Total bridges
236
Public highway bridges in Catawba County
County profile · official public datasets
Catawba County, NC
236 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 32.6% rated Good, 60.6% Fair, 6.8% Poor.
- 236
- Public bridges
- 32.6%
- Good condition
- 6.8%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Catawba County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- 65th
- of 100 on Poor share
- 6.8%
- Poor-condition share
- 236
- public highway bridges
- 1981
- 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.
Catawba County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Catawba County ranks #65 of 100 North Carolina counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.8%). Catawba County, North Carolina contains 236 public highway bridges. Roughly 32.6% are rated “Good,” 60.6% “Fair,” and 6.8% “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
32.6%
77 of 236 rated 7-9
Fair condition
60.6%
143 of 236 rated 5-6
Poor condition
6.8%
16 of 236 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#65 of 100
Among North Carolina counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 236 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 32.6% (77)
Fair 60.6% (143)
Poor 6.8% (16)
Catawba County's Poor-condition bridges carry 90,850 vehicle crossings a day
That is 4.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 5,678 crossings a day against 6,780 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 236 of 236 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
36% of Catawba County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
85 of the 236 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 32.6% 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 20.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
I40 EBL over LYLE CREEK, built 1957, carries 18,250 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 16-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 90,850 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Catawba County's bridges were built
236 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 3
1920–1929
3 bridges
- 1930s 1
1930–1939
1 bridges
- 1940s 4
1940–1949
4 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
35 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
27 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
46 bridges
- 1980s 21
1980–1989
21 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
53 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
22 bridges
- 2010s 21
2010–2019
21 bridges
- 2020s 3
2020–2029
3 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 53 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 22.5% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1981, 5 years older than the North Carolina average of 1986.
How Catawba County compares with North Carolina's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 North Carolina counties nearest Catawba County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.8% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1981 against a peer-group mean of 1983 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 99 North Carolina counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham County | 241 | 42.7% | 55.2% | 2.1% | 1983 |
| Cabarrus County | 236 | 53% | 38.6% | 8.5% | 1993 |
| Catawba County (this page) | 236 | 32.6% | 60.6% | 6.8% | 1981 |
| McDowell County | 235 | 43.4% | 48.9% | 7.7% | 1981 |
| Jackson County | 234 | 39.7% | 47.4% | 12.8% | 1977 |
| Gaston County | 232 | 36.6% | 58.2% | 5.2% | 1980 |
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 Catawba 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 Catawba County, both outside North Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside NC (236 bridges here).
- Etowah County, AL · 236 bridges
- York County, ME · 236 bridges
- Wyandot County, OH · 236 bridges
- Logan County, WV · 236 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside NC (1981 here).
- Franklin County, OH · avg 1981 · 922 bridges
- Greenville County, SC · avg 1981 · 635 bridges
- Montgomery County, OH · avg 1981 · 632 bridges
- McLean County, IL · avg 1981 · 624 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (236)
21ST AVE.NORTHWEST
FairOver: LAKE HICKORY INLET
1.8 MI.E.JCT.OLD LENOIR R, Catawba, NC
Built 1983 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 2,000
I40 WBL COLLECTOR
FairOver: US321
2.2 MI. E. JCT. SR1124, Catawba, NC
Built 1976 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 20,900
I40 EBL
FairOver: US321
0.5 MI. W. JCT. NC127, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 24,250
SR1731
FairOver: MCLIN CREEK
25 FT. E. JCT. SR2413, Catawba, NC
Built 1962 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 1,500
I40 COLLECTOR EBL
FairOver: US321
2.2 MI. E. JCT. SR1124, Catawba, NC
Built 1976 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 10,300
SR1882
FairOver: PINCH GUT CREEK
0.1 MI. N. JCT. SR1881, Catawba, NC
Built 1990 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 850
SR1124
FairOver: I40
0.4 MI. S. JCT. SR1204, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 5,500
US321 NBL
FairOver: HENRY FORK RIVER
0.2 MI. N. JCT. SR2583, Catawba, NC
Built 1976 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 20,000
I40 EBL
FairOver: US70 US321 BUS
1.00 MI. W. JCT. SR1007, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 30,250
SR2014
FairOver: CLARK CREEK
0.5 MI. W. JCT. US321, Catawba, NC
Built 1988 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 2,300
SR1144
FairOver: US321
0.1 MI. E. JCT. SR1008, Catawba, NC
Built 1996 Load: 55.3 t ADT: 3,800
US321 SBL
FairOver: HENRY FORK RIVER
0.2 MI. N. JCT. SR2583, Catawba, NC
Built 1976 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 20,000
NC150
FairOver: REED CREEK
0.3 MI. W. JCT. SR1815, Catawba, NC
Built 1961 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 9,900
NC150
FairOver: MOUNTAIN CK./LAKE NORMAN
0.4 MI. E. JCT. SR1815, Catawba, NC
Built 1961 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 9,900
I40 WBL
FairOver: US70 US321 BUS
1.00 MI. W. JCT. SR1007, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 30,250
SR2036
FairOver: POTT CREEK
0.1 MI. S. JCT. SR2030, Catawba, NC
Built 1992 Load: 57.1 t ADT: 3,300
SR1170
FairOver: UT TO HENRY FORK CREEK
0.4 MI. E. JCT. SR1171, Catawba, NC
Built 1990 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 3,800
NC127
FairOver: HENRY FORK RIVER
0.5 MI. N. JCT. US321, Catawba, NC
Built 2002 Load: 58.9 t ADT: 16,000
MAIN AVENUE
FairOver: NC127
0.1 MI. W. JCT. SR1314, Catawba, NC
Built 2003 Load: 59.8 t ADT: 1,600
SR1507
FairOver: SNOW CREEK
0.5 MI. E. JCT. SR1401, Catawba, NC
Built 1959 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 3,200
US70 US321 BUS
FairOver: US321
0.3 MI. E. JCT. SR1361, Catawba, NC
Built 1980 Load: 65.3 t ADT: 25,500
SR2959
FairOver: US321
0.15 MI. W. JCT. NC127, Catawba, NC
Built 1976 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 250
7TH AVE
FairOver: US321
0.1 MI. N. JCT. US70, Catawba, NC
Built 1980 Load: 73.4 t ADT: 250
SR1515
FairOver: BRANCH OF BAKERS CREEK
0.3 MI. N. JCT. SR1512, Catawba, NC
Built 1990 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 2,100
SR1866
FairOver: ALLEN CREEK
0.3 MI. S. JCT. SR1874, Catawba, NC
Built 1992 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 350
SR1004
FairOver: UT TO CATAWBA RIVER
0.3 MI. E. JCT. NC10, Catawba, NC
Built 1980 Load: 84.3 t ADT: 1,400
SR1802
FairOver: HAGAN FORK
0.5 MI. W. JCT. SR1806, Catawba, NC
Built 1982 Load: 85.2 t ADT: 1,300
I40
FairOver: LONGVIEW CREEK
0.6 MI. W. JCT. US321, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 48,500
I40
FairOver: GEITNER BRANCH
0.3 MI. W. JCT. UN19, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 53,500
SR2043
FairOver: HOWARDS CREEK
0.3 MI. W. JCT. SR2035, Catawba, NC
Built 1994 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 750
SR2042
FairOver: POTTS CREEK
0.3 MI. W. JCT. SR2041, Catawba, NC
Built 1997 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 200
SR1880
FairOver: TOWN CREEK
0.1 MI. S. JCT. NC16, Catawba, NC
Built 1980 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 2,600
I40
FairOver: CLARK CREEK
1.2 MI. E. JCT. SR1007, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 61,000
I40
FairOver: CLARK CREEK
0.5 MI. W. JCT. SR1476, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 56,000
SR1511
FairOver: LONG SHOAL CREEK
0.4 MI. E. JCT. SR1529, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 1,900
SR1478
FairOver: MILLER CREEK
0.4 MI. E. JCT. SR1468, Catawba, NC
Built 1980 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 3,300
SR1453
FairOver: NAKED CREEK
0.7 MI. N. JCT. SR1519, Catawba, NC
Built 1980 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 4,600
23RD AVENUE NE
FairOver: FALLING CREEK
0.5 MI W JCT SR1401, Catawba, NC
Built 2018 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 3,450
SR2436
FairOver: LONG CREEK
0.12 MI. W. JCT. SR1730, Catawba, NC
Built 1990 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 100
SR1482
FairOver: CLINE CREEK
0.7 MI.E.JCT.US70 US321, Catawba, NC
Built 1994 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 2,100
SR1482
FairOver: CLINE CREEK
0.3 MI.E.JCT.US70 & US321, Catawba, NC
Built 1994 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 2,100
US321
FairOver: UT TO S FORK CATAWBA RI
0.5 MI. N. JCT. SR2019, Catawba, NC
Built 1997 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 27,000
SR1621
FairOver: HERMAN CREEK
0.2 MI. N. JCT. SR1441, Catawba, NC
Built 2009 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 50
SR2007
GoodOver: CLARK CREEK
0.4 MI. W. JCT. SR2010, Catawba, NC
Built 1998 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 6,400
NC16
GoodOver: CATAWBA RIVER
0.7 MI. N. JCT. SR1453, Catawba, NC
Built 1995 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 13,000
SR1703
GoodOver: ELK SHOAL CREEK
0.5 MI. S. JCT. SR1700, Catawba, NC
Built 2001 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 350
SR1002
GoodOver: UT TO JACOB FORK
0.4 MI. N. JCT. NC10, Catawba, NC
Built 1954 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 800
I40
GoodOver: CLARK CREEK
0.5 MI. W. JCT. SR1475, Catawba, NC
Built 1975 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 56,000
SR1400
GoodOver: FALLING CREEK
0.3 MI. N. JCT. NC127, Catawba, NC
Built 1972 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 10,000
SR2024
GoodOver: POTTS CREEK
1.0 MI. S. JCT. SR1008, Catawba, NC
Built 1972 Load: 32.6 t ADT: 1,800
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.