County profile · official public datasets

Smith County, TX

427 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 47.1% rated Good, 51.5% Fair, 1.4% Poor.

427
Public bridges
47.1%
Good condition
1.4%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

156th
of 247 on Poor share
1.4%
Poor-condition share
427
public highway bridges
1981
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.

Smith County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Smith County ranks #156 of 247 Texas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 1.4%). Smith County, Texas contains 427 public highway bridges. Roughly 47.1% are rated “Good,” 51.5% “Fair,” and 1.4% “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.

Total bridges

427

Public highway bridges in Smith County

Good condition

47.1%

201 of 427 rated 7-9

Fair condition

51.5%

220 of 427 rated 5-6

Poor condition

1.4%

6 of 427 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#156 of 247

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

Condition distribution

Share of 427 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
47.1% (201)
Fair
51.5% (220)
Poor
1.4% (6)

Smith County's Poor-condition bridges carry 10,742 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 1.4% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,790 crossings a day against 3,732 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 427 of 427 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

45.9% of Smith County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

196 of the 427 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 47.1% 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 67.6% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

SH 64 over LAKE TYLER - E MUD CREEK, built 1937, carries 7,260 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 6-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 10,742 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Smith County's bridges were built

427 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 95 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 22.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1981) matches the Texas average (1980).

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

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

The 5 Texas counties nearest Smith County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 1.4% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1981 against a peer-group mean of 1980 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Smith County and the 5 Texas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Kaufman County 452 1.1%
Smith County (this page) 427 1.4%
Taylor County 419 0.7%
Hidalgo County 405 1%
Hill County 405 1%
Johnson County 404 0%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside TX (427 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside TX (1981 here).

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

All 427 Good 201 Fair 220 Poor 6

All bridges (427)

US 271 SB

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK TRIB

0.2 MI W OF FM 2908, Smith, TX

Built 1936 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 6,660

US 271 SB

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

0.1 MI W OF FM 2908, Smith, TX

Built 1936 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 6,660

US 271 SB

Fair

Over: THUNDERSTRUCK CREEK

0.1 MI E OF FM 2908, Smith, TX

Built 1936 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 11,519

CR 2147

Fair

Over: KICKAPOO CREEK

0.75 MI S OF FM 346, Smith, TX

Built 1997 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 47

CR 479

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

1.35 MI N OF FM 16, Smith, TX

Built 2012 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 50

CR 2112

Fair

Over: KICKAPOO CREEK

1.00 MI E OF SH 135, Smith, TX

Built 1995 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 63

IH 20 EB

Fair

Over: CR 35 (LAVENDER RD)

4.6 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 20,932

FM 850

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

0.3 MI S OF SH 31, Smith, TX

Built 1991 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 3,226

CR 46

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

2.00 MI W OF SH 110, Smith, TX

Built 2003 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 305

CR 46

Fair

Over: BLACK FORK CREEK

2.7 MI NW OF SH 110, Smith, TX

Built 1990 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,447

CR 129

Fair

Over: WEST MUD CREEK

0.85 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 2003 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 114

CR 165

Fair

Over: Henshaw Cr

0.1 mi W of FM 2493, Smith, TX

Built 2023 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 874

CR 217

Fair

Over: LITTLE RABBIT CREEK

1.15 MI N OF FM 850, Smith, TX

Built 1999 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 77

CR 230

Fair

Over: LAKE TYLER E SOUTH COVE

1.00 MI N OF FM 345, Smith, TX

Built 1997 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,022

CR 233

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK TRIB

2.50 MI S OF SH 31, Smith, TX

Built 2001 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 190

CR 313

Fair

Over: SALINE CREEK

2.85 MI W OF FM 14, Smith, TX

Built 1990 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 784

CR 447

Fair

Over: SKY LAKE HEADWATERS

0.7 MI S OF FM 1805, Smith, TX

Built 1995 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 201

CR 1106

Fair

Over: SALINE CREEK

1.10 MI E OF FM 2661, Smith, TX

Built 1998 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 20

CR 3116

Fair

Over: CANEY CREEK

1.60 MI S OF IH 20, Smith, TX

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 111

CR 4129

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.3 MI N OF FM 2710, Smith, TX

Built 2008 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 50

CR 411

Good

Over: CANEY CREEK

1.90 MI S OF SH 110, Smith, TX

Built 1990 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 140

CR 496

Good

Over: Little Saline Cr

0.8 mi S of SandFlatRd41, Smith, TX

Built 2023 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 77

CR 178

Good

Over: Saline Cr Tr

0.2mi S of CR 185, Smith, TX

Built 2022 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 851

US 271

Good

Over: Ray Cr

0.03 MI SW OF FM 2015, Smith, TX

Built 1941 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 22,321

FM 2493

Good

Over: HENSHAW CREEK

0.2 MI N OF FM 2813, Smith, TX

Built 1988 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 18,537

FM 1253

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

2.1 MI N OF FM 16, Smith, TX

Built 1990 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,263

SH 110

Good

Over: HILL CREEK TR

3.9 MI SE OF FM 2964, Smith, TX

Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 18,189

FM 15

Good

Over: WRIGHT BRANCH

0.6 MI S OF SH 64, Smith, TX

Built 1934 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 465

IH 20 N FR

Good

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

3.1 MI E OF VAN ZANDT CL, Smith, TX

Built 1961 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 160

IH 20 SFR

Good

Over: HITTS CREEK

4.7 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,760

IH 20 WB

Good

Over: WIGGINS CR TR

7.3 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 15,434

IH 20 WB ON-RAMP

Good

Over: WIGGINS CREEK BRANCH

11.7 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,350

IH 20 EB OFF-RAMP

Good

Over: WIGGINS CREEK BRANCH

11.7 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,350

IH 20 SFR

Good

Over: CANEY CREEK

7.2 MI E OF US 271, Smith, TX

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 10

SH 110

Good

Over: CHINQUAPIN CREEK

1.0 MI N OF FM 3271, Smith, TX

Built 1984 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,171

SH 110

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK

0.5 MI W OF LP 323, Smith, TX

Built 1991 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 7,057

FM 16

Good

Over: GLADE CREEK

1.8 MI NW OF SH 155, Smith, TX

Built 1941 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,389

FM 16

Good

Over: DUCK CREEK

1.7 MI E OF FM 1253, Smith, TX

Built 1948 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,553

FM 346

Good

Over: HENSHAW CREEK

0.05 MI W OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1991 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 5,456

FM 346

Good

Over: SHACKLEFORD CREEK

1.1 MI E OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1991 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 5,468

FM 1995

Good

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

3.2 MI E OF VAN ZANDT CL, Smith, TX

Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,945

FM 2016

Good

Over: BLACK FORK CREEK BR

1.2 MI W OF US 69, Smith, TX

Built 1991 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 822

SL 323

Good

Over: BLACK FORK CRK BR

0.4 MI W OF FM 14, Smith, TX

Built 1956 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 17,235

SS 248

Good

Over: GILLEY CR

2.2 MI E OF LP 323, Smith, TX

Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 7,291

FM 2661

Good

Over: BUTLER CREEK

3.0 MI S OF SH 31, Smith, TX

Built 1972 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,193

FM 2813

Good

Over: HENSHAW CREEK

0.10 MI E OF FM 2493, Smith, TX

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,737

FM 2908

Good

Over: DAVIS BRANCH

0.1 MI N OF SH 31, Smith, TX

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,137

CR 246

Good

Over: CANEY CREEK

1.40 MI N OF SH 64, Smith, TX

Built 1993 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 362

CR 420

Good

Over: ALLEN BRANCH

2.85 MI S OF SH 110, Smith, TX

Built 2002 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 140

FLEISHEL ST

Good

Over: DOUGLAS BR

0.05 MI S OF COMMERCE, Smith, TX

Built 1999 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,230

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.