County profile · official public datasets

Essex County, MA

395 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 15.9% rated Good, 66.8% Fair, 17.2% Poor.

395
Public bridges
15.9%
Good condition
17.2%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

13th
of 13 on Poor share
17.2%
Poor-condition share
395
public highway bridges
1957
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.

Essex County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Essex County ranks #13 of 13 Massachusetts counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 17.2%). Essex County, Massachusetts contains 395 public highway bridges. Roughly 15.9% are rated “Good,” 66.8% “Fair,” and 17.2% “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

395

Public highway bridges in Essex County

Good condition

15.9%

63 of 395 rated 7-9

Fair condition

66.8%

264 of 395 rated 5-6

Poor condition

17.2%

68 of 395 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#13 of 13

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

Condition distribution

Share of 395 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
15.9% (63)
Fair
66.8% (264)
Poor
17.2% (68)

Essex County's Poor-condition bridges carry 2,590,672 vehicle crossings a day

That is 21.8% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 17.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 38,098 crossings a day against 20,809 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 394 of 395 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

73.4% of Essex County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

289 of the 394 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 15.9% 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 5% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

US 1 NEWBRPRT TPK over I 95 /ST128, built 1963, carries 128,520 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 68-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 2,590,672 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Essex County's bridges were built

394 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 95 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 24.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1957) matches the Massachusetts average (1961).

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

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

The 5 Massachusetts counties nearest Essex County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 17.2% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1957 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 Essex County and the 5 Massachusetts counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Berkshire County 450 7.8%
Hampden County 428 7.5%
Essex County (this page) 395 17.2%
Bristol County 384 6.5%
Norfolk County 343 5%
Franklin County 314 11.1%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MA (395 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MA (1957 here).

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

All 395 Good 63 Fair 264 Poor 68

All bridges (395)

HWY MILL ROAD

Good

Over: WATER FISH BROOK

1.1 MI W OF I-95, Essex, MA

Built 2004 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 1,200

HWY THOMPSON ST

Good

Over: WATER POWWOW RIVER

1.2MI N OF RT.495, Essex, MA

Built 2005 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 387

I 495

Good

Over: WATER FISH BROOK

.48 KM S I93, Essex, MA

Built 1961 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 120,800

HWY MOULTON ST

Good

Over: WATER MILES RIVER

.4K E. OF ST 1A, Essex, MA

Built 2000 Load: 52.3 t ADT: 1,293

HWY UPR CNTY BRI

Good

Over: WATER MERRIMACK RIVER

AT WSHGTN &RIVER STS, Essex, MA

Built 1906 Load: 52.5 t ADT: 10,665

HWY ACCESS RD

Good

Over: WATER NORTH CANAL

1.6 KM FROM N ANDOVER, Essex, MA

Built 2003 Load: 53.8 t ADT: 259

ST 1 A/HIGH ST

Good

Over: RR MBTA

1.1 MI N IPSWICH CENTER, Essex, MA

Built 2012 Load: 54.9 t ADT: 25,200

HWY HIGH PLN RD

Good

Over: I 93

.3 MILES S.OF I495, Essex, MA

Built 2008 Load: 55.0 t ADT: 3,232

ST128

Good

Over: RR MBTA/BMRR (ABANDON

2 KM NORTH OF ST114, Essex, MA

Built 2012 Load: 56.5 t ADT: 66,000

ST107 SALEM TNPK

Good

Over: WATER E BR PINES RIVER

1.5 KM NE OF RTE 60, Essex, MA

Built 2011 Load: 56.7 t ADT: 34,397

ST127 A/THATCHER

Good

Over: WATER GOOD HRBR BCH CRK

JUST N OF BASS AVE, Essex, MA

Built 2007 Load: 57.2 t ADT: 12,931

HWY MARCH ST

Good

Over: COMB US 1A BYPASS & MBT

.1MI W ST 1A, Essex, MA

Built 1994 Load: 58.4 t ADT: 259

HWY JHNSN ST EXT

Good

Over: RR MBTA (ABANDONED)

.1 MI S PINE STREET, Essex, MA

Built 2004 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 300

HWY JOHNSON ST

Good

Over: OTHER PED BIKE PATH

.1 MI N PINE STREET, Essex, MA

Built 2004 Load: 60.9 t ADT: 6,700

HWY LOCKE ST

Good

Over: OTHER LITTLE RIVER CUL

JUST E OF RTE 97, Essex, MA

Built 1891 Load: 61.8 t ADT: 4,500

ST113 LOWELL ST

Good

Over: WATER SPICKET RIVER

.1 MI W. ST 28, Essex, MA

Built 2003 Load: 61.8 t ADT: 12,025

ST113 LOWELL ST

Good

Over: WATER SPICKET RIVER

.1M WEST OF ST 28, Essex, MA

Built 2003 Load: 61.8 t ADT: 12,025

HWY FERRY RD

Good

Over: RR MBTA/BMRR

.1 MI. N ST125, Essex, MA

Built 2013 Load: 71.6 t ADT: 1,600

US 1 NB/NEWBRY ST

Good

Over: ST 62 MAPLE ST

1.6 MI N OF ST-114, Essex, MA

Built 1950 Load: 80.3 t ADT: 23,230

US 1 NB & SB

Good

Over: HWY CENTRE ST

0.7 MI N OF RTE 114, Essex, MA

Built 2012 Load: 97.4 t ADT: 32,600

I 495 NB

Good

Over: TR AMESBURY RIVERWALK

.1 MI N EXIT 55, Essex, MA

Built 2016 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 22,265

I 495 SB

Good

Over: TR AMESBURY RIVERWALK

.1 MI N OF EXIT 55, Essex, MA

Built 2016 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 21,340

HWY SAM FONZO DR

Good

Over: WATER BASS RIVER

0.2 MI W OF ST-97, Essex, MA

Built 1998 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,198

HWY LOCUST ST

Good

Over: OTHER LITTLE RIVER CUL

JUST E OF RTE 97, Essex, MA

Built 1903 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,800

I 495

Good

Over: WATER SHAWSHEEN RIVER

1 KM N ST114, Essex, MA

Built 1963 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 101,800

ST127 GRANITE ST

Good

Over: RR RGCO RR (ABAND)

.8 MI N ROCKPORT CENTER, Essex, MA

Built 1872 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 13,000

HWY DODGE ROAD

Good

Over: WATER MILL RIVER

2.1 MILES FROM RT1, Essex, MA

Built 2009 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 1,290

HWY BRIDGE ST

Poor

Over: WATER BASS RIVER

.1 MILE WEST OF RIVER ST, Essex, MA

Built 1929 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 21,300

HWY WINTHROP ST

Poor

Over: WATER IPSWICH RIVER

@ IPWSICH TL = I-01-006, Essex, MA

Built 1845 Load: 0.6 t ADT: 650

HWY KERNWOOD AVE

Poor

Over: WATER DANVERS RIVER

AT DANVERS RIVER, Essex, MA

Built 1907 Load: 8.2 t ADT: 4,714

HWY KERNWOOD AVE

Poor

Over: WATER DANVERS RIVER

AT DANVERS RIVER, Essex, MA

Built 1907 Load: 8.3 t ADT: 4,714

HWY SCHOOL ST

Poor

Over: RR MBTA

.1 MI WEST ST 1A, Essex, MA

Built 1871 Load: 13.3 t ADT: 3,232

HWY COUNTY ST

Poor

Over: WATER IPSWICH RIVER

.48 KM S OF CENTRAL ST, Essex, MA

Built 1861 Load: 13.5 t ADT: 5,400

ST125 BRIDGE ST

Poor

Over: RR BMRR (ABANDONED)

.16 KM S MERRIMAC RIVER, Essex, MA

Built 1850 Load: 16.1 t ADT: 26,000

ST 62 MAPLE ST

Poor

Over: WATER IPSWICH RIVER

1.6 KM E ST114, Essex, MA

Built 1922 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 16,200

ST125 BRIDGE ST

Poor

Over: WATER MERRIMACK RIVER

.3 MI E HAVERHILL CENTER, Essex, MA

Built 1925 Load: 18.3 t ADT: 36,500

ST 1 A/MAIN ST

Poor

Over: RR MBTA

1.6 MI N ROWLEY TOWN HALL, Essex, MA

Built 1907 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 4,784

HWY TEWKSBURY ST

Poor

Over: RR CSX

.2 MI E I 93, Essex, MA

Built 1980 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 3,500

HWY VILLAGE ST

Poor

Over: TR MARBLEHEAD RAIL TR

NEAR HIGH SCHOOL, Essex, MA

Built 1939 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 4,700

HWY OAKLAND AVE

Poor

Over: TR METHUEN RAIL TRAIL

JUST WEST ST 28 BROADWAY, Essex, MA

Built 1936 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 11,900

US 1

Poor

Over: HWY MERRIMAC ST

.1 MI S MERRIMAC RIVER, Essex, MA

Built 1976 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 11,620

ST127 WESTERN AVE

Poor

Over: WATER BLYNMAN CANAL

AT ANISQUAM RIVER, Essex, MA

Built 1906 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 4,886

ST127 WASHNGTON ST

Poor

Over: WATER HODGKINS COVE

5.9 KM N WASHINGTON CIRCL, Essex, MA

Built 1850 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 13,600

ST 1 A/LYNNWAY

Poor

Over: WATER SAUGUS RIVER

.3 MI DOWNSTREAM OF B&MRR, Essex, MA

Built 1934 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 85,600

HWY LYNN FLLS RP

Poor

Over: US 1 BROADWAY

.5 MI S OF WALNUT ST, Essex, MA

Built 1971 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 14,062

ST125 CONN EB

Poor

Over: I 495

1 KM N METHUEN TOWN LINE, Essex, MA

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 5,289

I 495 NB

Poor

Over: ST110 AMESBURY RD

3.5 KM N ST125, Essex, MA

Built 1964 Load: 25.5 t ADT: 79,962

I 95 RAMPS A&B

Poor

Over: US 1 NEWBURY ST

0.6 MI N OF I-95, Essex, MA

Built 1959 Load: 25.5 t ADT: 36,300

I 495 NB RAMP N

Poor

Over: COMB SUTTON ST & MBTA

NEXT TO I495, Essex, MA

Built 1963 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 13,566

ST125 CONN WB

Poor

Over: I 495

1 KM N METHUEN TOWN LINE, Essex, MA

Built 1961 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 9,670

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.