County profile · official public datasets

Clay County, MO

436 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 38.1% rated Good, 55% Fair, 6.9% Poor.

436
Public bridges
38.1%
Good condition
6.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Clay County posts a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.

Top 35%
lowest Poor share in state
6.9%
Poor-condition share
436
public highway bridges
1979
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.

Clay County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Clay County ranks #40 of 115 Missouri counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.9%). Clay County, Missouri contains 436 public highway bridges. Roughly 38.1% are rated “Good,” 55% “Fair,” and 6.9% “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

436

Public highway bridges in Clay County

Good condition

38.1%

166 of 436 rated 7-9

Fair condition

55%

240 of 436 rated 5-6

Poor condition

6.9%

30 of 436 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#40 of 115

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

Condition distribution

Share of 436 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
38.1% (166)
Fair
55% (240)
Poor
6.9% (30)

Clay County's Poor-condition bridges carry 183,835 vehicle crossings a day

That is 3.6% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 6,128 crossings a day against 9,927 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 436 of 436 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

42.4% of Clay County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

185 of the 436 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 38.1% 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 36.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

IS 35 S over ROCK CR, built 1956, carries 67,766 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 30-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 183,835 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Clay County's bridges were built

436 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 67 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 15.4% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1979) matches the Missouri average (1979).

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

How Clay County compares with Missouri's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Missouri counties nearest Clay County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.9% Poor share is the 5th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1979 against a peer-group mean of 1983 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 114 Missouri counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Clay County and the 5 Missouri counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Jasper County 471 11%
Clay County (this page) 436 6.9%
Stoddard County 434 3.7%
St. Charles County 417 3.4%
Jefferson County 411 3.4%
Vernon County 401 4.2%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MO (436 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MO (1979 here).

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

Fair-condition bridges (240)

IS 435 S

Fair

Over: MO 152

S 16 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1979 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 11,778

IS 435 N

Fair

Over: BIG SHOAL CR

S 22 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1980 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 20,038

IS 29 S

Fair

Over: CST LEVEE RD MISSOURI

S 23 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 2010 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 117,182

US 169 S

Fair

Over: LIT PLATTE RVR

S 22 T 53 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1986 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 15,778

IS 35 S

Fair

Over: CST CHOUTEAU TRFY

S 6 T 50 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1954 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 33,788

IS 29 S

Fair

Over: CST N DAVIDSON RD

S 1 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1955 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 46,589

IS 29 S

Fair

Over: US 69

S 3 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1957 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 62,597

MO 210 W

Fair

Over: BNSF RR

S 10 T 50 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1970 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 7,771

RP US169N TO IS29N

Fair

Over: US 69

S 34 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1965 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 12,979

NE PLEASANT VALLEY

Fair

Over: IS 435

S 21 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1980 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 3,905

IS 435 N

Fair

Over: MO 152

S 16 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1979 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 21,379

NE BARRY RD E

Fair

Over: MO 152

S 7 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1997 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 10,782

MEADOWBROOK DR

Fair

Over: FISHING RVR

S 2 T 52 N R 31 W, Clay, MO

Built 1999 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 850

US 169 S

Fair

Over: RP LOU HOLLAND DR TO US1

S 14 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1955 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 19,117

H E

Fair

Over: RUSH CR

S 5 T 51 N R 31 W, Clay, MO

Built 1936 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 7,648

IS 35 N

Fair

Over: CST CHOUTEAU TRFY

S 6 T 50 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1954 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 36,619

IS 29 S

Fair

Over: CST NE PARVIN RD

S 1 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1954 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 43,245

N MYRTLE ST

Fair

Over: ROCK CR

S 30 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1978 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 450

MO 210 E

Fair

Over: CST CHOUTEAU TRFY

S 18 T 50 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1970 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 8,557

MO 210 W

Fair

Over: CST N BRIGHTON AVE BU

S 8 T 50 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1970 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 11,381

IS 435 S

Fair

Over: E FK SHOAL CR

S 16 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1980 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 21,379

IS 435 N

Fair

Over: E FK SHOAL CR

S 16 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1980 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 21,379

US 169 N

Fair

Over: IS 435

S 23 T 52 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1976 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 10,075

RANDOLPH RD

Fair

Over: THORNTON MILL CR

S 28 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 2001 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 2,400

RT N S

Fair

Over: FISHING RIVER

S 36 T 52 N R 30 W, Clay, MO

Built 2014 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 1,026

IS 29 N

Fair

Over: CST N DAVIDSON RD

S 1 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1955 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 28,458

MO 210 E

Fair

Over: SHOAL CR

S 33 T 51 N R 31 W, Clay, MO

Built 1989 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 8,022

BARRY RD E

Fair

Over: IS 435

S 9 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1982 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 200

IS 435 N

Fair

Over: RP IS35S TO IS435S

S 27 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1981 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 20,038

IS 435 S

Fair

Over: RP IS35S TO IS435S

S 27 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1981 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 21,707

MO 152 E

Fair

Over: CST MAPLEWOODS PKWY

S 1 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1999 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 31,551

RP IS35N TO IS435S

Fair

Over: US 69

S 27 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1969 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 1,796

US 169 N

Fair

Over: IS 29 RP US169S TO IS29

S 34 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1965 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 20,470

BARRY RD

Fair

Over: BIG SHOAL CR

S 12 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1980 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 6,810

RP IS435S TO IS35S

Fair

Over: BIG SHOAL CR

S 22 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1980 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 4,341

US 169 N

Fair

Over: MO 152

S 3 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1991 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 19,142

US 169 S

Fair

Over: OWENS BR

S 14 T 53 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1985 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 9,938

MO 92 E

Fair

Over: WILKERSON CR

S 25 T 53 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1990 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 5,361

IS 29 S

Fair

Over: CST N OAK TRFY

S 2 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1957 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 62,597

MO 152 E

Fair

Over: E FK SHOAL CR

S 9 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1979 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 23,262

MO 152 W

Fair

Over: E FK SHOAL CR

S 9 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1979 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 23,262

IS 435 N

Fair

Over: IS 35 RP IS35N TO IS435

S 27 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1981 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 33,912

IS 435 S

Fair

Over: US 69

S 27 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1981 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 33,912

RT H E

Fair

Over: FISHING RVR

S 21 T 52 N R 30 W, Clay, MO

Built 1985 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,490

IS 29 N

Fair

Over: IS 35

S 1 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1955 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 43,245

IS 29 N

Fair

Over: US 69

S 2 T 50 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1957 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 54,702

RP US169N TO IS29N

Fair

Over: US 169

S 34 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1965 Load: 41.4 t ADT: 12,979

RP IS435N TO IS35S

Fair

Over: IS 35 IS 435

S 27 T 51 N R 32 W, Clay, MO

Built 1969 Load: 42.3 t ADT: 2,083

RP IS29S TO US169S

Fair

Over: US 69

S 34 T 51 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1965 Load: 42.3 t ADT: 13,223

RP IS435S TO US169

Fair

Over: IS 435

S 22 T 52 N R 33 W, Clay, MO

Built 1981 Load: 42.3 t ADT: 780
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.