Total bridges
300
Public highway bridges in Washington County
County profile · official public datasets
Washington County, MD
300 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 28.3% rated Good, 67% Fair, 4.7% Poor.
- 300
- Public bridges
- 28.3%
- Good condition
- 4.7%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Washington County pairs a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 50%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 4.7%
- Poor-condition share
- 300
- public highway bridges
- 1956
- 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.
Washington County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Washington County ranks #12 of 24 Maryland counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.7%). Washington County, Maryland contains 300 public highway bridges. Roughly 28.3% are rated “Good,” 67% “Fair,” and 4.7% “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
28.3%
85 of 300 rated 7-9
Fair condition
67%
201 of 300 rated 5-6
Poor condition
4.7%
14 of 300 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#12 of 24
Among Maryland counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 300 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 28.3% (85)
Fair 67% (201)
Poor 4.7% (14)
Washington County's Poor-condition bridges carry 324,080 vehicle crossings a day
That is 6.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.7% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 23,149 crossings a day against 15,321 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 300 of 300 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
76.3% of Washington County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
229 of the 300 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 19.3% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
IS 70 EB over US 11, built 1965, carries 62,680 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 14-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 324,080 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Washington County's bridges were built
300 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- pre-1900 22
Built before 1900
22 bridges
- 1900s 11
1900–1909
11 bridges
- 1910s 6
1910–1919
6 bridges
- 1920s 11
1920–1929
11 bridges
- 1930s 15
1930–1939
15 bridges
- 1940s 9
1940–1949
9 bridges
- 1950s 29
1950–1959
29 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
118 bridges
- 1970s 15
1970–1979
15 bridges
- 1980s 25
1980–1989
25 bridges
- 1990s 13
1990–1999
13 bridges
- 2000s 16
2000–2009
16 bridges
- 2010s 5
2010–2019
5 bridges
- 2020s 5
2020–2029
5 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 118 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 39.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1956, 16 years older than the Maryland average of 1972.
How Washington County compares with Maryland's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Maryland counties nearest Washington County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.7% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1956 against a peer-group mean of 1973 is 17 years older.
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 | 309 | 35.9% | 58.3% | 5.8% | 1978 |
| Washington County (this page) | 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 Washington 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 Washington County, both outside Maryland so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside MD (300 bridges here).
- DeKalb County, AL · 300 bridges
- Christian County, KY · 300 bridges
- Newton County, MO · 300 bridges
- Dawson County, NE · 300 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside MD (1956 here).
- Philadelphia County, PA · avg 1956 · 585 bridges
- Cochise County, AZ · avg 1956 · 501 bridges
- Hampden County, MA · avg 1956 · 428 bridges
- Stanislaus County, CA · avg 1956 · 386 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (201)
IS 70 WB
FairOver: ASHTON RD
0.76 MILE EAST OF MD 68, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 40,770
IS 70 EB
FairOver: BEAVER CREEK
0.08 MILE WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 72,140
McFARLAND ROAD
FairOver: BEAR CREEK
0.08 MI E OF ALL-WASH CO, Washington, MD
Built 1916 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 183
IS 70 EB
FairOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR
0.35 MILE EAST OF US 11, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 38,145
IS 70 WB
FairOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR
0.35 MILE EAST OF US 11, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 34,890
BOYD ROAD
FairOver: IS 70 WBR
3.04 MI E OF MD 56, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 1,392
KING ROAD
FairOver: TRIBUTARY OF LITTLE ANTI
0.1 MI S OF MD RTE 34, Washington, MD
Built 1992 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 844
MD 68
FairOver: CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK
0.20 MILE WEST OF US 11, Washington, MD
Built 1829 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 4,532
IS 70 EB CD
FairOver: IS 81
0.35 MI W OF US 11, Washington, MD
Built 1964 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 6,988
MD 144WB
FairOver: TONOLOWAY CREEK
0.69 MILE WEST OF IS 70, Washington, MD
Built 1940 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 8,201
IS 70 WB
FairOver: IS 81
0.33 MILE WEST OF US 11, Washington, MD
Built 1964 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 62,680
IS 70 EB
FairOver: CSX TRANS.
0.18 MILE EAST OF MD 65, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 60,800
US 40 EB
FairOver: I-70
2.81 MILES WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 15,958
US 40 WB
FairOver: I-70
2.81 MILES WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 15,933
MD 632
FairOver: NORFOLK & WESTERN RR
0.75 MILE NORTH OF IS 70, Washington, MD
Built 1976 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 12,081
PEARRE ROAD
FairOver: SIDELING HILL CREEK
ON ALLEGANY CO LINE, Washington, MD
Built 1890 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 66
ASHTON ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE CONOCOCHEAGUE CRE
0.19 MI N OF IS 70, Washington, MD
Built 1960 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 704
HOGMAW ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE ANTIETAM CREEK
0.45 MI W OF MD RTE 67, Washington, MD
Built 1988 Load: 44.9 t ADT: 153
MD 845A
FairOver: LITTLE ANTIETAM CREEK
0.56 MILE NORTH OF MD 34, Washington, MD
Built 1927 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 490
MD 60
FairOver: ANTIETAM CREEK
0.66 MILE WEST OF MD 62, Washington, MD
Built 1941 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 9,902
IS 70 EB
FairOver: IS 68 RAMP D
0.09 MILE WEST OF US 522A, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 19,000
IS 70 EB
FairOver: LICKING CREEK CO ROAD
0.27 MILE EAST OF US 40, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 23,201
US 40
FairOver: BEAVER CREEK
0.67 MILE WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1936 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 10,742
IS 70 EB
FairOver: ASHTON RD
0.76 MILE EAST OF MD 68, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 40,770
BROADFORDING ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE CONOCOCHEAGUE CRK
1.59 MI N OF US RTE 40, Washington, MD
Built 1972 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 868
US 340
FairOver: ISRAEL CRK APPALA. TRL.
0.18 MILE EAST OF MD 67, Washington, MD
Built 1963 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 23,943
HICKORY SCHOOL ROA
FairOver: SEMPLE RUN
.5 MI W. OF I70, Washington, MD
Built 1996 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 1,077
IS 70 EB
FairOver: WHITEHALL RD
1.05 MILES WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1967 Load: 47.2 t ADT: 61,140
IS 70 WB
FairOver: WHITEHALL RD
1.05 MILES WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1967 Load: 47.2 t ADT: 61,140
IS 70 EB
FairOver: MD 66
2.59 MILES EAST OF US 40, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 58,600
US 40 ALT
FairOver: LANDIS SPRING BRANCH
0.20 MILE EAST OF MD 741, Washington, MD
Built 1900 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 6,082
IS 70 WB
FairOver: LICKING CREEK CO ROAD
0.27 MILE EAST OF US 40, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 23,201
IS 70 WB
FairOver: BEAVER CREEK
0.08 MILE WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD
Built 1966 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 72,140
TOMS ROAD
FairOver: BEAVER CREEK
1.5 MI SE OF ALT US RTE 4, Washington, MD
Built 1985 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 192
IS 70 WB
FairOver: MD 66
2.59 MILES EAST OF US 40, Washington, MD
Built 1966 Load: 48.5 t ADT: 58,600
MD 62
FairOver: LITTLE ANTIETAM CREEK
0.626 MILE SOUTH OF MD 60, Washington, MD
Built 1931 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 2,080
UNGER ROAD
FairOver: GROVE CREEK
0.2 MI N OLD FORGE RD, Washington, MD
Built 1908 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 498
IS 70 EB
FairOver: IS 81
0.33 MILE WEST OF US 11, Washington, MD
Built 1964 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 62,680
IS 68 WB
FairOver: IS 70 EBR IS 68 RAMP D
3.78 MILES E OF MD 144WB, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 19,780
MOUNT AETNA ROAD
FairOver: ANTIETAM CREEK
0.8 MI W OF US RTE 40, Washington, MD
Built 1980 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 7,260
POPLAR GROVE ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE ANTIETAM CREEK
0.98 MI E OF MD RTE 64, Washington, MD
Built 1910 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 233
MD 34
FairOver: LITTLE ANTIETAM CREEK
0.19 MILE EAST OF MD 845A, Washington, MD
Built 1958 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 4,951
IS 70 EB
FairOver: NORFOLK & SOUTHERN RR
0.52 MILE EAST OF MD 632, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 33,892
IS 70 WB
FairOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROA
0.52 MILE EAST OF MD 632, Washington, MD
Built 1968 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 34,890
RIVER PARK ROAD
FairOver: C&O CANAL
Route 68 to Salisbury Str, Washington, MD
Built 1879 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 200
HALFWAY BOULEVARD
FairOver: UNDERPASS WAY-VALLEY MAL
0.32 MI E OF I 81, Washington, MD
Built 1971 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 16,373
WILSON BOULEVARD
FairOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROA
150 FT W OF VIRGINIA AVE, Washington, MD
Built 1983 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 9,800
BOYD ROAD
FairOver: IS 70 EBR
3.04 MI N OF MD 56, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 1,392
MD 68
FairOver: IS 70
0.47 MILE EAST OF US 40, Washington, MD
Built 1965 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 2,773
PLANTATION DRIVE
FairOver: TRIBUTARY OF ANTIETAM CR
0.5 MI N OF EAST RIDGE DR, Washington, MD
Built 1996 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 1,136
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.