County profile · official public datasets

Onslow County, NC

172 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 49.4% rated Good, 47.7% Fair, 2.9% Poor.

172
Public bridges
49.4%
Good condition
2.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

Top 27%
lowest Poor share in state
2.9%
Poor-condition share
172
public highway bridges
1995
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.

Onslow County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Onslow County ranks #27 of 100 North Carolina counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2.9%). Onslow County, North Carolina contains 172 public highway bridges. Roughly 49.4% are rated “Good,” 47.7% “Fair,” and 2.9% “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

172

Public highway bridges in Onslow County

Good condition

49.4%

85 of 172 rated 7-9

Fair condition

47.7%

82 of 172 rated 5-6

Poor condition

2.9%

5 of 172 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#27 of 100

Among North Carolina counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 172 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
49.4% (85)
Fair
47.7% (82)
Poor
2.9% (5)

Onslow County's Poor-condition bridges carry 51,830 vehicle crossings a day

That is 3.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 10,366 crossings a day against 10,111 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 170 of 172 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

14% of Onslow County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

24 of the 172 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 49.4% 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 55% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

US17 over CHANEY CREEK, built 1957, carries 28,500 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 5-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 51,830 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Onslow County's bridges were built

172 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 2010s, when 44 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 25.6% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 5 to 14 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1995, 9 years newer than the North Carolina average of 1986.

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

How Onslow County compares with North Carolina's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 North Carolina counties nearest Onslow County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2.9% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1995 against a peer-group mean of 1985 is 10 years newer.

Showing the 5 closest of 99 North Carolina counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Onslow County and the 5 North Carolina counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Moore County 178 1.7%
Onslow County (this page) 172 2.9%
Anson County 169 4.1%
Lincoln County 169 5.3%
Yadkin County 168 9.5%
Brunswick County 166 6%

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 Onslow 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 Onslow County, both outside North Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NC (172 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NC (1995 here).

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

All 172 Good 85 Fair 82 Poor 5

Good-condition bridges (85)

SR1423

Good

Over: LITTLE NORTHEAST CR.

1.0 MI E. JCT. SR1412, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 6,800

US17S

Good

Over: SR1308

1 MILE NORTH OF NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 19,000

US17S

Good

Over: STARKYS CREEK

0.7 MI. N. JCT SR1436, Onslow, NC

Built 2007 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 6,250

BASE ENTRY RD

Good

Over: NC24

.1M.N.OF WILSON GATE ENTR, Onslow, NC

Built 2014 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 35,000

STONE BAY CONNECT

Good

Over: WALLACE CREEK

0.6KM NE OF RIFLE RANGE, Onslow, NC

Built 2013 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 200

SR1518

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

0.3 MI. E. JCT. SR1529, Onslow, NC

Built 2019 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 7,000

FLORENCE ROAD

Good

Over: SCALES CREEK

1.2MI SW OF WILSON BLVD, Onslow, NC

Built 2018 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 1,000

WILSON BLVD

Good

Over: WALLACE CREEK

1.9 KM NW OF HOLCOMB BLVD, Onslow, NC

Built 2016 Load: 54.1 t ADT: 10,000

SR2614

Good

Over: US17

0.1 MI. E. JCT. SR1308, Onslow, NC

Built 2013 Load: 55.3 t ADT: 16,000

US17N.RAMP

Good

Over: SR1403

1.9 MI. N. JCT. NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2013 Load: 55.3 t ADT: 4,200

US17S

Good

Over: SOUTHWEST CREEK

0.5 MI.S. OF JCT. SR1113, Onslow, NC

Built 1999 Load: 57.1 t ADT: 19,500

NC 172

Good

Over: FREEMANS CREEK

1.8KM NE OF SNEADS FERRY, Onslow, NC

Built 2018 Load: 57.7 t ADT: 2,000

SR1225

Good

Over: BRANCH OF NEW RIVER

0.4 MI W. JCT. SR1238, Onslow, NC

Built 1997 Load: 58.9 t ADT: 300

US17 RAMP SBL

Good

Over: US17 BUS

2 MI. S. JCT. SR1470, Onslow, NC

Built 2013 Load: 58.9 t ADT: 7,500

US17 RAMP NBL

Good

Over: US17 BUS

2.0MI. S. JCT. SR1470, Onslow, NC

Built 2013 Load: 59.8 t ADT: 3,750

US17S.RAMP

Good

Over: SR1403

1.8 MI. N. JCT. NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2013 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 3,750

US17N

Good

Over: SOUTHWEST CREEK

0.5 MI. S. JCT. SR1113, Onslow, NC

Built 1999 Load: 61.6 t ADT: 19,500

US17BUS NC24BUS

Good

Over: NEW RIVER

.35 MI.N.SR1402, Onslow, NC

Built 2012 Load: 63.5 t ADT: 30,000

SR1003

Good

Over: SQUIRES RUN

0.6 MI. N. OF JCT.SR1307, Onslow, NC

Built 2015 Load: 63.5 t ADT: 3,800

WILSON BLVD

Good

Over: HOLCOMB BLVD

3 KM SE OF STONE STREET, Onslow, NC

Built 2016 Load: 63.8 t ADT: 10,000

US17N

Good

Over: SB.CONN.US17BYP

1.0 MI. N. JCT. SR1130, Onslow, NC

Built 2005 Load: 64.4 t ADT: 9,000

US17S NC24E NC53E

Good

Over: MILITARY TRAIL

1.6 MI. S. JCT. NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2001 Load: 65.3 t ADT: 22,500

US17N NC24E NC53E

Good

Over: MILITARY TRAIL

1.6 MI. S. JCT. NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2001 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 22,500

US17S

Good

Over: MILITARY TRAIL

0.8 MI. S. JCT. NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2001 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 22,500

US17N

Good

Over: MILITARY TRAIL

0.8MI. S. OF NC24, Onslow, NC

Built 2001 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 18,000

BEACH RD.

Good

Over: US17BYP NC24 NC53

0.5 MI. W. JCT. CURTIS RD, Onslow, NC

Built 2001 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 500

NC210

Good

Over: STONES CREEK

1.2 MI E JCT US17, Onslow, NC

Built 2008 Load: 73.4 t ADT: 15,500

SR1231

Good

Over: NEW RIVER

0.2 MI N JCT SR1229, Onslow, NC

Built 1988 Load: 73.4 t ADT: 600

US17

Good

Over: EDWARDS CREEK

0.9 MI. N. JCT. BEACH RD., Onslow, NC

Built 2001 Load: 74.3 t ADT: 44,000

NC24E

Good

Over: US17B

0.5 MI. EAST JCT. NC53, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 14,000

NC24W NC53W

Good

Over: US17B

0.5 MI. E. JCT. NC53, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 84.3 t ADT: 14,000

US17S

Good

Over: NC24B

JCT. NC24 & US17 BYP, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 84.3 t ADT: 19,250

SR1331

Good

Over: FORK BRANCH

5.6 MI. W. OF JCT. BUS17, Onslow, NC

Built 2014 Load: 87.9 t ADT: 1,900

US17BYP.RAMP

Good

Over: BRINSON CREEK

500 FT. WEST JCT. US17, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 1,900

US17N BYP.

Good

Over: NC24

JCT. NC24 & US17BYP, Onslow, NC

Built 2006 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 19,250

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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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.