County profile · official public datasets

Vernon County, MO

401 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 35.4% rated Good, 60.3% Fair, 4.2% Poor.

401
Public bridges
35.4%
Good condition
4.2%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Vernon County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

Top 13%
lowest Poor share in state
4.2%
Poor-condition share
401
public highway bridges
1988
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.

Vernon County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Vernon County ranks #15 of 115 Missouri counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.2%). Vernon County, Missouri contains 401 public highway bridges. Roughly 35.4% are rated “Good,” 60.3% “Fair,” and 4.2% “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

401

Public highway bridges in Vernon County

Good condition

35.4%

142 of 401 rated 7-9

Fair condition

60.3%

242 of 401 rated 5-6

Poor condition

4.2%

17 of 401 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#15 of 115

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

Condition distribution

Share of 401 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
35.4% (142)
Fair
60.3% (242)
Poor
4.2% (17)

Vernon County's Poor-condition bridges carry 40,910 vehicle crossings a day

That is 13.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.2% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 2,406 crossings a day against 372 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 401 of 401 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

25.9% of Vernon County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

104 of the 401 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 35.4% 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 22.3% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

IS 49 S over US 54 MNA RR, built 1969, carries 9,126 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 17-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 40,910 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Vernon County's bridges were built

401 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 97 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 24.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1988, 9 years newer than the Missouri average of 1979.

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

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

The 5 Missouri counties nearest Vernon County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.2% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1988 against a peer-group mean of 1986 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Vernon County and the 5 Missouri counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
St. Charles County 417 3.4%
Jefferson County 411 3.4%
Vernon County (this page) 401 4.2%
Nodaway County 396 14.4%
Cass County 377 8.8%
Cape Girardeau County 374 5.1%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MO (401 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MO (1988 here).

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

All bridges (401)

CEDAR ST

Fair

Over: TRIB OF WHITE BR

S 5 T 35 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1940 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 400

COUNTY RD ZEBULON

Fair

Over: TRIB OF MCKILL CR

S 26 T 34 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1950 Load: 8.1 t ADT: 20

COUNTY RD 725

Fair

Over: TRIB OF MCKILL CR

S 25 T 34 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1950 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD 1525

Fair

Over: TRIB PLEASANT CR

S 7 T 34 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1930 Load: 9.9 t ADT: 65

STOCKADE RD

Fair

Over: TRIB MOORES BR

S 27 T 35 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1920 Load: 11.7 t ADT: 20

COUNTY RD ARNOLD

Fair

Over: TRIB OF W FK CR

S 26 T 38 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1950 Load: 12.6 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD 1300

Fair

Over: DOUGLAS BR

S 13 T 36 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1945 Load: 12.6 t ADT: 5

COUNTY RD 1525

Fair

Over: TRIB PLEASANT CR

S 7 T 34 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1950 Load: 12.6 t ADT: 65

COUNTY RD STOCKADE

Fair

Over: HACKBERRY BR

S 28 T 35 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1920 Load: 13.5 t ADT: 30

TOTTEN RD

Fair

Over: TRIB OF CLEAR CR

S 5 T 34 N R 30 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1925 Load: 13.5 t ADT: 1

RT M S

Fair

Over: OLD TOWN CR

S 11 T 36 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1941 Load: 13.5 t ADT: 568

COUNTY RD 1125

Fair

Over: TRIB LIT DRYWOOD C

S 3 T 34 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1940 Load: 14.4 t ADT: 20

RT F E

Fair

Over: LIT DRYWOOD CR

S 1 T 34 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1962 Load: 14.4 t ADT: 376

LOGAN RD

Fair

Over: WHITE BR

S 30 T 36 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1995 Load: 15.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY RD 1200

Fair

Over: TRIB OF DRYWOOD CR

S 11 T 35 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1999 Load: 15.3 t ADT: 75

US 54 W

Fair

Over: LIT DRY WOOD CR

S 1 T 35 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1975 Load: 15.3 t ADT: 2,890

COUNTY RD 2200

Fair

Over: W FK OF CLEAR CR

S 9 T 36 N R 30 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2001 Load: 15.3 t ADT: 25

COUNTY RD 600

Fair

Over: GREEN BR

S 13 T 35 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2002 Load: 15.3 t ADT: 25

COUNTY RD CATON

Fair

Over: DUNCAN CR

S 5 T 37 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1995 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 25

RT WW S

Fair

Over: LIT OSAGE RVR OVRF

S 15 T 37 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1966 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 390

COUNTY RD 200

Fair

Over: SHILOH CR

S 30 T 36 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1920 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 25

COUNTY RD 3050

Fair

Over: BEECHAM BR

S 1 T 36 N R 29 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1989 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 30

ATLANTIC AVE

Fair

Over: WHITE BR

S 32 T 36 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1980 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 500

LADY RD

Fair

Over: TRIB MARMATON RVR

S 23 T 36 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1996 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 20

COUNTY RD 1400

Fair

Over: BIRCH CR

S 7 T 35 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1997 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 200

COUNTY RD 825

Fair

Over: TRIB OF MCKILL CR

S 25 T 34 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1950 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 20

COUNTY RD 1650

Fair

Over: BIRCH CR

S 15 T 35 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2001 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 200

HALLEY RD

Fair

Over: CHRISTIAN CR

S 32 T 37 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1930 Load: 17.1 t ADT: 15

TALLEY BEND RD

Fair

Over: TRIB OF DRYWOOD CR

S 2 T 34 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1995 Load: 17.1 t ADT: 20

COUNTY RD YATER

Fair

Over: TRIB OF CLEAR CR

S 19 T 34 N R 30 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1997 Load: 17.1 t ADT: 25

US 54 E

Fair

Over: DRY BR

S 27 T 36 N R 30 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1922 Load: 17.1 t ADT: 5,131

RT KK E

Fair

Over: DRYWOOD CR

S 24 T 35 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1960 Load: 17.1 t ADT: 252

DODSON RD

Fair

Over: MILLER BR

S 16 T 37 N R 29 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1997 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 30

EARHART RD

Fair

Over: HIGHTOWER CR

S 18 T 37 N R 30 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1995 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 25

KATY TRACK RD

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CR

S 16 T 36 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1930 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 35

KATY TRACK RD

Fair

Over: ROBINSON BR

S 18 T 36 N R 29 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1994 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 20

LADY RD

Fair

Over: TRIB MARMATON RVR

S 22 T 36 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2000 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 30

EARP RD E

Fair

Over: IS 49

S 20 T 37 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1969 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 106

HIGHLAND AVE E

Fair

Over: IS 49

S 33 T 36 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1973 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 1,472

COUNTY RD DALTON

Fair

Over: PECAN CR

S 9 T 37 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1998 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD 1750

Fair

Over: OLD TOWN BR

S 14 T 36 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2000 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 40

COUNTY RD 900

Fair

Over: HACKBERRY BR

S 28 T 35 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1995 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD 1200

Fair

Over: INGRAM CR

S 25 T 35 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2000 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD YATER

Fair

Over: TRIB OF CLEAR CR

S 19 T 34 N R 30 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1998 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 25

COUNTY RD CHOUTEAU

Fair

Over: WOLF CR

S 11 T 37 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1998 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD YATER

Fair

Over: TRIB OF MCKILL CR

S 19 T 34 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 2001 Load: 18.9 t ADT: 50

COUNTY RD 650

Fair

Over: W FK CR

S 36 T 38 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1920 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 30

RT H E

Fair

Over: MARMATON RVR

S 6 T 35 N R 32 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1966 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 588

BAILEY RD

Fair

Over: WILLOW CR

S 31 T 38 N R 31 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1999 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 30

COUNTY RD FAIRVIEW

Fair

Over: TRIB LIT OSAGE RVR

S 22 T 37 N R 33 W, Vernon, MO

Built 1991 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 10
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.