Total bridges
242
Public highway bridges in Tuscola County
County profile · official public datasets
Tuscola County, MI
242 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 33.9% rated Good, 61.2% Fair, 5% Poor.
- 242
- Public bridges
- 33.9%
- Good condition
- 5%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Tuscola County posts a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- Top 11%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 5%
- Poor-condition share
- 242
- public highway bridges
- 1980
- 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.
Tuscola County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Tuscola County ranks #9 of 83 Michigan counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 5%). Tuscola County, Michigan contains 242 public highway bridges. Roughly 33.9% are rated “Good,” 61.2% “Fair,” and 5% “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
33.9%
82 of 242 rated 7-9
Fair condition
61.2%
148 of 242 rated 5-6
Poor condition
5%
12 of 242 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#9 of 83
Among Michigan counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 242 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 33.9% (82)
Fair 61.2% (148)
Poor 5% (12)
Tuscola County's Poor-condition bridges carry 20,782 vehicle crossings a day
That is 8.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,732 crossings a day against 1,031 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 242 of 242 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
40.1% of Tuscola County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
97 of the 242 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 33.9% 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 32.2% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
M-46 over CHEBOYGAN & BRANCHES DRN, built 1939, carries 6,701 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 12-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 20,782 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Tuscola County's bridges were built
242 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 2
1920–1929
2 bridges
- 1930s 11
1930–1939
11 bridges
- 1940s 4
1940–1949
4 bridges
- 1950s 3
1950–1959
3 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
39 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
70 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
46 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
28 bridges
- 2000s 18
2000–2009
18 bridges
- 2010s 18
2010–2019
18 bridges
- 2020s 3
2020–2029
3 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 70 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.9% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1980) matches the Michigan average (1976).
How Tuscola County compares with Michigan's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Michigan counties nearest Tuscola County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 5% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1980 against a peer-group mean of 1977 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 82 Michigan counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washtenaw County | 262 | 23.3% | 56.5% | 20.2% | 1975 |
| Ottawa County | 254 | 40.9% | 52.8% | 6.3% | 1977 |
| Allegan County | 244 | 24.2% | 59% | 16.8% | 1978 |
| Tuscola County (this page) | 242 | 33.9% | 61.2% | 5% | 1980 |
| Ingham County | 241 | 15.8% | 68.9% | 15.4% | 1972 |
| Lenawee County | 225 | 47.6% | 39.6% | 12.9% | 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 Tuscola 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 Tuscola County, both outside Michigan so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside MI (242 bridges here).
- Glenn County, CA · 242 bridges
- Macoupin County, IL · 242 bridges
- Wabaunsee County, KS · 242 bridges
- Kings County, NY · 242 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside MI (1980 here).
- Tulsa County, OK · avg 1980 · 1,135 bridges
- Miami-Dade County, FL · avg 1980 · 1,057 bridges
- Pulaski County, AR · avg 1980 · 721 bridges
- McLennan County, TX · avg 1980 · 714 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (242)
ELMWOOD ROAD
FairOver: SOUTHGATE DRAIN
SEC 30-31 AKRON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1967 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 225
MAYVILLE ROAD
FairOver: MURDICK-VANSICKLAND DRN
SEC 27-34 KOYLTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1958 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 135
GARNER ROAD
FairOver: NORTHWEST DRAIN
SEC 25-26 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 180
MC ARTHUR ROAD
FairOver: WHITE CREEK I/C DRAIN
SEC 20 NOVESTA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 2001 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 70
M-24
FairOver: WISCOGGIN CREEK
0.6 MI S OF M-25, Tuscola, MI
Built 1983 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,825
VASSAR ROAD
FairOver: SOUTHGATE DRAIN OUTLET
SEC 6 AKRON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1990 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 290
BRADFORD ROAD
FairOver: NORTHWEST DRAIN OUTLET 1
SEC 9-10 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 240
M-24
FairOver: CASS RIVER
0.6 MI S OF M-81 IN CARO, Tuscola, MI
Built 1941 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 5,516
M-25
FairOver: ALLEN DRAIN
7.5 MI NE OF BAY COL, Tuscola, MI
Built 1985 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 5,571
BEVENS ROAD
FairOver: CLARK DRAIN EXTENSION
SEC 16-21 KINGSTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1984 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 1,245
DICKERSON ROAD
FairOver: SOUTHGATE DRAIN
SEC 18-19 AKRON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1984 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 900
M-46
FairOver: CASS RIVER
5.5 MI W OF M-24, Tuscola, MI
Built 1934 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 5,255
GILFORD ROAD
FairOver: NORTHWEST DRAIN
SEC 26-35 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 1,865
FAIRGROVE ROAD
FairOver: ALLEN EXTENSION DRAIN
SEC 15-22 FAIRGROVE TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 1,650
HICKEY ROAD
FairOver: NORTHWEST DRAIN
SEC 13 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 80
BRAY ROAD
FairOver: CASS RIVER
SEC 28 TUSCOLA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1965 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 3,520
RINGLE ROAD
FairOver: ALLEN EXTENSION DRAIN
SEC 33-34 AKRON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1994 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 410
BAY PARK ROAD
FairOver: AKRON CENTERLINE DRAIN
SEC 3-32 AKRON, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 412
BRADLEYVILLE ROAD
FairOver: NORTHWEST DRAIN OUTLET 2
SEC 2-3 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 1,240
HIGGINS ROAD
FairOver: BR 1 NORTHWEST DRAIN
SEC 4-5 JUNIATA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 600
KOEPFGEN ROAD
FairOver: CENTER B DRAIN
SEC 32-33 ELKLAND TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1979 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 440
AKRON ROAD
FairOver: SOUTHGATE DRAIN
SEC 31 AKRON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 700
BEVENS ROAD
FairOver: BUTTERNUT CREEK DRAIN
SEC 13-24 WELLS TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 1,970
DECKERVILLE ROAD
FairOver: BUTTERNUT CREEK DRAIN
SEC 27-34 ELLINGTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 2,095
VASSAR ROAD
FairOver: PERRY CREEK
SEC 19 MILLINGTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1980 Load: 47.8 t ADT: 1,220
M-138
FairOver: NO NAME DRAIN
1.0 MI E OF BAY CO LINE, Tuscola, MI
Built 1968 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 1,305
M-25
FairOver: WISNER DRAIN
6.5 MI NE OF BAY CO LINE, Tuscola, MI
Built 1985 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 5,571
M-25
FairOver: AKRON DRAIN
4.1 MI SW OF HURON COL, Tuscola, MI
Built 1985 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 5,571
DUTCHER ROAD
FairOver: VCCM&S DRAIN
SEC 5-8 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1980 Load: 52.5 t ADT: 370
HUNT ROAD
FairOver: S. O. DRAIN
SEC 6 DAYTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1989 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 160
AKRON ROAD
FairOver: WISCOGGIN DRAIN
SEC 6-7 ALMER TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 54.1 t ADT: 430
MILLINGTON ROAD
FairOver: EVERGREEN CREEK
SEC 13-24 WATERTOWN TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1992 Load: 55.4 t ADT: 1,315
VAN BUREN ROAD
FairOver: VCCM&S DRAIN
SEC 5-6 GILFORD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 2007 Load: 55.7 t ADT: 80
BRADLEYVILLE ROAD
FairOver: NORTHWEST DRAIN
SEC 2-3 DENMARK TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1972 Load: 57.2 t ADT: 2,000
COOKLIN ROAD
FairOver: BUTTERNUT CREEK DRAIN
SEC 34 ELLINGTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1978 Load: 57.7 t ADT: 60
HURDS CORNER ROAD
FairOver: BRKFLD EXT-COLUMBIA-BKFD
SEC 9-10 ELMWOOD TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1968 Load: 61.3 t ADT: 430
GENESEE ROAD
FairOver: FROST I/C DRAIN
SEC 26 ARBELA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1984 Load: 66.4 t ADT: 120
DIVISION STREET
FairOver: HURON & EASTERN RR
CITY OF VASSAR, Tuscola, MI
Built 1934 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 250
KEIL ROAD
FairOver: BACH DRAIN
SEC 21 COLUMBIA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1981 Load: 70.0 t ADT: 78
HURDS CORNER ROAD
FairOver: BUTTERNUT CREEK DRAIN
SEC 27-28 ELLINGTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1971 Load: 71.9 t ADT: 544
SQUIRES ROAD
FairOver: FROST I/C DRAIN
ARBELA TWP SEC 26, Tuscola, MI
Built 1982 Load: 72.9 t ADT: 70
RINGLE ROAD
FairOver: ALLEN EXTN DRAIN
SEC 15-16 FAIRGROVE TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1979 Load: 82.9 t ADT: 345
FRENCH ROAD
FairOver: BACH DRAIN
SEC 20-21 COLUMBIA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1981 Load: 87.2 t ADT: 250
BELSAY ROAD
FairOver: FROST I/C DRAIN
SEC 25-26 ARBELA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1984 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 1,950
DARBEE ROAD
FairOver: WISCOGGIN DRAIN
SEC 18-19 ALMER TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1979 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 60
PLAIN ROAD
FairOver: BUTTERNUT CREEK DRAIN
SEC 34-35 ELLINGTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1977 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 170
VAN GIESEN ROAD
FairOver: HOBART OR BR 3 NW DRAIN
SEC 31 FAIRGROVE TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1979 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 85
SWAFFER ROAD
FairOver: COLTS CREEK
SEC 32 TUSCOLA TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1979 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 250
REED ROAD
GoodOver: NORTH BR CASS RIVER
SEC 13-24 ELKLAND TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 2009 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 60
PHILLIPS ROAD
GoodOver: SOUTH BR WHITE CREEK
SEC 7 KINGSTON TWP, Tuscola, MI
Built 1968 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 50
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.