Total bridges
32
Public highway bridges in Alpena County
County profile · official public datasets
Alpena County, MI
32 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 28.1% rated Good, 65.6% Fair, 6.3% Poor.
- 32
- Public bridges
- 28.1%
- Good condition
- 6.3%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Alpena County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 23%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 6.3%
- Poor-condition share
- 32
- public highway bridges
- 1970
- 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.
Alpena County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Alpena County ranks #19 of 83 Michigan counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.3%). Alpena County, Michigan contains 32 public highway bridges. Roughly 28.1% are rated “Good,” 65.6% “Fair,” and 6.3% “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
28.1%
9 of 32 rated 7-9
Fair condition
65.6%
21 of 32 rated 5-6
Poor condition
6.3%
2 of 32 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#19 of 83
Among Michigan counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 32 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 28.1% (9)
Fair 65.6% (21)
Poor 6.3% (2)
Alpena County's Poor-condition bridges carry 3,011 vehicle crossings a day
That is 2.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,506 crossings a day against 3,276 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 32 of 32 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
56.3% of Alpena County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
18 of the 32 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 28.1% 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 61.8% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
M-65 over THUNDER BAY RIVER, built 1953, carries 1,861 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 2-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 3,011 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Alpena County's bridges were built
32 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1930s
1930–1939
9 bridges
- 1940s 2
1940–1949
2 bridges
- 1950s 3
1950–1959
3 bridges
- 1960s 2
1960–1969
2 bridges
- 1970s 3
1970–1979
3 bridges
- 1980s 3
1980–1989
3 bridges
- 1990s 2
1990–1999
2 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
4 bridges
- 2010s 2
2010–2019
2 bridges
- 2020s 2
2020–2029
2 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1930s, when 9 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 85 to 94 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1970, 6 years older than the Michigan average of 1976.
How Alpena County compares with Michigan's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Michigan counties nearest Alpena County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.3% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1970 against a peer-group mean of 1973 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 82 Michigan counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee County | 35 | 40% | 45.7% | 14.3% | 1979 |
| Grand Traverse County | 33 | 51.5% | 42.4% | 6.1% | 1971 |
| Alpena County (this page) | 32 | 28.1% | 65.6% | 6.3% | 1970 |
| Ogemaw County | 31 | 22.6% | 74.2% | 3.2% | 1969 |
| Lake County | 30 | 43.3% | 40% | 16.7% | 1967 |
| Luce County | 28 | 39.3% | 42.9% | 17.9% | 1981 |
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 Alpena 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 Alpena County, both outside Michigan so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside MI (32 bridges here).
- Alpine County, CA · 32 bridges
- Lincoln County, GA · 32 bridges
- Butte County, ID · 32 bridges
- Wheeler County, OR · 32 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside MI (1970 here).
- Hamilton County, OH · avg 1970 · 783 bridges
- Yavapai County, AZ · avg 1970 · 543 bridges
- Garfield County, OK · avg 1970 · 504 bridges
- San Luis Obispo County, CA · avg 1970 · 401 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (32)
SECOND AVENUE
FairOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
0.2 MI E OF US23, Alpena, MI
Built 1939 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 15,700
M-32
FairOver: BEAN CREEK
1.0 MI E OF M-65, Alpena, MI
Built 1934 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 5,505
WOLF CREEK ROAD
FairOver: WOLF CREEK
6 MI N AND 3 MI W HUBBARD, Alpena, MI
Built 1957 Load: 29.2 t ADT: 500
US-23
FairOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
IN ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 1932 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,200
HERRON ROAD
FairOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
0.3 MI S OF FAS RTE 191, Alpena, MI
Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300
SALINA ROAD
FairOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
15 MI W OF ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 1984 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 200
METZKE ROAD
FairOver: N BR THUNDER BAY RIVER
2.3 MI S & 1 MI W BOLTON, Alpena, MI
Built 1984 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 150
STATE STREET
FairOver: DEVILS RIVER
0.3 MI SE OF OSSINEKE, Alpena, MI
Built 1957 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 250
BEAN CREEK ROAD
FairOver: BEAN CREEK
0.6 MI N 1.2 MI E LACHINE, Alpena, MI
Built 1993 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 360
WERTH ROAD
FairOver: LWR S BR THUNDER BAY RIV
8 MI SW OF ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 1939 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 1,850
SCOTT ROAD
FairOver: LWR S BR THUNDER BAY RIV
8 MI WEST OF US-23, Alpena, MI
Built 2000 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 300
HUBBARD LAKE ROAD
FairOver: WOLF CREEK
BTWN SEC 27&28 T30N R7E, Alpena, MI
Built 1940 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 1,700
WEISS ROAD
FairOver: DEVILS LAKE
0.6 MI SE OF U.S.23, Alpena, MI
Built 1982 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 400
NINTH AVENUE
FairOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
0.23 MI E OF US23 HWY, Alpena, MI
Built 1971 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 5,123
US-23
FairOver: S BR DEVIL RIVER
4.3 MI N OF ALCONA COL, Alpena, MI
Built 1936 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 5,537
M-32
FairOver: S BR THUNDER BAY RIVER
7.3 MI W OF ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 1931 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 5,505
BEAVER LAKE ROAD
FairOver: LWR S BR THUNDER BAY RIV
BETW SEC 3&10 T29N R7E, Alpena, MI
Built 2001 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 250
HUBBARD LAKE ROAD
FairOver: LWR S BR THUNDER BAY RIV
1 MI N OF HUBBARD LAKE, Alpena, MI
Built 1948 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 1,650
US-23
FairOver: N BR DEVIL RIVER
4.5 MI N OF ALCONA COL, Alpena, MI
Built 1933 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 5,537
US-23
FairOver: LONG LAKE CREEK
4.4 MI S OF PRESQUE ISLE, Alpena, MI
Built 1939 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 4,816
NICHOLSON HILL RD
FairOver: LWR S BR THUNDER BAY RIV
BETW SEC 15&22 T29N R7E, Alpena, MI
Built 1964 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 1,000
BEAVER LAKE ROAD
GoodOver: WOLF CREEK
7 MI NW OF HUBBARD LAKE, Alpena, MI
Built 1960 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300
NICHOLSON HILL RD
GoodOver: S BR DEVILS RIVER
1 MI S OF OSSINEKE, Alpena, MI
Built 2005 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 2,355
BAGLEY STREET
GoodOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
AT CITY LIMITS ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 2021 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 15,000
WIKARYASZ ROAD
GoodOver: N BR THUNDER BAY RIVER
1.8 MI WEST OF BOLTON, Alpena, MI
Built 2002 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 60
LONG RAPIDS ROAD
GoodOver: TRUAX CREEK
WELLINGTON TWP SEC 3 & 34, Alpena, MI
Built 1998 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 200
M-32
GoodOver: S BR THUNDER BAY RIVER
4.7 MI E MONTMORENCY COL, Alpena, MI
Built 1932 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 4,144
M-65
GoodOver: N BR THUNDER BAY RIVER
4.5 MI N OF LONG RAPIDS, Alpena, MI
Built 2013 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 1,300
OSSINEKE ROAD
GoodOver: DEVILS RIVER
OSSINEKE, Alpena, MI
Built 2020 Load: 54.1 t ADT: 800
WERTH ROAD
GoodOver: MUD CREEK
1.5 MI SW OF ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 2019 Load: 69.7 t ADT: 5,325
5LONG RAPIDS ROAD
PoorOver: N BR THUNDER BAY RIVER
9 MI N W OF ALPENA, Alpena, MI
Built 1978 Load: 11.7 t ADT: 1,150
M-65
PoorOver: THUNDER BAY RIVER
0.5 MI S OF LONG RAPIDS, Alpena, MI
Built 1953 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,861
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.