County profile · official public datasets

Worcester County, MA

1,014 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 25.5% rated Good, 66.9% Fair, 7.6% Poor.

1,014
Public bridges
25.5%
Good condition
7.6%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

7th
of 13 on Poor share
7.6%
Poor-condition share
1,014
public highway bridges
1963
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.

Worcester County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Worcester County ranks #7 of 13 Massachusetts counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.6%). Worcester County, Massachusetts contains 1,014 public highway bridges. Roughly 25.5% are rated “Good,” 66.9% “Fair,” and 7.6% “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

1,014

Public highway bridges in Worcester County

Good condition

25.5%

259 of 1,014 rated 7-9

Fair condition

66.9%

678 of 1,014 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.6%

77 of 1,014 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#7 of 13

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

Condition distribution

Share of 1,014 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
25.5% (259)
Fair
66.9% (678)
Poor
7.6% (77)

Worcester County's Poor-condition bridges carry 959,932 vehicle crossings a day

That is 6.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.6% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 12,467 crossings a day against 11,673 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 1,013 of 1,014 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

65.6% of Worcester County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

665 of the 1,014 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 25.5% 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 6.8% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

I 290 EB over HWY E CENTRAL ST, built 1958, carries 65,611 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 77-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 959,932 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Worcester County's bridges were built

1,014 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 224 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 22.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1963) matches the Massachusetts average (1961).

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

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

The 5 Massachusetts counties nearest Worcester County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.6% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1963 against a peer-group mean of 1960 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Worcester County and the 5 Massachusetts counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Worcester County (this page) 1,014 7.6%
Middlesex County 818 11.1%
Suffolk County 489 9.6%
Berkshire County 450 7.8%
Hampden County 428 7.5%
Essex County 395 17.2%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MA (1,014 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MA (1963 here).

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

All 1,014 Good 259 Fair 678 Poor 77

All bridges (1,014)

HWY MILL ST

Good

Over: WATER MILL BROOK

200 W OF GREEN ST., Worcester, MA

Built 2008 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 3,000

HWY PERRYVLLE RD

Good

Over: WATER FRENCH RIVER

.2 MI E OF ST-12, Worcester, MA

Built 2011 Load: 66.1 t ADT: 723

ST131 MAIN ST

Good

Over: WATER HOBBS BROOK

200 FT N OF HALL RD, Worcester, MA

Built 1960 Load: 67.0 t ADT: 12,525

HWY LMNTR SHRLY

Good

Over: RR MBTA/BMRR

0.2 MI W OF FORT POND RD, Worcester, MA

Built 2007 Load: 67.7 t ADT: 9,356

HWY WICKABG VLLY

Good

Over: WATER SUCKER BROOK

0.1 MI S OF SNOW RD, Worcester, MA

Built 2018 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 517

ST 62 /ST70/CHESNT

Good

Over: WATER NASHUA RIVER

0.5 MI BELOW WACH. RES, Worcester, MA

Built 2008 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 7,517

ST 12 ASHBURNHM ST

Good

Over: WATER PHILLIPS BROOK

.5 MI N OF FTCHBRG TL, Worcester, MA

Built 2010 Load: 70.8 t ADT: 3,122

HWY RIVER RD

Good

Over: WATER WATER BACON BROOK

BTWN 146A&122 NR MILLVILL, Worcester, MA

Built 2011 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 1,977

HWY WINTER ST

Good

Over: WATER BAKER BROOK

250 FT. S. OF MILL ST, Worcester, MA

Built 2012 Load: 71.6 t ADT: 800

HWY DEPOT ST

Good

Over: WATER BLACKSTONE CANAL

.15 M W OF RTE 122, Worcester, MA

Built 1956 Load: 72.5 t ADT: 2,666

HWY W DUDLEY RD

Good

Over: WATER QUINEBAUG RIVER

.2 MI. E. OF ST- 131, Worcester, MA

Built 2013 Load: 74.5 t ADT: 517

HWY NORTHBORO RD

Good

Over: RR CSX

.1MI. E. OF I 495, Worcester, MA

Built 1900 Load: 74.5 t ADT: 6,000

HWY WEST ST

Good

Over: WATER RIDDLE BROOK

0.2 M W OF ST-16, Worcester, MA

Built 1956 Load: 75.5 t ADT: 3,000

ST 2

Good

Over: HWY S ATHOL RD

MM 72.7 ON ST 2, Worcester, MA

Built 1954 Load: 75.6 t ADT: 12,802

HWY WHITE POND

Good

Over: WATER WHITE POND OUT

0.1 M S OF KING ST, Worcester, MA

Built 2004 Load: 76.7 t ADT: 517

I 290

Good

Over: WATER KETTLE BROOK

1 MILE STH.OF WORC.C.L., Worcester, MA

Built 1965 Load: 81.0 t ADT: 80,982

ST 12 N MAIN ST

Good

Over: ST 2

2000 FT W OF HAMILTON ST, Worcester, MA

Built 1949 Load: 81.3 t ADT: 31,344

HWY LAKE RD

Good

Over: WATER WATATIC LAKE OUTLT

@ CORNER OF CROSS RD, Worcester, MA

Built 1938 Load: 81.4 t ADT: 1,786

HWY STATION ST

Good

Over: WATER CENTER BROOK

.3 MILES SOUTH OF ST 140, Worcester, MA

Built 1956 Load: 81.5 t ADT: 300

HWY PARKER ST

Good

Over: WATER BARTONS BROOK

800 EAST OF PINE ST, Worcester, MA

Built 2004 Load: 84.9 t ADT: 100

HWY BRIDGE ST

Good

Over: WATER WARE RIVER

W OF RT32 IN GILBERTVILLE, Worcester, MA

Built 1887 Load: 85.0 t ADT: 259

ST 2 A/S MAIN ST

Good

Over: WATER MILLERS RIVER

WEST END OF DWNTWN MAIN S, Worcester, MA

Built 2010 Load: 89.1 t ADT: 26,250

HWY GLENMERE RD

Good

Over: WATER LITTLE RIVER

0.3 MI N OF RT 20, Worcester, MA

Built 1956 Load: 96.7 t ADT: 394

HWY PLEASANT ST

Good

Over: WATER BLACKSTONE RIVER

1.3 MI SW OF RTE 122, Worcester, MA

Built 2009 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 3,082

PINE PLAINS ROAD

Good

Over: MUDDY POND BROOK

12.9 KM S OF GARDNER, Worcester, MA

Built 1938 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 20

HWY DEPOT ST

Good

Over: WATER N NASHUA RIVER

AT JCT OF RTE 2A, Worcester, MA

Built 1908 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,800

HWY J FITCH HWY

Good

Over: WATER FALLULAH BROOK

.1 MI SE OF RTE 31, Worcester, MA

Built 1964 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 10,997

HWY ARBOR WAY

Good

Over: WATER BROOK

OFF STEVENS RD., Worcester, MA

Built 1998 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 200

I 190

Good

Over: WATER WEKEPEKE BROOK

.5 MI S OF ST-117, Worcester, MA

Built 1978 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 35,433

HWY MAIN ST

Good

Over: WATER WHITINS POND

0.1M E OF IVY LN, Worcester, MA

Built 1971 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 7,278

HWY DEPOT RD

Good

Over: WATER WELLINGTON BROOK

.1 M. EAST OF I-395, Worcester, MA

Built 1976 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 5,034

I 395 RAMP C & D

Good

Over: WATER WELLINGTON BROOK

N.E. SET OF RAMPS EXIT 5, Worcester, MA

Built 1976 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,441

ST131 MAIN ST

Good

Over: WATER QUINEBAUG RIVER

300 FT W. OF HAMILTON ST, Worcester, MA

Built 1910 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 14,190

I 190

Good

Over: HWY AGRICLTRL UNDRPS

MM 10.9 IN NB BARREL., Worcester, MA

Built 1979 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 35,354

HWY HARTFORD AVE

Good

Over: WATER BLACKSTONE RIVER

400 FT. EAST OF OAK ST, Worcester, MA

Built 1900 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 7,470

I 495

Good

Over: WATER SUDBURY RIVER

0.2 MI N OF I-90, Worcester, MA

Built 1966 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 69,784

HWY MILL RD

Good

Over: WATER ASSABET RIVER

.3 MI S OF FISHER ST., Worcester, MA

Built 2003 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,800

HWY PINEDALE AVE

Poor

Over: WATER E BR TULLY RIVER

ATHOL/ORANGE TOWN LINE, Worcester, MA

Built 1937 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,293

US 20 EB/WSHNGTN

Poor

Over: I 395

.3 MI S OF I-90, Worcester, MA

Built 1965 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10,144

US202 MAPLE ST

Poor

Over: WATER N BR MILLERS RIVER

0.25 M W JCT GLENALLEN, Worcester, MA

Built 1937 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 6,595

HWY WHITNEY ST

Poor

Over: RR CSX

.5 MI S OF SOLOMN PD RD, Worcester, MA

Built 1986 Load: 7.0 t ADT: 1,200

HWY BRANDON RD

Poor

Over: OTHER MILL RACE (DRY)

.3MI. EST. OF ST-12, Worcester, MA

Built 1937 Load: 8.6 t ADT: 2,260

HWY POND ST

Poor

Over: WATER MONOOSNOC BROOK

200 FT EAST OF ELM STREET, Worcester, MA

Built 1900 Load: 12.6 t ADT: 4,300

HWY HARRISON ST

Poor

Over: I 290

.1 MI. E. OF WATER ST., Worcester, MA

Built 1958 Load: 14.4 t ADT: 1,000

HWY LAUREL ST

Poor

Over: I 290

.2 MI E OF SUMMER ST, Worcester, MA

Built 1958 Load: 17.1 t ADT: 500

HWY OLD COLNY RD

Poor

Over: WATER WARE RIVER

20 N OF ST 62, Worcester, MA

Built 1937 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 400

HWY LINWOOD AVE

Poor

Over: WATER LINWOOD POND

NEAR UXBRIDGE LINE, Worcester, MA

Built 1923 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 7,363

ST 32 NW BRNTRE RD

Poor

Over: WATER WARE CANAL

0.6 MI N OF JCT 67, Worcester, MA

Built 1934 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 3,750

HWY MANCHAUG RD

Poor

Over: WATER MUMFORD RIVER

200 FT.W OF PUTNAM HILL R, Worcester, MA

Built 1937 Load: 21.2 t ADT: 1,600

HWY BARR RD

Poor

Over: WATER MEADOW BROOK

0.2 M S GILBERTVILLE RD, Worcester, MA

Built 1939 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,293

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.