County profile · official public datasets

McLennan County, TX

714 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 51.8% rated Good, 46.2% Fair, 2% Poor.

714
Public bridges
51.8%
Good condition
2%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

McLennan County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.

178th
of 247 on Poor share
2%
Poor-condition share
714
public highway bridges
1980
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.

McLennan County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, McLennan County ranks #178 of 247 Texas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2%). McLennan County, Texas contains 714 public highway bridges. Roughly 51.8% are rated “Good,” 46.2% “Fair,” and 2% “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

714

Public highway bridges in McLennan County

Good condition

51.8%

370 of 714 rated 7-9

Fair condition

46.2%

330 of 714 rated 5-6

Poor condition

2%

14 of 714 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#178 of 247

Among Texas counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 714 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
51.8% (370)
Fair
46.2% (330)
Poor
2% (14)

McLennan County's Poor-condition bridges carry 23,846 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.2% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,703 crossings a day against 23,395 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 714 of 714 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

50.4% of McLennan County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

360 of the 714 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 51.8% 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 33.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

LP 2 EB / 18TH ST over UPRR MARY AVE WACO CRK, built 1935, carries 8,074 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 14-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 23,846 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When McLennan County's bridges were built

714 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 110 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 15.4% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1980) matches the Texas average (1980).

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

How McLennan County compares with Texas's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Texas counties nearest McLennan County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2% Poor share is the 5th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1980 against a peer-group mean of 1991 is 11 years older.

Showing the 5 closest of 246 Texas counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for McLennan County and the 5 Texas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Fort Bend County 795 2.5%
El Paso County 783 0.8%
McLennan County (this page) 714 2%
Montgomery County 710 0.7%
Ellis County 691 1.6%
Bell County 660 0.3%

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 McLennan 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 McLennan County, both outside Texas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside TX (714 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside TX (1980 here).

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

Fair-condition bridges (330)

US 77 BUS NB

Fair

Over: S MLK Jr Blvd

0.2 Mi N of Brazos River, McLennan, TX

Built 1961 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,853

IH 35 NB

Fair

Over: New Rd

1.20 Mi N of SH 6, McLennan, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 45,827

IH 35 SB

Fair

Over: New Rd

1.2 Mi N of SH 6, McLennan, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 36,974

IH 35 SB

Fair

Over: Union Pacific RR

0.2 Mi N of LP 340 N, McLennan, TX

Built 1972 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 47,401

IH 35 NB

Fair

Over: IRVING LEE ST

0.3 MI S OF LP 396, McLennan, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 55,784

IH 35 SB

Fair

Over: IRVING LEE ST

0.3 MI S OF LP 396, McLennan, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 55,784

IH35 NB to SH6 WB

Fair

Over: IH 35 & SH 6/LP 340

2.4 Mi NW of FM 2063, McLennan, TX

Built 2012 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 71,020

FM 3476

Fair

Over: North Flat Creek

0.7 Mi S of SH 6, McLennan, TX

Built 1992 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 11,618

US 84

Fair

Over: TRIB OF WACO CREEK

1.6 Mi SW of Brazos River, McLennan, TX

Built 1954 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 24,823

US 84 EB

Fair

Over: TEHUACANA CREEK RELIEF

1.2 MI SW OF SH 31, McLennan, TX

Built 1979 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 7,796

US 84 EB

Fair

Over: Tehuacana Creek

1.1 MI SW OF SH 31, McLennan, TX

Built 1977 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 7,796

US 84 EB

Fair

Over: Tehuacana Creek Relief

0.5 Mi SW of SH 31, McLennan, TX

Built 1977 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 7,796

SH 6 (LP 340) SBML

Fair

Over: Cottonwood Creek

1.1 Mi E of US 77, McLennan, TX

Built 1984 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 19,422

SH 6 NB /SL 340 SB

Fair

Over: 12TH ST

3.2 MI E OF IH 35, McLennan, TX

Built 2007 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 9,711

SH 6 SB/SL 340 NB

Fair

Over: 12TH ST

3.2 MI E OF IH 35, McLennan, TX

Built 2007 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 9,711

SH 6 (LP 340) NBML

Fair

Over: Cottonwood Creek

1.1 Mi E of US 77, McLennan, TX

Built 2007 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 19,422

SH 6 (LP340) SBFR

Fair

Over: Cottonwood Creek

1.1 Mi E of US 77, McLennan, TX

Built 2005 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 24,311

SPUR 412

Fair

Over: TRIB TENNANT BRANCH

1.1 MI SE OF SH 6, McLennan, TX

Built 1932 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 172

FM 434

Fair

Over: Cottonwood Creek

0.6 Mi SE of FM 3400, McLennan, TX

Built 1982 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,162

FM 434

Fair

Over: Flat Creek

4.4 Mi S of FM 3400, McLennan, TX

Built 1982 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,442

FM 3400

Fair

Over: Flat Creek

2.3 Mi S of FM 434, McLennan, TX

Built 1982 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,203

MCKAMIE RD

Fair

Over: BR OF S BOSQUE RI #918

1.80 MI SW OF FM 2416, McLennan, TX

Built 1988 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 100

OLD RAILROAD RD

Fair

Over: SNAKE CRK #929

0.80 MI SE OF FM 2114, McLennan, TX

Built 1920 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 168

OLD MEXIA RD

Fair

Over: LUCKY CRK BR #2039

0.75 MI E OF LP 340, McLennan, TX

Built 2000 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 390

KENDALL LN

Fair

Over: LUCKY CRK BR #2040

0.35 MI NE OF LOOP 340, McLennan, TX

Built 2004 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 35

QUILLIAN TRACE

Fair

Over: DRY CRK #554

0.15 MI S OF FM 1858, McLennan, TX

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 100

BAGBY AVE

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CRK#1005WAC

0.35 MI N OF LP 340, McLennan, TX

Built 1983 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,430

NEW ROAD

Fair

Over: WACO CRK #3 BEV

0.45 MI SE OF SPUR 298, McLennan, TX

Built 1981 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 9,300

16TH ST

Fair

Over: WACO CRK #21 WAC

0.75 MI NW OF IH 35, McLennan, TX

Built 1985 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 324

OLD ROBINSON RD

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CRK #921 RBS

0.40 MI N OF LP 340 /SH 6, McLennan, TX

Built 1988 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,350
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.