County profile · official public datasets

Nueces County, TX

528 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 55.5% rated Good, 43.8% Fair, 0.8% Poor.

528
Public bridges
55.5%
Good condition
0.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Nueces 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 49%
lowest Poor share in state
0.8%
Poor-condition share
528
public highway bridges
1985
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.

Nueces County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Nueces County ranks #122 of 247 Texas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 0.8%). Nueces County, Texas contains 528 public highway bridges. Roughly 55.5% are rated “Good,” 43.8% “Fair,” and 0.8% “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.

Total bridges

528

Public highway bridges in Nueces County

Good condition

55.5%

293 of 528 rated 7-9

Fair condition

43.8%

231 of 528 rated 5-6

Poor condition

0.8%

4 of 528 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#122 of 247

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

Condition distribution

Share of 528 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
55.5% (293)
Fair
43.8% (231)
Poor
0.8% (4)

Nueces County's Poor-condition bridges carry 27,000 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 0.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 6,750 crossings a day against 13,713 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 528 of 528 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

38.6% of Nueces County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

204 of the 528 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 55.5% 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 49.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

OCEAN DRIVE WB over CAYO DEL OSO, built 1976, carries 13,330 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 4-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 27,000 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Nueces County's bridges were built

528 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 2000s, when 92 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 17.4% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 15 to 24 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1985, 5 years newer than the Texas average of 1980.

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

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

The 5 Texas counties nearest Nueces County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 0.8% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1985 against a peer-group mean of 1976 is 9 years newer.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Nueces County and the 5 Texas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Nueces County (this page) 528 0.8%
Grayson County 513 1.8%
Pecos County 470 0.4%
Jefferson County 457 1.5%
Hunt County 456 0.7%
Kaufman County 452 1.1%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside TX (528 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside TX (1985 here).

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

All bridges (528)

JOE FULTON I.T.C.

Fair

Over: UP RR

2.1 MI N OF MCKINZIE LN, Nueces, TX

Built 2010 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

IH 37 SB

Fair

Over: LANTANA ST

0.05 MI W OF SH 358, Nueces, TX

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 27,810

LP 407(LEOPARD ST)

Fair

Over: TEX-MEX RR

0.75 MI E OF SH 358, Nueces, TX

Built 1956 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 13,282

US 181 NB

Fair

Over: NUECES BAY

2.3 MI NE OF SHIP CHANNEL, Nueces, TX

Built 1963 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 27,596

US 181 SB

Fair

Over: NUECES BAY

2.3 MI NE OF SHIP CHANNEL, Nueces, TX

Built 1963 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 28,117

US 77 NB

Fair

Over: DRAIN

3.0 MI N OF FM 665, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 8,565

US 77 NB

Fair

Over: PETRONILA CREEK RELIEF

0.9 MI N OF FM 665, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 8,565

US 77 NB

Fair

Over: PETRONILA CREEK

0.65 MI N OF FM 665, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 8,565

US 77 SB

Fair

Over: PETRONILA CREEK

0.65 MI N OF FM 665, Nueces, TX

Built 1922 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 7,857

IH 37 SBFR

Fair

Over: CCTA RR

2.90 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1966 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,090

IH 37 NBFR

Fair

Over: CCTA RR

2.90 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1966 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,090

FM 665

Fair

Over: W OSO CREEK

1.50 MI N OF FM 43, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,093

FM 763

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

1.15 MI S OF SH 44, Nueces, TX

Built 1959 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 180

CR 105

Fair

Over: PINTAS CREEK RELIEF

0.80 MI N OF FM 665, Nueces, TX

Built 2004 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 80

IH 37 SB

Fair

Over: BUDDY LAWRENCE DR

1.40 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 25,513

IH 37 NB

Fair

Over: BUDDY LAWRENCE DR

1.40 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 24,602

IH 37 NB

Fair

Over: NAVIGATION BLVD

2.70 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1965 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 20,180

US 181 NB ON-RP

Fair

Over: BU 44 D

0.35 MI W OF SHORELINE, Nueces, TX

Built 1959 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 27,740

US 181 NB

Fair

Over: BU 44 D

0.35 MI W OF SHORELINE, Nueces, TX

Built 1959 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 47,913

US 181 NB

Fair

Over: BELDEN ST

0.10 MI N OF IH 37, Nueces, TX

Built 1959 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 31,063

US 181 SB

Fair

Over: BELDEN ST

0.10 MI N OF IH 37, Nueces, TX

Built 1959 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 30,954

IH 37 SB

Fair

Over: NAVIGATION BLVD

2.70 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1965 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 20,180

IH 37 NBML

Fair

Over: CCTA RR

2.90 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1966 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 20,180

US 181 SB OFF-RP

Fair

Over: BU 44 D

0.35 MI W OF SHORELINE, Nueces, TX

Built 1959 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 23,940

US 77 SBFR

Fair

Over: BISHOP CHANNEL

0.50 MI S OF FM 70, Nueces, TX

Built 1965 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 9,844

US 77 NBFR

Fair

Over: BISHOP CHANNEL

0.50 MI S OF FM 70, Nueces, TX

Built 1970 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 9,960

US 77 NB

Fair

Over: CARRETA CREEK

2.40 MI S OF FM 70, Nueces, TX

Built 1970 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 10,065

SH 286 SB ON-RP

Fair

Over: ROW

0.45 MI S OF IH 37, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,032

FM 665

Fair

Over: OSO CREEK

0.65 MI E OF FM 2292, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 3,427

FM 3088

Fair

Over: CAYAMON CREEK

1.45 MI NW OF FM 666, Nueces, TX

Built 1969 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,981

FM 3088

Fair

Over: SANDY HOLLOW CREEK

0.35 MI SE OF FM 70, Nueces, TX

Built 1969 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 668

FM 24 - VIOLET RD

Good

Over: IH 37

0.65 MI W OF FM 3386, Nueces, TX

Built 1968 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 14,100

SUNTIDE RD

Good

Over: IH 37

3.45 MI W OF SH 358, Nueces, TX

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,000

IH 37

Good

Over: DRAIN

1.65 MI W OF SH 358, Nueces, TX

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 73,398

IH 37

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

0.40 MI NW OF FM 2292, Nueces, TX

Built 1995 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 66,205

US 77

Good

Over: DRAIN

1.52 MI S OF FM 665, Nueces, TX

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 22,996

SH 286

Good

Over: DRAW

4.5 MI S OF FM 2444, Nueces, TX

Built 1988 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,675

SH 286

Good

Over: DRAW

4.5 MI S OF FM 43, Nueces, TX

Built 1988 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,675

BU 77

Good

Over: DRAIN

3.3 MI S OF FM 624, Nueces, TX

Built 1933 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 8,700

BU 77

Good

Over: DRAIN

4.15 MI S OF FM 624, Nueces, TX

Built 1933 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 8,702

US 77

Good

Over: DRAIN

0.35 MI S OF FM 624, Nueces, TX

Built 1990 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 19,631

SH 44

Good

Over: DRAIN

1.90 MI E OF FM 666, Nueces, TX

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 9,699

US 77

Good

Over: DRAIN

0.40 MI N OF SH 44, Nueces, TX

Built 1974 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 19,131

SH 44

Good

Over: DRAIN

AT JIM WELLS COUNTY LINE, Nueces, TX

Built 1983 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 8,801

SH 44 SERVICE RD

Good

Over: DRAIN

JIM WELLS C/L SIDE DRAIN, Nueces, TX

Built 1983 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 5,310

US 77

Good

Over: DRAW

1.15 MI N OF SH 44, Nueces, TX

Built 1999 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 19,131

US 77

Good

Over: DRAW

1.75 MI N OF SH 44, Nueces, TX

Built 1999 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 19,131

SH 358

Good

Over: AIRPORT DITCH

1.00 MI W OF SH 286, Nueces, TX

Built 1982 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 67,405

SH 358

Good

Over: BALDWIN OUTFALL CHANNEL

0.1 MI S OF BATES, Nueces, TX

Built 1990 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 66,190

FM 666

Good

Over: DRAW

0.01 MI N OF SH 44, Nueces, TX

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,140
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.