Total bridges
746
Public highway bridges in Mecklenburg County
County profile · official public datasets
Mecklenburg County, NC
746 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 46.4% rated Good, 51.1% Fair, 2.5% Poor.
- 746
- Public bridges
- 46.4%
- Good condition
- 2.5%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Mecklenburg County posts a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.
- Top 22%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 2.5%
- Poor-condition share
- 746
- public highway bridges
- 1989
- 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.
Mecklenburg County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Mecklenburg County ranks #22 of 100 North Carolina counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2.5%). Mecklenburg County, North Carolina contains 746 public highway bridges. Roughly 46.4% are rated “Good,” 51.1% “Fair,” and 2.5% “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
46.4%
346 of 746 rated 7-9
Fair condition
51.1%
381 of 746 rated 5-6
Poor condition
2.5%
19 of 746 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#22 of 100
Among North Carolina counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 746 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 46.4% (346)
Fair 51.1% (381)
Poor 2.5% (19)
Mecklenburg County's Poor-condition bridges carry 564,250 vehicle crossings a day
That is 2.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2.5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 29,697 crossings a day against 21,183 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 746 of 746 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
27.2% of Mecklenburg County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
203 of the 746 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 46.4% 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 20.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
I277 & NC16 over US29/NC49 (GRAHAM ST.), built 1971, carries 115,000 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 19-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 564,250 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Mecklenburg County's bridges were built
746 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1920s 4
1920–1929
4 bridges
- 1930s 7
1930–1939
7 bridges
- 1940s 10
1940–1949
10 bridges
- 1950s 45
1950–1959
45 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
60 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
115 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
102 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
140 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
131 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
114 bridges
- 2020s 18
2020–2029
18 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 140 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 18.8% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1989) matches the North Carolina average (1986).
How Mecklenburg County compares with North Carolina's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 North Carolina counties nearest Mecklenburg County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2.5% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1989 against a peer-group mean of 1987 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 760 | 53.8% | 40.4% | 5.8% | 1992 |
| Mecklenburg County (this page) | 746 | 46.4% | 51.1% | 2.5% | 1989 |
| Guilford County | 736 | 51.8% | 42.9% | 5.3% | 1990 |
| Buncombe County | 555 | 34.6% | 58.4% | 7% | 1978 |
| Forsyth County | 454 | 41.2% | 49.8% | 9% | 1985 |
| Randolph County | 401 | 45.6% | 52.9% | 1.5% | 1988 |
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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County, both outside North Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside NC (746 bridges here).
- Fairfax County, VA · 751 bridges
- Sacramento County, CA · 740 bridges
- Champaign County, IL · 727 bridges
- Pulaski County, AR · 721 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside NC (1989 here).
- Harris County, TX · avg 1989 · 4,029 bridges
- Buffalo County, NE · avg 1989 · 459 bridges
- Brazos County, TX · avg 1989 · 370 bridges
- Dubuque County, IA · avg 1989 · 346 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (381)
SR3585
FairOver: SEABOARD COASTLINE RR
0.2 MI. S. JCT. SR3300, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1978 Load: 46.2 t ADT: 27,000
CARMEL ROAD
FairOver: I485
1.7 MI. W. JCT. NC51, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1993 Load: 46.2 t ADT: 14,500
SR1601
FairOver: I485
1.6 MI. E. JCT. I85, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2009 Load: 46.2 t ADT: 14,000
NC51
FairOver: MCMULLEN CREEK
0.25 MI. S. JCT. SR3655, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1979 Load: 47.1 t ADT: 33,000
SR3300
FairOver: BRIAR CREEK
1.3 MI. W. JCT. SR3585, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1968 Load: 47.1 t ADT: 15,500
I77 SBL
FairOver: FOURTH STREET
0.35 MI. N. JCT. US29, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1972 Load: 47.1 t ADT: 69,000
MATHESON AVE.
FairOver: SOU.RR BREVARD ST.
0.2MI.S.JCT.N.TRYON ST., Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1969 Load: 47.1 t ADT: 19,500
NC16 SBL
FairOver: I77 SBL
0.7 MI. S. JCT. SR2074, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1972 Load: 47.1 t ADT: 12,500
SR5243
FairOver: UT TO CLEAR CREEK
0.2 MI. S. JCT. NC51, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2004 Load: 47.1 t ADT: 100
SR3181
FairOver: CLEAR CREEK
0.3 MI. S. JCT. SR3102, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1959 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 900
SR2428
FairOver: RAMAH CREEK
0.6 MI. S. JCT. NC73, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1987 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 1,600
SR2935
FairOver: BRIER CREEK
0.4 MI.E.JCT.SR4513, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1978 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 25,000
SR2939
FairOver: NC24
0.3 MI. S. JCT. SR2831, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1988 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 20,500
NC16 SBL
FairOver: CATAWBA RIVER
0.87 MI. N. JCT. SR2253, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1989 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 18,000
I485 WBL RAMP
FairOver: I485 EBL RAMP
0.1 MI. S. JCT. I85, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2014 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 5,000
SR5901
FairOver: SOUTHERN RAILROAD
0.05 MI. N. JCT. NC49, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1981 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 28,000
NC51
FairOver: SUGAR CREEK
50 FT. N. JCT. SR3645, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1968 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 20,000
REMOUNT ROAD
FairOver: I77
0.53 MI. E. JCT. NC160, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1970 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 15,000
I277 & US74
FairOver: ELIZABETH AVE.
0.1 MI. N. JCT. NC16N, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1981 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 90,500
JOSH BIRMINGHAM PA
FairOver: SOUTHERN RR
0.5 MI. S. JCT. US29 US74, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1983 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 26,000
NC24
FairOver: MALLARD CREEK
0.6 MI. E. JCT. SR2480, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1984 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 36,000
I277 NBL
FairOver: NC27 (S. MCDOWELL ST.)
0.5 MI. S. JCT. NC16, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1986 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 49,500
NC16
FairOver: I485
0.1 MI. S. JCT. SR3626, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1996 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 43,500
SR2802
FairOver: I485
0.4 MI. W. JCT. SR1172, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2003 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 10,000
TUCKASEEGEE ROAD
FairOver: TICER BRANCH CREEK
0.1MI.N.JCT.US29, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2021 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 3,200
I77 RAMP
FairOver: IRWIN CREEK
0.15 MI. N. JCT. NC160, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1970 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 9,300
I77 NBL
FairOver: FOURTH STREET
0.35 MI. N. JCT. US29, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1972 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 69,000
TYVOLA ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE SUGAR CREEK
0.2 MI. W. JCT. PARK RD., Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1970 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 31,500
I485 INNER LOOP
FairOver: SR3445
0.7 MI. N. JCT. NC16, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1997 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 32,750
SR1004
FairOver: I485
0.1 MI. N. JCT. SR3124, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1999 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 20,000
ELIZABETH AVENUE
FairOver: LITTLE SUGAR CREEK
0.2 MI.S.JCT.US74, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1976 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 9,400
MATHESON AVENUE
FairOver: NORTH DAVIDSON STREET
0.45MI.S.JCT.N.TRYON ST., Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1968 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 19,500
SARDIS RD.
FairOver: CSX RR
0.4 MI.W.JCT E INDEP BLVD, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1986 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 23,000
SR3440
FairOver: I485
1.9 MI. E. JCT. NC16, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1997 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 17,500
SR3175
FairOver: I485
0.5 MI. S. JCT. SR3174, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2000 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 3,800
MARLWOOD CIRCLE
FairOver: MCALPINE CREEK
200 W JCT TIMBER LAKE DR, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1994 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 10,000
US74
FairOver: EDWARDS BRANCH
0.6 MI. W. JCT. SR2940, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1949 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 105,000
NC27
FairOver: CHARLOTTE TRANSIT RR
0.16 MI. E. JCT. NC49, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1977 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 24,500
I77 RAMP
FairOver: SR1128
1.8 MI. S. JCT. SR1138, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1992 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 24,150
I485 WBL
FairOver: US21 & I485 RAMP
0.2 MI. E. JCT. I77, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2008 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 32,000
SHARON ROAD
FairOver: LITTLE SUGAR CREEK
0.9 MI.E.JCT.S.BLVD., Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1970 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 22,500
OLD DOWD ROAD
FairOver: SR1490
0.5 MI. W. JCT. SR5901, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1983 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 3,200
I277 & US74 RAMP
FairOver: STONEWALL STREET
0.21 MI. N. JCT. NC27, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1988 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 10,300
I485 WBL RAMP
FairOver: I77 & I485
0.8 MI. N. JCT. SR1128, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1994 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 24,150
PAVILION BOULEVARD
FairOver: I485
.7 MI. E. JCT. NC49, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1996 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 9,200
I485 WBL RAMP
FairOver: I85 NBL RAMP
0.2 MI. S. JCT. I85, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2014 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 5,000
I485 OUTER LOOP
FairOver: TRIBUTARY TO STONY CK.
0.3MI.W.OF MALLARD CK.RD., Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2015 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 46,500
I-485
FairOver: STONEY CREEK
0.3 MI. W. JCT. SR2467, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 2015 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 42,250
SR2480
FairOver: MALLARD CREEK
0.2 MI. N. JCT. SR2494, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1981 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 13,000
PARK ROAD
FairOver: I485
0.8 MI. E. JCT. NC51, Mecklenburg, NC
Built 1994 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 25,000
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.