County profile · official public datasets

Hennepin County, MN

936 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 40.6% rated Good, 55.3% Fair, 4.1% Poor.

936
Public bridges
40.6%
Good condition
4.1%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

44th
of 87 on Poor share
4.1%
Poor-condition share
936
public highway bridges
1984
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.

Hennepin County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Hennepin County ranks #44 of 87 Minnesota counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.1%). Hennepin County, Minnesota contains 936 public highway bridges. Roughly 40.6% are rated “Good,” 55.3% “Fair,” and 4.1% “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

936

Public highway bridges in Hennepin County

Good condition

40.6%

380 of 936 rated 7-9

Fair condition

55.3%

518 of 936 rated 5-6

Poor condition

4.1%

38 of 936 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#44 of 87

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

Condition distribution

Share of 936 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
40.6% (380)
Fair
55.3% (518)
Poor
4.1% (38)

Hennepin County's Poor-condition bridges carry 334,931 vehicle crossings a day

That is 1.6% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.1% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 8,814 crossings a day against 22,491 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 936 of 936 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

31.2% of Hennepin County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

292 of the 936 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 40.6% 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 13.2% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

I 494 over Minnesota River, built 1981, carries 44,357 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 38-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 334,931 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Hennepin County's bridges were built

936 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 199 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1984) matches the Minnesota average (1986).

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

How Hennepin County compares with Minnesota's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Minnesota counties nearest Hennepin County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.1% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1984 against a peer-group mean of 1986 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 86 Minnesota counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Hennepin County and the 5 Minnesota counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Hennepin County (this page) 936 4.1%
St. Louis County 663 6.8%
Olmsted County 365 1.4%
Fillmore County 348 2.9%
Mower County 343 8.2%
Ramsey County 341 6.5%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MN (936 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MN (1984 here).

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

All 936 Good 380 Fair 518 Poor 38

Fair-condition bridges (518)

M 1863

Fair

Over: BASSETT CREEK

0.1 MI SE OF PLYMOUTH AV, Hennepin, MN

Built 1915 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,969

M 1719

Fair

Over: COMO-HARRIET STREETCAR

At W 43RD St; QUEEN AVE, Hennepin, MN

Built 1905 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 774

M 1051

Fair

Over: PLYMOUTH CREEK

0.24 MI E OF JCT MSAS 161, Hennepin, MN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 690

MSAS 156

Fair

Over: PLYMOUTH CREEK

0.73 MI N OF JCT TH 55, Hennepin, MN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,400

MSAS 106

Fair

Over: TRAIL & CEMETERY RD

0.1 MI SE OF JCT CSAH 88, Hennepin, MN

Built 1982 Load: 32.5 t ADT: 8,300

MSAS 102

Fair

Over: I 94

2.3 MIE OF JCT TH 169, Hennepin, MN

Built 2002 Load: 32.5 t ADT: 10,501

MN 65

Fair

Over: MISS RVR; MAIN; W RVR PK

0.3 MI NE OF JCT TH 952A, Hennepin, MN

Built 1917 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,500

US 169

Fair

Over: TH 55 (OLSON MEMORIAL)

AT JCT TH 55; 169, Hennepin, MN

Built 1966 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 82,108

MN 55

Fair

Over: Crow River

15.1 MI NW OF JCT TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 1986 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 19,317

US 169

Fair

Over: EXCELSIOR 3RD ST; RR

1.0 MI S OF JCT TH 7, Hennepin, MN

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 88,000

US 169

Fair

Over: 2nd St NE

0.5 MI S OF JCT TH 7, Hennepin, MN

Built 1980 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 90,000

MSAS 388

Fair

Over: I 394

1.4 MI W OF JCT TH 100, Hennepin, MN

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 17,800

CON 2224

Fair

Over: Lyndale Avenue SB

0.1 MI S OF JCT TH 394, Hennepin, MN

Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 26,255

MSAS 169

Fair

Over: I 94

3.4 MI N OF JCT TH 12, Hennepin, MN

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 19,336

UNU 52

Fair

Over: RR; STREETS TO I 94

0.3 MI SE OF JCT TH 94, Hennepin, MN

Built 1982 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,000

MSAS 190

Fair

Over: I 94

0.3 MI W OF W JCT TH 35W, Hennepin, MN

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,800

MSAS 281

Fair

Over: TH 65; RAMPS

ATH THE JCT TH 65; 94, Hennepin, MN

Built 1966 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,233

I 94

Fair

Over: Cedar Ave

0.2 MI E OF JCT TH 55, Hennepin, MN

Built 1966 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 147,000

CSAH 52

Fair

Over: I 35W

2.4 MI SW OF JCT TH 280, Hennepin, MN

Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,400

US 169

Fair

Over: CSAH 81 RAMP; BNSF RR

1.7 MI S OF JCT 169; 610, Hennepin, MN

Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30,585

MSAS 130

Fair

Over: I 35W

1.5 MI S OF JCT TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 1957 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,577

MSAS 115

Fair

Over: I 494

0.5 MI W OF JCT TH 77, Hennepin, MN

Built 1959 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10,232

MSAS 128

Fair

Over: PURGATORY CREEK

0.4 MI W OF PRAIRIE CEN, Hennepin, MN

Built 1986 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,900

MSAS 197

Fair

Over: I 94 US 952A; RAMPS

1.2 MI N OF JCT TH 394, Hennepin, MN

Built 1978 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 8,855

I 94

Fair

Over: HEMLOCK LN (CSAH 61)

0.6 mi E of jct TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 2001 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 54,553

CSAH 19

Fair

Over: CROW RIVER

AT THE NORTH CO LINE, Hennepin, MN

Built 1966 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 11,600

CSAH 60

Fair

Over: TH 7

0.3 MI NE OF JCT TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 1969 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 6,989

MN 100

Fair

Over: 44th St

1.7 MI S OF JCT TH 7, Hennepin, MN

Built 1970 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 128,000

M 42

Fair

Over: US 12

2.4 MI W OF JCT TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 1970 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 8,000

MSAS 197

Fair

Over: MISSISSIPPI RIVER

0.4 MI E OF WASH. AVE, Hennepin, MN

Built 1980 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 10,348

I 494

Fair

Over: I 394; COLLECTOR RDS

AT THE JCT TH 494; 394, Hennepin, MN

Built 1986 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 52,672

MSAS 159

Fair

Over: I 94

0.5 MI W OF W JCT TH 35W, Hennepin, MN

Built 1964 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 8,300

MSAS 415

Fair

Over: I 494

0.5 MI E OF JCT TH 35W, Hennepin, MN

Built 2009 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 22,170

M 849

Fair

Over: US 169

1.7 MI N OF JCT TH 62, Hennepin, MN

Built 1976 Load: 33.5 t ADT: 5,700

UNU 52

Fair

Over: I 35W

3.2 MI SW OF JCT TH 280, Hennepin, MN

Built 1967 Load: 33.5 t ADT: 14,469

I 94

Fair

Over: Dunwoody Blvd

0.1 MI S OF JCT TH 394, Hennepin, MN

Built 1968 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 91,000

CON 5067

Fair

Over: TH 252 SB RAMP

AT THE JCT TH 252; 694, Hennepin, MN

Built 1988 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 10,675

M 10

Fair

Over: BNSF RR

0.1 MI N OF JCT TH 12, Hennepin, MN

Built 1965 Load: 33.8 t ADT: 235

CSAH 3

Fair

Over: TH 100; SB OFF RAMP

0.9 MI S OF JCT TH 7, Hennepin, MN

Built 1968 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 23,300

M 25

Fair

Over: Minnehaha Creek

0.3 MI W OF JCT CSAH 20, Hennepin, MN

Built 1971 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 1,800

CSAH 144

Fair

Over: I 94

1.9 MI NW OF JCT TH 101, Hennepin, MN

Built 1969 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 4,121

MSAS 429

Fair

Over: I 94

0.8 MI SE OF JCT TH 55, Hennepin, MN

Built 1962 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 7,700

MN 100

Fair

Over: TH 62

AT THE JCT OF TH 100; 62, Hennepin, MN

Built 1960 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 119,000

CSAH 9

Fair

Over: PED WALK

0.4 MI E OF JCT TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 1987 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 21,700

MN 252

Fair

Over: TH 610

AT THE JCT TH 252; 610, Hennepin, MN

Built 1998 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 28,000

CSAH 25

Fair

Over: HCRRA

0.1 MI E OF JCT CSAH 17, Hennepin, MN

Built 1991 Load: 34.1 t ADT: 27,500

MN 47

Fair

Over: CP RAIL

2.7 MI S OF JCT TH 694, Hennepin, MN

Built 1997 Load: 34.1 t ADT: 13,781

MN 62

Fair

Over: TH 5 EB OFF RAMP

AT JCT TH 5; 55, Hennepin, MN

Built 1968 Load: 34.1 t ADT: 39,000

CSAH 101

Fair

Over: US 12

2.1 MI W OF JCT TH 494, Hennepin, MN

Built 1970 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 16,573

MSAS 296

Fair

Over: US 169

1.9 MI N OF JCT TH 7, Hennepin, MN

Built 1964 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 9,000

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
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.