF MD 100, Howard, MD
Built 1968 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 193,331
IS 95 SB
FairOver: MD 103
0.50 MILE SOUTH OF MD 100, Howard, MD
Built 1968 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 193,331
MD 100 EB
FairOver: MD 100 RAMP A
0.92 MILE WEST OF US 1, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 84,712
MD 100 WB
FairOver: MD 100 RAMP A
0.92 MILE WEST OF US 1, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 84,712
MD 32 WBR
FairOver: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER
0.89 MILE NORTH OF US 29, Howard, MD
Built 1985 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 48,061
RIVER ROAD
FairOver: TRIBUTARY OF PATAPSCO RI
PATAPSCO VALLEY ST PARK, Howard, MD
Built 1997 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 100
I-895 SB
FairOver: I-95
0.90 MILES S OF US 1, Howard, MD
Built 1973 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 5,055
US 1
FairOver: BRANCH OF DORSEY RUN
1.03 MILES S OF MD 958P, Howard, MD
Built 1929 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 21,992
MD 94
FairOver: CABIN BRANCH
1.03 MILES N OF MONT CO, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,022
US 29 SB
FairOver: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER
1.05 MILES SOUTH OF MD 32, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 52,913
MD 97
FairOver: CATTAIL CREEK
1.31 MILES N OF MONT CO, Howard, MD
Built 1927 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 13,200
VOLLMERHAUSEN ROAD
FairOver: MD 32
0.9 MI W OF US 1, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 2,667
IS 95 SB
FairOver: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER
0.46 MILE SOUTH OF MD 32, Howard, MD
Built 1971 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 104,355
SAND HILL ROAD
FairOver: IS 70
1.19 MI E OF MD 32, Howard, MD
Built 1973 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 999
I-895 NB
FairOver: B&O RR COUNTY ROADS
Milepost 0.7, Howard, MD
Built 1972 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 7,203
MD 108
FairOver: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER
2.02 MILES EAST OF MD 216, Howard, MD
Built 1985 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 19,870
MD 32 RAMP B(2)
FairOver: GUILDFORD ROAD
0.06 MILE SOUTH OF IS 95, Howard, MD
Built 1970 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 8,048
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.