Total bridges
160
Public highway bridges in Rio Arriba County
County profile · official public datasets
Rio Arriba County, NM
160 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 47.5% rated Good, 46.3% Fair, 6.3% Poor.
- 160
- Public bridges
- 47.5%
- Good condition
- 6.3%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Rio Arriba County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- 23rd
- of 32 on Poor share
- 6.3%
- Poor-condition share
- 160
- public highway bridges
- 1973
- 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.
Rio Arriba County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Rio Arriba County ranks #23 of 32 New Mexico counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.3%). Rio Arriba County, New Mexico contains 160 public highway bridges. Roughly 47.5% are rated “Good,” 46.3% “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
47.5%
76 of 160 rated 7-9
Fair condition
46.3%
74 of 160 rated 5-6
Poor condition
6.3%
10 of 160 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#23 of 32
Among New Mexico counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 160 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 47.5% (76)
Fair 46.3% (74)
Poor 6.3% (10)
Rio Arriba County's Poor-condition bridges carry 24,007 vehicle crossings a day
That is 4.3% 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 2,401 crossings a day against 3,678 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 160 of 160 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
49.4% of Rio Arriba County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
79 of the 160 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 47.5% 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 92.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
NM-68 NB over SANTA CRUZ RIVER, built 1957, carries 22,174 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 10-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 24,007 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Rio Arriba County's bridges were built
160 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 2
1920–1929
2 bridges
- 1930s
1930–1939
12 bridges
- 1940s
1940–1949
21 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
17 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
23 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
17 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
26 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
13 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
14 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
12 bridges
- 2020s 3
2020–2029
3 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 26 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 16.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1973) matches the New Mexico average (1973).
How Rio Arriba County compares with New Mexico's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 New Mexico counties nearest Rio Arriba County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.3% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1973 against a peer-group mean of 1972 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 31 New Mexico counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socorro County | 188 | 16.5% | 76.1% | 7.4% | 1961 |
| Sandoval County | 182 | 40.7% | 54.4% | 4.9% | 1979 |
| San Miguel County | 175 | 41.1% | 50.9% | 8% | 1972 |
| San Juan County | 174 | 36.8% | 56.9% | 6.3% | 1977 |
| Rio Arriba County (this page) | 160 | 47.5% | 46.3% | 6.3% | 1973 |
| Colfax County | 140 | 37.9% | 57.1% | 5% | 1969 |
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 Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba County, both outside New Mexico so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside NM (160 bridges here).
- Clay County, KY · 160 bridges
- Kittson County, MN · 160 bridges
- Delaware County, OK · 160 bridges
- Warren County, TN · 160 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside NM (1973 here).
- Jefferson County, AL · avg 1973 · 1,068 bridges
- Erie County, NY · avg 1973 · 906 bridges
- Davidson County, TN · avg 1973 · 832 bridges
- Lancaster County, PA · avg 1973 · 801 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Good-condition bridges (76)
BIA Route 0502
GoodOver: DRY WASH
1.9 KM N OF OHKAY OWINGEH, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2016 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 50
US-84/285
GoodOver: ARROYO DE LA PRESA
US 84/285 MM 196.3, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,474
NM-112
GoodOver: RITO DE T.A.
4.9 mi South Jct. US 84, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 230
US-64
GoodOver: WEBB CREEK
US-64 @ MP 139.8 LUMBERTO, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 724
NM-96
GoodOver: Rio Puerco
17.48 M W of JCT 96/84, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 915
NM-170
GoodOver: Unnamed Waterway
5.5 M N of Pinon Hills, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2018 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,359
County Road 127
GoodOver: Unnamed Waterway
.14 M S of Jct. NM 399, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2010 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 152
FDR 87
GoodOver: RIO SAN ANTONIO
0.2 MI S/O FSR 78 INT, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2015 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 90
US-84/285
GoodOver: UNNAMED WATERWAY
0.30 MI S JCT US-84/285, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1933 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 12,281
NM-96
GoodOver: CANONES CREEK
3.70 M W Jct US-84/NM-96, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1963 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 915
US-64/84
GoodOver: RIO CHAMITA
0.2 MI W OF NM-17/CHAMA, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1977 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,744
NM-68
GoodOver: RIO DE TRUCHAS
12.3 m N of Jct US84/285, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2023 Load: 37.0 t ADT: 5,897
NM-68 NB
GoodOver: CANADA ANCHA
11.6 mi N of Jct US 84/28, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2023 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 8,802
FDR 87A
GoodOver: LOS PINOS CREEK
45 YD SE/O FSR 284 INT, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1973 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 90
NM-554
GoodOver: UNNAMED WATERWAY
0.64 MI NE OF US-84, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1942 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,098
NM-111
GoodOver: Rio Vallecitos
2.13 Mi NW Jct. 111 & 285, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2012 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 623
IRR/NM-74
GoodOver: CHAMA RIVER
0.76 MI N OF JCT US84/285, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1962 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,323
US-64
GoodOver: AMARGO CREEK
US-64 AT MP-142.1, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2008 Load: 41.6 t ADT: 724
US-84
GoodOver: ABIQUIU CREEK
4.0 MI N OF NM-544, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 1989 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 3,300
US 64
GoodOver: Amargo Creek
US 64 @ mp144.8, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2013 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 724
US 64
GoodOver: UNNAMED WATERWAY
3.5 mi. w Jct.84/64@mp145, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2013 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 724
US 64
GoodOver: UNNAMED WATERWAY
3.4 mi. W Jct. 84/64mp145, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2013 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 724
US-64/84
GoodOver: RIO DE LOS BRAZOS
US 64/84 MM 171.0, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2003 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 2,380
NM-111
GoodOver: RIO VALLECITOS
4.2 MI N NM 519 LA MADERA, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2010 Load: 54.9 t ADT: 125
NM-519
GoodOver: RIO VALLECITOS
0.2 MI E OF JCT NM-111, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2010 Load: 55.0 t ADT: 227
Pinon Hills Blvd
GoodOver: Glade Run
2.4 M E of NM-170, Rio Arriba, NM
Built 2015 Load: 80.0 t ADT: 5,400
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.