Total bridges
176
Public highway bridges in Shelby County
County profile · official public datasets
Shelby County, TX
176 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 49.4% rated Good, 46% Fair, 4.5% Poor.
- 176
- Public bridges
- 49.4%
- Good condition
- 4.5%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Shelby County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.
- 235th
- of 247 on Poor share
- 4.5%
- Poor-condition share
- 176
- public highway bridges
- 1986
- 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.
Shelby County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Shelby County ranks #235 of 247 Texas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 4.5%). Shelby County, Texas contains 176 public highway bridges. Roughly 49.4% are rated “Good,” 46% “Fair,” and 4.5% “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
49.4%
87 of 176 rated 7-9
Fair condition
46%
81 of 176 rated 5-6
Poor condition
4.5%
8 of 176 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#235 of 247
Among Texas counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 176 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 49.4% (87)
Fair 46% (81)
Poor 4.5% (8)
Shelby County's Poor-condition bridges carry 1,415 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 4.5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 177 crossings a day against 1,571 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 176 of 176 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
30.1% of Shelby County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
53 of the 176 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 52.5% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
FM 139 over TENAHA BAYOU, built 1967, carries 743 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 8-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 1,415 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Shelby County's bridges were built
176 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1930s
1930–1939
16 bridges
- 1940s 8
1940–1949
8 bridges
- 1950s 13
1950–1959
13 bridges
- 1960s 13
1960–1969
13 bridges
- 1970s 11
1970–1979
11 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
18 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
28 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
38 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
27 bridges
- 2020s 4
2020–2029
4 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 2000s, when 38 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.6% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 15 to 24 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1986, 6 years newer than the Texas average of 1980.
How Shelby County compares with Texas's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Texas counties nearest Shelby County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 4.5% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1986 against a peer-group mean of 1975 is 11 years newer.
Showing the 5 closest of 246 Texas counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County | 179 | 44.7% | 53.1% | 2.2% | 1973 |
| Waller County | 177 | 43.5% | 55.4% | 1.1% | 1987 |
| Anderson County | 176 | 57.4% | 42.6% | 0% | 1978 |
| Atascosa County | 176 | 61.4% | 38.1% | 0.6% | 1970 |
| Shelby County (this page) | 176 | 49.4% | 46% | 4.5% | 1986 |
| Kerr County | 174 | 59.8% | 39.1% | 1.1% | 1968 |
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 Shelby 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 Shelby County, both outside Texas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside TX (176 bridges here).
- Des Moines County, IA · 176 bridges
- Perry County, KY · 176 bridges
- Winston County, MS · 176 bridges
- Paulding County, OH · 176 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside TX (1986 here).
- Caddo County, LA · avg 1986 · 682 bridges
- Weld County, CO · avg 1986 · 614 bridges
- Polk County, IA · avg 1986 · 545 bridges
- Canadian County, OK · avg 1986 · 493 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (81)
FDR 141
FairOver: SANDERS CREEK
3.5 MI NE FM2261 @ CR343, Shelby, TX
Built 1960 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 50
US 96
FairOver: FLAT FORK CREEK
6.00 MI N OF SH 87, Shelby, TX
Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,554
US 59 NB
FairOver: MC FADDEN CREEK
2.15 MI N OF US 84, Shelby, TX
Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,914
US 96
FairOver: CHICKEN BAYOU
3.95 MI N OF SH 87, Shelby, TX
Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,761
US 84 EB
FairOver: Sabine River
at Sabine River, Shelby, TX
Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,139
US 96 NB
FairOver: HUANA CREEK
0.80 MI S OF LP 500, Shelby, TX
Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,216
CR 1168
FairOver: LITTLE IRON ORE CRK TRIB
1.2 MI EAST OF SH 7, Shelby, TX
Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 42
CR 1005
FairOver: LITTLE MILL CREEK
2.0 MI E OF FM711, Shelby, TX
Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 42
CR 1490
FairOver: HUANA CREEK
1.5 MI FROM END FM2974, Shelby, TX
Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 42
CR 1510
FairOver: POUNDS CREEK
2.9 MI S OF FM 138, Shelby, TX
Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 24
CR 2335
FairOver: TENAHA CREEK
1.8 MI N OF FM417, Shelby, TX
Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 28
CR 2536
FairOver: NORTH BAYOU
0.9 MI S OF FM 139, Shelby, TX
Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 95
CR 3267
FairOver: FLAT FORK CRK
2.1 MI N OF FM 414, Shelby, TX
Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 55
CR 2922
FairOver: SOUTH BLUE BAYOU
2.3 MI S OF FM 139, Shelby, TX
Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 55
CR 1030
FairOver: BUTLER CREEK TRIBUTARY
0.65 MI SE OF FM 417, Shelby, TX
Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100
CR 1060
FairOver: STRAW CREEK
0.3 MI S OF FM 2140, Shelby, TX
Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100
CR 1011
FairOver: MILL CREEK
2.9 MI SW OF US96, Shelby, TX
Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100
ROUGH RIDER DR
FairOver: TRIB OF HUANA CREEK
0.1 MI W OF US 96, Shelby, TX
Built 2001 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,207
SH 87
FairOver: PATROON BAYOU
0.25 MI N OF FM 1279, Shelby, TX
Built 1978 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 838
CR 1211
FairOver: CANEY CREEK
1.1 MI S OF END FM 1645, Shelby, TX
Built 2000 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 42
CR 2000
FairOver: TRIB OF TENAHA CREEK
1.3 MI SE OF FM417, Shelby, TX
Built 2006 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 55
US 84
FairOver: MORRIS CREEK
2.55 MI W OF SH 7, Shelby, TX
Built 1949 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 3,153
CR 4916
FairOver: FLAT FORK CREEK
1.15 MI N OF US 59, Shelby, TX
Built 2015 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 147
US 59
FairOver: FLAT FORK CRK SLOUGH #1
3.70 MI E OF SH 87, Shelby, TX
Built 1935 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 6,957
US 59
FairOver: FLAT FORK CREEK
3.45 MI E OF SH 87, Shelby, TX
Built 1935 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 6,957
CR 4760
FairOver: ATTOYAC BAYOU
1.2 MI W OF END FM 1970, Shelby, TX
Built 2015 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 100
FM 699
FairOver: FLAT FORK CREEK
5.20 MI S OF US 84, Shelby, TX
Built 1970 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 501
CR 2907
FairOver: BUCKLEY CREEK
0.6 MI S OF FM 353, Shelby, TX
Built 1994 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 55
FM 139
FairOver: STYLES CREEK RELIEF
3.75 MI SE OF SH 7, Shelby, TX
Built 1988 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,138
FM 139
FairOver: STYLES CREEK
3.85 MI SE OF SH 7, Shelby, TX
Built 1988 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,138
CR 4778
FairOver: HARDAGE CREEK RELIEF
0.65 MI SW OF FM 2667, Shelby, TX
Built 1996 Load: 40.8 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.