Total bridges
48
Public highway bridges in Carter County
County profile · official public datasets
Carter County, MO
48 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 25% rated Good, 68.8% Fair, 6.3% Poor.
- 48
- Public bridges
- 25%
- Good condition
- 6.3%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Carter County pairs a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 29%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 6.3%
- Poor-condition share
- 48
- 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.
Carter County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Carter County ranks #33 of 115 Missouri counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.3%). Carter County, Missouri contains 48 public highway bridges. Roughly 25% are rated “Good,” 68.8% “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
25%
12 of 48 rated 7-9
Fair condition
68.8%
33 of 48 rated 5-6
Poor condition
6.3%
3 of 48 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#33 of 115
Among Missouri counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 48 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 25% (12)
Fair 68.8% (33)
Poor 6.3% (3)
Carter County's Poor-condition bridges carry 4,699 vehicle crossings a day
That is 5.7% 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 1,566 crossings a day against 838 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 48 of 48 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
47.9% of Carter County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
23 of the 48 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% 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 53.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
US 60 W over CANE CR, built 1963, carries 2,508 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 3-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 4,699 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Carter County's bridges were built
48 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 4
1920–1929
4 bridges
- 1930s
1930–1939
11 bridges
- 1950s 4
1950–1959
4 bridges
- 1960s 4
1960–1969
4 bridges
- 1970s 1
1970–1979
1 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
7 bridges
- 1990s 2
1990–1999
2 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
10 bridges
- 2010s 4
2010–2019
4 bridges
- 2020s 1
2020–2029
1 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1930s, when 11 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 22.9% 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, 9 years older than the Missouri average of 1979.
How Carter County compares with Missouri's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Missouri counties nearest Carter County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.3% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1970 against a peer-group mean of 1971 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 114 Missouri counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dent County | 75 | 21.3% | 70.7% | 8% | 1969 |
| Maries County | 69 | 31.9% | 52.2% | 15.9% | 1974 |
| Stone County | 64 | 50% | 43.8% | 6.3% | 1982 |
| Shannon County | 63 | 25.4% | 63.5% | 11.1% | 1961 |
| Hickory County | 57 | 38.6% | 43.9% | 17.5% | 1968 |
| Carter County (this page) | 48 | 25% | 68.8% | 6.3% | 1970 |
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 Carter 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 Carter County, both outside Missouri so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside MO (48 bridges here).
- Wakulla County, FL · 48 bridges
- Evans County, GA · 48 bridges
- Owyhee County, ID · 48 bridges
- Judith Basin County, MT · 48 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside MO (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.
Fair-condition bridges (33)
RT V S
FairOver: MID BRUSHY CR
S 21 T 27 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1966 Load: 11.7 t ADT: 249
COUNTY RD 256
FairOver: CANE CR
S 16 T 26 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1922 Load: 13.5 t ADT: 75
COUNTY RD 159
FairOver: PIKE CR
S 20 T 27 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 1978 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 50
RT B E
FairOver: TAB BR
S 6 T 25 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1933 Load: 22.5 t ADT: 549
MO 103 S
FairOver: LEACH HOLLOW
S 36 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1932 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 316
RT C S
FairOver: BIG BARREN CR
S 14 T 25 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1983 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 173
RT K S
FairOver: DRY WASH
S 29 T 16 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1954 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 221
RT B E
FairOver: MILL HOLLOW
S 5 T 25 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1933 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 549
RT J S
FairOver: SINKING CR
S 5 T 25 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 1935 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 151
RT H E
FairOver: DEVILS RUN
S 8 T 27 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1956 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 200
RT J S
FairOver: BARREN FK
S 5 T 25 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 1935 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 151
RT N E
FairOver: MID BR CR
S 32 T 27 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1924 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 500
US 60 W
FairOver: CURRENT RVR
S 25 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,169
BIG SPRING CAMPGRO
FairOver: SPRING BRANCH
800FT EAST OF SR102., Carter, MO
Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5
US 60 W
FairOver: LITTLE PIKE CREEK
S 4 T 26 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 2007 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 2,258
RT M S
FairOver: HORSE CR
S 10 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1934 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 641
BU 60 E
FairOver: WALKER BR
S 24 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1991 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 3,504
BU 60 E
FairOver: WALKER CR
S 18 T 27 N R 1 E, Carter, MO
Built 1922 Load: 42.3 t ADT: 1,547
MO 21 S
FairOver: N FK LIT BLACK CR
S 27 T 26 N R 2 E, Carter, MO
Built 1931 Load: 42.3 t ADT: 1,211
BU 60 E
FairOver: JONES HOLLOW
S 24 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1930 Load: 43.2 t ADT: 1,547
US 60 E
FairOver: CURRENT RVR
S 25 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 2005 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 5,236
MO 21 S
FairOver: N PRONG CR
S 15 T 26 N R 2 E, Carter, MO
Built 1931 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 1,999
US 60 E
FairOver: LIT PIKE CR
S 4 T 26 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 1987 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 2,484
BU 60 E
FairOver: DRY WASH
S 18 T 27 N R 1 E, Carter, MO
Built 1937 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 1,547
US 60 E
FairOver: DRY VALLEY
S 5 T 26 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1983 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 5,376
RT D S
FairOver: NORWOOD HOLLOW
S 26 T 28 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1982 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 862
US 60 E
FairOver: CANE CR
S 9 T 26 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 1963 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 5,522
RT B E
FairOver: TRIB LIT BLACK RVR
S 11 T 25 N R 2 E, Carter, MO
Built 2001 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 549
US 60 E
FairOver: EVANS CR
S 2 T 26 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 1980 Load: 55.8 t ADT: 5,376
US 60 E
FairOver: RATLIFFE HOLLOW
S 33 T 27 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1930 Load: 55.8 t ADT: 5,314
US 60 E
FairOver: CANE CR
S 15 T 26 N R 3 E, Carter, MO
Built 2004 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 3,014
US 60 E
FairOver: SNYDER CR
S 2 T 26 N R 2 W, Carter, MO
Built 1980 Load: 72.9 t ADT: 5,376
US 60 E
FairOver: POCA HOLLOW
S 5 T 26 N R 1 W, Carter, MO
Built 1983 Load: 78.3 t ADT: 5,376
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.