County profile · official public datasets

Sandoval County, NM

182 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 40.7% rated Good, 54.4% Fair, 4.9% Poor.

182
Public bridges
40.7%
Good condition
4.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Sandoval County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

20th
of 32 on Poor share
4.9%
Poor-condition share
182
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.

Sandoval County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Sandoval County ranks #20 of 32 New Mexico counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.9%). Sandoval County, New Mexico contains 182 public highway bridges. Roughly 40.7% are rated “Good,” 54.4% “Fair,” and 4.9% “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

182

Public highway bridges in Sandoval County

Good condition

40.7%

74 of 182 rated 7-9

Fair condition

54.4%

99 of 182 rated 5-6

Poor condition

4.9%

9 of 182 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#20 of 32

Among New Mexico counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 182 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
40.7% (74)
Fair
54.4% (99)
Poor
4.9% (9)

Sandoval County's Poor-condition bridges carry 14,923 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,658 crossings a day against 5,718 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 182 of 182 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

39.6% of Sandoval County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

72 of the 182 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 40.7% 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 48.3% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

NM-313 over Las Huertas Creek, built 1975, carries 7,203 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 9-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 14,923 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Sandoval County's bridges were built

182 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 40 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 22% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1979, 6 years newer than the New Mexico average of 1973.

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

How Sandoval County compares with New Mexico's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 New Mexico counties nearest Sandoval County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.9% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1979 against a peer-group mean of 1970 is 9 years newer.

Showing the 5 closest of 31 New Mexico counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Sandoval County and the 5 New Mexico counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Socorro County 188 7.4%
Sandoval County (this page) 182 4.9%
San Miguel County 175 8%
San Juan County 174 6.3%
Rio Arriba County 160 6.3%
Colfax County 140 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 Sandoval 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 Sandoval County, both outside New Mexico so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NM (182 bridges here).

Similar average build year

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

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

All bridges (182)

US-550

Fair

Over: Encantado Channel

3.9 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,237

NM-126

Fair

Over: SULFUR CREEK

@ JCT NM-4/NM126-LA CUEVA, Sandoval, NM

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 351

US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

6.1 MI NW OF JCT NM-96, Sandoval, NM

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,839

IRR/NM-22

Fair

Over: LOCAL ROAD

4.1 MI N Jct I-25/NM-22, Sandoval, NM

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,826

US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

9.7 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,237

IRR/US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

12.3 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,237

IRR/US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

14.9 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,237

IRR/NM-22

Fair

Over: RIO GRANDE

11.4 MI N OF I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,511

IRR/US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

16.8 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,237

US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

18.8 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,054

US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

27.7 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,243

IRR/US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

13.9 MI NW OF JCT NM-126, Sandoval, NM

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,839

43-Z005

Fair

Over: Canon deNoberto Sandoval

1.7 MI W OF JCT NM-197, Sandoval, NM

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 96

FR-2083

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

0.8 MI N JCT I-25/US550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,706

I-25 NBL/SBL

Fair

Over: LAS HUERTAS CREEK

4.2 MI N OF JCT US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,800

I-25 NBL/SBL

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

4.9 MI N OF JCT US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,800

US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

25.2 MI NW OF JCT NM-126, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,975

US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

26.9 MI NW OF JCT NM-126, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,975

IN-2252

Fair

Over: Tonque Arroyo

10.5 Mi N of Jct US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,114

NM-4

Fair

Over: JEMEZ RIVER

1.8 MI N OF JCT US 550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,689

NM-315

Fair

Over: NBL/SBL I-25

4.8 M N Jct I-25/US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,736

FR-2084

Fair

Over: I-25 NBL and SBL

SanFelipe gradeseparation, Sandoval, NM

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 179

I-25 NBL/SBL/RAMP

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

4.7 MI N OF JCT US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,800

FR-2083

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

4.7 MI N OF JCT US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,706

43-Z001

Fair

Over: CHICO ARROYO

20.7 MI. S.of US 550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 96

US-550

Fair

Over: SAN JOSE CREEK

0.5 MI S OF JCT NM-96, Sandoval, NM

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,841

43-S006

Fair

Over: SAN YSIDRO WASH

1.9 MI W OF JCT NM-197, Sandoval, NM

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 96

NM-448

Fair

Over: CORRALES MAIN CANAL

6.08 MI N OF JCT ALAMEDA, Sandoval, NM

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,856

NM-448

Fair

Over: SANDOVAL LATERAL

4.96 MI N OF JCT ALAMEDA, Sandoval, NM

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,599

NM-14

Fair

Over: San Pedro Creek

10.8 Mi N Jct I-40/NM-14, Sandoval, NM

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,455

US-550 NBL/SBL

Fair

Over: RITO DE LOS PINOS WETLAN

2.8 MI N JCT US-550/NM197, Sandoval, NM

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,841

NM-4

Fair

Over: VALLECITOS CREEK

0.08 Mi. South of NM 290, Sandoval, NM

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,050

NM-197

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

0.9 MI SW OF JCT US 550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,092

NM-448

Fair

Over: Harvey C Jones Channel

5.33 M N JCT NM528/NM448, Sandoval, NM

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,599

US-550

Fair

Over: SAN PABLO CANYON

6.35 MI S OF JCT NM-197, Sandoval, NM

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,964

NM-528

Fair

Over: ARROYO VENADA

3.65 MI N OF NM-448, Sandoval, NM

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,022

FL-4098

Fair

Over: Arroyo De Las Montoyas

3.6 Mi W of NM-528, Sandoval, NM

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,374

I-25 NBL/SBL

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

7.94 MI N Jct I-25/US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 34,386

IRR BIA RTE 85

Fair

Over: RIO GRANDE RIVER

IN SAN FELIPE PUEBL0, Sandoval, NM

Built 1972 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 1,500

IRR/US-550

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WATERWAY

11.75 MI NW OF JCT I-25, Sandoval, NM

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,237

IRR BIA RTE N7015

Fair

Over: TORREON CHAPTER WASH

0.1 MI N TORREON CH HOUSE, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 450

US-550

Fair

Over: RIO PUERCO

10.7 Mi. S of NM 197, Sandoval, NM

Built 2001 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 4,964

FR-2087

Fair

Over: I-25 NBLS/SBLS

Budaghers Interchange, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 294

NM-22

Fair

Over: I-25 NBL/SBL

Junction I-25/NM-22, Sandoval, NM

Built 1983 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,826

IRR/NM-290

Fair

Over: VALLECITOS CREEK

1.4 MI E OF JCT NM-4, Sandoval, NM

Built 1958 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 579

ACCESS ROAD

Fair

Over: SANTA FE RIVER

2 MI N OF JCT SR16, Sandoval, NM

Built 1976 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 200

US-550 SBL

Fair

Over: Rio Grande River

1.4 M NW JCT I-25/US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 1986 Load: 38.5 t ADT: 38,912

NM-4

Fair

Over: JEMEZ CREEK

18.8 MI N OF JCT US-550, Sandoval, NM

Built 2019 Load: 38.8 t ADT: 4,254

FDR 265

Fair

Over: JEMEZ RIVER

PARKING LOT BATTLESHIP TR, Sandoval, NM

Built 1957 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 150

IRR/US-550

Good

Over: CANYON LARGO

26.5 MI NW OF JCT NM-126, Sandoval, NM

Built 1981 Load: 20.6 t ADT: 4,975
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.