Total bridges
145
Public highway bridges in Washington County
County profile · official public datasets
Washington County, RI
145 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 20.7% rated Good, 66.9% Fair, 12.4% Poor.
- 145
- Public bridges
- 20.7%
- Good condition
- 12.4%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Washington County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- 3rd
- of 5 on Poor share
- 12.4%
- Poor-condition share
- 145
- public highway bridges
- 1967
- 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.
Washington County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Washington County ranks #3 of 5 Rhode Island counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 12.4%). Washington County, Rhode Island contains 145 public highway bridges. Roughly 20.7% are rated “Good,” 66.9% “Fair,” and 12.4% “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
20.7%
30 of 145 rated 7-9
Fair condition
66.9%
97 of 145 rated 5-6
Poor condition
12.4%
18 of 145 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#3 of 5
Among Rhode Island counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 145 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 20.7% (30)
Fair 66.9% (97)
Poor 12.4% (18)
Washington County's Poor-condition bridges carry 101,412 vehicle crossings a day
That is 7.2% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 12.5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 5,634 crossings a day against 11,841 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 144 of 145 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
58.6% of Washington County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
85 of the 145 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 20.7% 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 46.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
US 1 TOWER HILL RD over RI 138, built 1969, carries 46,800 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 18-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 101,412 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Washington County's bridges were built
145 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- pre-1900 2
Built before 1900
2 bridges
- 1900s 4
1900–1909
4 bridges
- 1910s 3
1910–1919
3 bridges
- 1920s 10
1920–1929
10 bridges
- 1930s
1930–1939
22 bridges
- 1940s 1
1940–1949
1 bridges
- 1950s 9
1950–1959
9 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
28 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
12 bridges
- 1980s 11
1980–1989
11 bridges
- 1990s 11
1990–1999
11 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
14 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
12 bridges
- 2020s 6
2020–2029
6 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 28 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 19.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1967) matches the Rhode Island average (1969).
How Washington County compares with Rhode Island's closest counties by inventory size
The 4 Rhode Island counties nearest Washington County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 12.4% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 5. Its average build year of 1967 against a peer-group mean of 1974 is 7 years older.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County | 476 | 23.3% | 60.3% | 16.4% | 1968 |
| Washington County (this page) | 145 | 20.7% | 66.9% | 12.4% | 1967 |
| Kent County | 115 | 21.7% | 62.6% | 15.7% | 1972 |
| Newport County | 37 | 21.6% | 67.6% | 10.8% | 1974 |
| Bristol County | 10 | 50% | 40% | 10% | 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 Washington 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 Washington County, both outside Rhode Island so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside RI (145 bridges here).
- Dearborn County, IN · 145 bridges
- Floyd County, IN · 145 bridges
- McDonald County, MO · 145 bridges
- Lenoir County, NC · 145 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside RI (1967 here).
- Los Angeles County, CA · avg 1967 · 3,547 bridges
- Allegheny County, PA · avg 1967 · 1,294 bridges
- Sonoma County, CA · avg 1967 · 609 bridges
- Merced County, CA · avg 1967 · 528 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (97)
RI 3&138 NSNCKHLRD
FairOver: WOOD RIVER
Jct of RI 3 & RI 138, Washington, RI
Built 1923 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 9,567
US 1 NB POST RD
FairOver: SILVER SPRING COVE
1.0 Mi S of JCT RI 108, Washington, RI
Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 11,243
RI 4 COL RODMAN HY
FairOver: RI 102 VICTORY HWY
1.0 Mi S of Int Stny Lane, Washington, RI
Built 1988 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 56,311
RI 91 CHURCH ST
FairOver: MILL CANAL
3.0 Mi W of JCT RI 112, Washington, RI
Built 1930 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 4,040
I-95 NB & SB
FairOver: WOOD RIVER & MECHANIC ST
0.3 Mi N of Water St, Washington, RI
Built 1953 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 49,247
RI 165 TEN ROD RD
FairOver: WOOD RIVER
3.7 Mi E of Conn Line, Washington, RI
Built 1935 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 4,691
RI 91 BRADFORD RD
FairOver: AMTRAK
3.5 Mi N of JCT US 1, Washington, RI
Built 1936 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 6,292
RI 4 COL RODMAN HY
FairOver: AMTRAK
0.8 Mi S of JCT RI 102, Washington, RI
Built 1953 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 56,311
MIDDLE BRIDGE RD
FairOver: PETTAQUAMSCUTT RIVER
0.5 Mi W of JCT US 1A, Washington, RI
Built 2003 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 2,060
I-95 NB
FairOver: ASHAWAY RIVER
0.5 Mi N of Conn Line, Washington, RI
Built 1965 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 40,800
I-95 SB
FairOver: ASHAWAY RIVER
0.5 Mi N of Conn Line, Washington, RI
Built 1965 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 18,300
RI 403
FairOver: Davisville Access Rd &RR
.26 Mi E of JCT US 1, Washington, RI
Built 2005 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 23,482
LANG DRIVE
FairOver: GOOSENEST BROOK
1/10th mi N of RI#102, Washington, RI
Built 1992 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 679
Loop Drive
FairOver: Wickford Cove
0.1 Mi S of JCT RI 102, Washington, RI
Built 1996 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 57
RI 91 CHURCH ST
FairOver: WOOD RIVER
2.5 Mi N of JCT RI 216, Washington, RI
Built 1931 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 6,768
CHARLESTOWN BCH RD
FairOver: PERRY CREEK
1.0 Mi S of JCT RI 112, Washington, RI
Built 1986 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 1,541
US 1 POST RD
FairOver: SEAVIEW RR
0.14 Mi S of JCT RI403, Washington, RI
Built 2003 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 25,771
ARCADIA RD
FairOver: ROARING BROOK
1.2 Mi S of JCT RI 165, Washington, RI
Built 1913 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 1,800
RI 403
FairOver: AMTRAK
1.8 Mi W. of Jct. US1, Washington, RI
Built 2007 Load: 46.7 t ADT: 26,486
RI 112 CAROLINA
FairOver: MILL CANAL
0.3 Mi S of JCT Shnnck Rd, Washington, RI
Built 2018 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 3,603
RI 112 CAROLINA
FairOver: PAWCATUCK RIVER
0.3 Mi N of JCT RI 91, Washington, RI
Built 2018 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 3,603
WOODVILLE RD
FairOver: WOOD RIVER
1.3 Mi E of JCT I-95, Washington, RI
Built 1949 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 850
SHERMAN AVE
FairOver: PAWCATUCK RIVER
0.1 Mi N of JCT RI 2, Washington, RI
Built 1913 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 303
STILLMAN AVENUE
FairOver: PAWCATUCK RIVER
0.5 MI E OF ROUTE 2, Washington, RI
Built 1953 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 1,584
US 1 POST RD SB
FairOver: HUNT RIVER
0.1 Mi N of JCT RI 402, Washington, RI
Built 1964 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 8,000
SWITCH RD
FairOver: WOOD RIVER
2.0 Mi S of JCT RI 3, Washington, RI
Built 1969 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 1,815
RI 91 ALTN CRLN RD
FairOver: PAWCATUCK RIVER
1.2 Mi W of JCT RI 112, Washington, RI
Built 1926 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 3,102
OLD TOWER HILL RD
FairOver: US 1
JCT NARRAGANSETT AV EAST, Washington, RI
Built 1991 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 6,079
RI 138
FairOver: FISHING PIER ACCESS RD
2.0 Mi E of JCT US 1, Washington, RI
Built 1993 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 33,100
OLD HOPKINTON RD
FairOver: AMTRAK
0.1 Mi N of JCT RI 91, Washington, RI
Built 1986 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 2,875
RI 3 NSNCK HILL RD
FairOver: I-95 NB & SB
0.3 Mi N of Conn Line, Washington, RI
Built 1952 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 9,396
US 1 POST RD-RMP D
FairOver: Davisville Access Rd
.05 E US1 Post Rd, Washington, RI
Built 2006 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 2,650
RI 112 CRLNA BK RD
FairOver: AMTRAK
0.1 Mi S of JCT RI 91, Washington, RI
Built 1999 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 4,843
KENYON SCHOOL RD
FairOver: AMTRAK
0.8 Mi W of JCT RI 2, Washington, RI
Built 1965 Load: 59.6 t ADT: 202
OLD USQUEPAUGH RD
FairOver: USQUEPAUGH RIVER
2 Mi W of JCT RI 138/RI 2, Washington, RI
Built 1922 Load: 61.7 t ADT: 560
BRIDGETOWN RD
FairOver: PETTAQUAMSCUTT RIVER
0.5 Mi W of JCT US 1A, Washington, RI
Built 1934 Load: 62.5 t ADT: 10,491
BURDICKVILLE RD
FairOver: AMTRAK
0.5 Mi S of JCT RI 91, Washington, RI
Built 1931 Load: 62.9 t ADT: 329
POTTER HILL RD
FairOver: PAWCATUCK RIVER
0.5 Mi W of JCT RI 3, Washington, RI
Built 2002 Load: 64.2 t ADT: 759
CHURCH ST
FairOver: SAUGATUCKET RIVER
0.4 Mi W of JCT RI 108, Washington, RI
Built 1882 Load: 66.0 t ADT: 3,449
US 1 POST RD
FairOver: RI 403
JCT. RI403, Washington, RI
Built 2003 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 22,900
US 1 POST RD
FairOver: Davisville Access Rd
.07 Mi S of JCT RI 403, Washington, RI
Built 2003 Load: 71.6 t ADT: 24,157
US 1A BSTN NCK RD
FairOver: WICKFORD COVE
0.8 Mi S of JCT US1, Washington, RI
Built 1925 Load: 71.9 t ADT: 13,636
W DAVISVILLE RD
FairOver: RI 403
Jct RI 403, Washington, RI
Built 2004 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 3,629
RI 138 USQUEPAUGRD
FairOver: USQUEPAUG RIVER
3.0 Mi E of JCT I-95, Washington, RI
Built 1931 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 9,628
US 1 SB POST RD
FairOver: Cross Mills Stream
.15Mi N of JCT RI 2, Washington, RI
Built 1963 Load: 97.2 t
US 1 NB POST RD
FairOver: Cross Mills Stream
.01 Mi E of Moonstone Bh, Washington, RI
Built 1963 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 18,505
Briarbrook Dr
FairOver: Sandhill Brook
0.1 Mi E of JCT Park Pl, Washington, RI
Built 1966 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 100
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.