County profile · official public datasets

Berkshire County, MA

450 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 34.7% rated Good, 57.6% Fair, 7.8% Poor.

450
Public bridges
34.7%
Good condition
7.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

8th
of 13 on Poor share
7.8%
Poor-condition share
450
public highway bridges
1961
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.

Berkshire County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Berkshire County ranks #8 of 13 Massachusetts counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.8%). Berkshire County, Massachusetts contains 450 public highway bridges. Roughly 34.7% are rated “Good,” 57.6% “Fair,” and 7.8% “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.

Total bridges

450

Public highway bridges in Berkshire County

Good condition

34.7%

156 of 450 rated 7-9

Fair condition

57.6%

259 of 450 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.8%

35 of 450 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#8 of 13

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

Condition distribution

Share of 450 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
34.7% (156)
Fair
57.6% (259)
Poor
7.8% (35)

Berkshire County's Poor-condition bridges carry 122,131 vehicle crossings a day

That is 6.2% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 3,489 crossings a day against 2,864 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 450 of 450 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

71.6% of Berkshire County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

322 of the 450 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 34.7% 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 17.6% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

US 20 /US7/SOUTH over RR HRR, built 1900, carries 21,457 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 35-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 122,131 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Berkshire County's bridges were built

450 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 121 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 26.9% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1961) matches the Massachusetts average (1961).

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

How Berkshire County compares with Massachusetts's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Massachusetts counties nearest Berkshire County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.8% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1961 against a peer-group mean of 1961 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 12 Massachusetts counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Berkshire County and the 5 Massachusetts counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Suffolk County 489 9.6%
Berkshire County (this page) 450 7.8%
Hampden County 428 7.5%
Essex County 395 17.2%
Bristol County 384 6.5%
Norfolk County 343 5%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MA (450 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MA (1961 here).

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

All 450 Good 156 Fair 259 Poor 35

Poor-condition bridges (35)

HWY DIVISION ST

Poor

Over: WATER HOUSATONIC RIVER

BTWN RTS41&183 S OF RSNDL, Berkshire, MA

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 5,599

HWY COTTAGE ST

Poor

Over: WATER HOUSATONIC RIVER

0.5M S JCT RTS41&7, Berkshire, MA

Built 1934 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 240

HWY MEADOW ST

Poor

Over: WATER BEARTOWN BROOK

.5 MI SOUTH OF RTE 102, Berkshire, MA

Built 1939 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 647

HWY COUNTY RD

Poor

Over: WATER IRONWORK BROOK

2 MI EAST OF ROUTE 7, Berkshire, MA

Built 1939 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,810

HWY BRIDGE ST

Poor

Over: WATER TOWN BROOK

.1MI W OF INT W/ ROUTE 7, Berkshire, MA

Built 1945 Load: 4.7 t ADT: 517

HWY MILL ST

Poor

Over: WATER TOPHET BROOK

@ INT W/ JORDAN ST, Berkshire, MA

Built 1951 Load: 10.4 t ADT: 800

HWY BLACK BRK RD

Poor

Over: WATER BLACK BROOK

.25 MI SOUTH OF RT2, Berkshire, MA

Built 1939 Load: 10.8 t ADT: 120

HWY CROSS RD

Poor

Over: WATER HUDSON BROOK

BTWN STNY BR DR&MIDDL RD, Berkshire, MA

Built 1928 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 714

HWY S WILLOW ST

Poor

Over: WATER HOOSIC RIVER

.2 MI FROM INT W/ ROUTE 8, Berkshire, MA

Built 1951 Load: 13.4 t ADT: 129

HWY LOWER VALLEY

Poor

Over: WATER DEPOT BROOK

500N. OF INT. W/ ROUTE 8, Berkshire, MA

Built 1930 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 100

HWY MAIN ST

Poor

Over: WATER HEMLOCK BROOK

0.1 M WEST OF FIELD PARK, Berkshire, MA

Built 1976 Load: 16.9 t ADT: 517

HWY CURTIS RD

Poor

Over: WATER KONKAPOT RIVER

0.2MI S OF RT23, Berkshire, MA

Built 1955 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 259

HWY SILVER ST

Poor

Over: WATER GREENWATER BROOK

AT JCT W/ ROUTE 20, Berkshire, MA

Built 1939 Load: 17.7 t ADT: 240

ST102 PLEASANT ST

Poor

Over: WATER HOUSATONIC RIVER

0.3 MI W OF US 20, Berkshire, MA

Built 1958 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 12,284

HWY WEST RD

Poor

Over: WATER SCRIBNER BROOK

AT HARRISON CAULKIN RD, Berkshire, MA

Built 1947 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 517

HWY MAPLE ST

Poor

Over: WATER E BR HOUSATONIC R

250 W OF JCT RTS 8 & 143, Berkshire, MA

Built 1948 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 2,457

HWY JERUSALEM RD

Poor

Over: WATER HOP BROOK

150 W OF INT. W/ MAIN RD, Berkshire, MA

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 129

ST 2 VTRNS MEM DR

Poor

Over: COMB ST8 & HOOSIC RIV

@ RT2/RT8 INTER.DOWNTOWN, Berkshire, MA

Built 1959 Load: 24.7 t ADT: 7,826

HWY EAST ST

Poor

Over: WATER TOPHET BROOK

300 WEST OF EAST ROAD, Berkshire, MA

Built 1940 Load: 24.8 t ADT: 1,700

ST 2 STATE RD

Poor

Over: WATER HOOSIC RIVER

200 E OF NEW ST, Berkshire, MA

Built 1934 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 15,200

HWY KELSEY RD

Poor

Over: WATER SCHENOB BROOK

1.1 MI E OF RTE 41, Berkshire, MA

Built 1915 Load: 25.7 t ADT: 120

HWY HIGH ST

Poor

Over: COMB CSX/WESTFLD/PLSNT

0.1MI N OF INT. W/ RTE 8, Berkshire, MA

Built 1941 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 900

HWY MELBOURNE RD

Poor

Over: WATER SW BR HOUSATONIC R

AT INT OF CHAPEL ST, Berkshire, MA

Built 1938 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 3,750

US 20 /US7/SOUTH

Poor

Over: RR HRR

@ GAMWELL AVE 85.00, Berkshire, MA

Built 1900 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 21,457

HWY MILL ST

Poor

Over: WATER WASHNGTN MTN BROOK

.2 MI S OF LENOX TL, Berkshire, MA

Built 1911 Load: 28.6 t ADT: 2,172

HWY BROWN ST

Poor

Over: WATER HOOSIC RIVER

AT INT. WITH RIVER ST, Berkshire, MA

Built 1952 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 1,138

HWY HUNGERFORD

Poor

Over: WATER SW BR HOUSATONIC R

500 E OF FORT HILL AVE, Berkshire, MA

Built 1935 Load: 30.9 t ADT: 300

HWY QUARRY RD

Poor

Over: WATER CUSHMAN BROOK

.25MI. S. OF INT.W/RTE 20, Berkshire, MA

Built 1939 Load: 32.5 t ADT: 120

HWY WAHCONAH ST

Poor

Over: WATER W BR HOUSATONIC R

AT PITTSFLD CEMETERY ENTR, Berkshire, MA

Built 1970 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 10,214

HWY KEYES HLL RD

Poor

Over: WATER UMPACHENE RIVER

0.1MI E OF CNAN-STHFLD RD, Berkshire, MA

Built 1938 Load: 33.2 t ADT: 129

HWY PONTOOSUC

Poor

Over: WATER W BR HOUSATONIC R

@ WAHCONAH ST INTERSECTIO, Berkshire, MA

Built 1993 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 2,845

HWY E NEW LENOX

Poor

Over: WATER SACKETT BROOK

.7 MI S OF WILLIAM ST, Berkshire, MA

Built 1936 Load: 48.5 t ADT: 3,621

US 7 WILLMSTWN RD

Poor

Over: WATER BRODIE MTN BROOK

AT NEW ASHFORD TOWN LINE, Berkshire, MA

Built 1961 Load: 49.2 t ADT: 6,789

HWY ED JONES RD

Poor

Over: WATER W BR FARMINGTON R

.1 MI W OF RTE 8, Berkshire, MA

Built 1959 Load: 49.2 t ADT: 129

HWY ELM ST

Poor

Over: WATER E BR HOUSATONIC R

700 S. OF INT. W/ RTE 9, Berkshire, MA

Built 1911 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 16,642

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.