County profile · official public datasets

Wharton County, TX

372 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 52.2% rated Good, 44.4% Fair, 3.5% Poor.

372
Public bridges
52.2%
Good condition
3.5%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

221st
of 247 on Poor share
3.5%
Poor-condition share
372
public highway bridges
1983
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.

Wharton County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Wharton County ranks #221 of 247 Texas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 3.5%). Wharton County, Texas contains 372 public highway bridges. Roughly 52.2% are rated “Good,” 44.4% “Fair,” and 3.5% “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.

Total bridges

372

Public highway bridges in Wharton County

Good condition

52.2%

194 of 372 rated 7-9

Fair condition

44.4%

165 of 372 rated 5-6

Poor condition

3.5%

13 of 372 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#221 of 247

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

Condition distribution

Share of 372 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
52.2% (194)
Fair
44.4% (165)
Poor
3.5% (13)

Wharton County's Poor-condition bridges carry 1,367 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 3.5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 105 crossings a day against 3,458 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 372 of 372 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

44.6% of Wharton County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

166 of the 372 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 52.2% 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 19.5% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

PINCHOT ST over TRES PALACIOS RIVER, built 1985, carries 267 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 13-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 1,367 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Wharton County's bridges were built

372 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 71 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 19.1% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1983) matches the Texas average (1980).

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

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

The 5 Texas counties nearest Wharton County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 3.5% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1983 against a peer-group mean of 1984 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Wharton County and the 5 Texas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Webb County 383 1.6%
Wharton County (this page) 372 3.5%
Fayette County 371 3%
Brazos County 370 0%
Cameron County 355 0.6%
Parker County 350 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 Wharton 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 Wharton County, both outside Texas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside TX (372 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside TX (1983 here).

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

Good-condition bridges (194)

CR 418

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

3.52 MI E OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 2008 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 20

CR 422

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

13.18 MI S OF FM 1163, Wharton, TX

Built 1986 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 40

CR 414

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

1.42 MI W OF FM 1162, Wharton, TX

Built 1984 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 40

CO RD 382

Good

Over: MOTT DRAW

6.70 MI W OF THD CR 507, Wharton, TX

Built 2003 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 200

CO RD 357

Good

Over: EAST MUSTANG CREEK

1.60 MI S OF FM 1300, Wharton, TX

Built 1987 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 60

CO RD 459

Good

Over: JONES CREEK

1.0 MI E OF FM 2765, Wharton, TX

Built 1984 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 380

WHARTON ROAD

Good

Over: EAST MUSTANG CREEK

0.01 MI S OF FM 1300, Wharton, TX

Built 1985 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,360

SAM BISHKIN ROAD

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK

0.2 MI S OF BUS 59, Wharton, TX

Built 1997 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 700

LEVERIDGE ST

Good

Over: DRAW

1.00 MI N OF FM 2919, Wharton, TX

Built 2008 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 960

TEXAS ST

Good

Over: DRAW

0.10 MI S OF WHARTON NCL, Wharton, TX

Built 1970 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 250

GLADYS ST

Good

Over: EAST MUSTANG CREEK

0.05 MI S OF LOOP 525, Wharton, TX

Built 1985 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 2,670

US 59 NB

Good

Over: FM 1163

1.00 MI W OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 17,737

US 59 SB

Good

Over: FM 1163

1.00 MI W OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 17,737

US 59 NB

Good

Over: SH 71

1.00 MI E OF FM 1163, Wharton, TX

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 17,756

CR 150/MOERS LN

Good

Over: BAUGHMAN SLOUGH

0.35 MI E OF CR 135, Wharton, TX

Built 2009 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 200

CO RD 268

Good

Over: MIDDLE BERNARD CREEK

3.48 Mi W of SH 60, Wharton, TX

Built 2015 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 70

CR 414

Good

Over: DRAW

0.4 MI E OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 2011 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 50

FM 961

Good

Over: US 59

3.3 MI S OF FM 102, Wharton, TX

Built 1972 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 750

CR 254

Good

Over: WEST BERNARD CREEK

0.60 MI W OF FM 1164, Wharton, TX

Built 2008 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 50

CO RD 408

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

2.84 MI W OF FM 1162, Wharton, TX

Built 2016 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 140

CO RD 394

Good

Over: PINOAK CREEK

0.30 MI W OF FM 2546, Wharton, TX

Built 2001 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 200

CO RD 356

Good

Over: EAST MUSTANG CREEK

1.45 MI W OF FM 441, Wharton, TX

Built 1998 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 70

CR 328

Good

Over: EAST CARANCAHUA CREEK

0.80 MI W OF FM 3086, Wharton, TX

Built 2014 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 10

CR 320

Good

Over: EAST CARANCAHUA DRAW

0.2 MI W OF FM 441, Wharton, TX

Built 2018 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 660

CR 213

Good

Over: SANDY BRANCH

2.7 MI N OF FM 1161, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 48

CR 239

Good

Over: BAUGHMAN SLOUGH

2.25 MI N OF FM 102, Wharton, TX

Built 2009 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 330

CR 149

Good

Over: DRAW

0.40 MI SE OF FM 442, Wharton, TX

Built 2013 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 50

FM 1160

Good

Over: US 59

1.60 MI NE OF FM 647, Wharton, TX

Built 1976 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,051

US 59

Good

Over: FM 1162

0.50 MI NE Of JCT. SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 2020 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 23,206

US 59 NBFR

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

0.40 MI NE OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 2020 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,876

US 59 SBFR

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

0.40 MI NE OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 2020 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,241

US 59

Good

Over: DRAW

0.55 MI NE OF FM 1162, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 23,206

US 59

Good

Over: DRAW

0.45 MI NE OF FM 1162, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 23,206

US 59 SBFR

Good

Over: DRAW

0.45 MI NE OF FM 1162, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,241

US 59 NB

Good

Over: SH 60/ BU 59 R & KCS RR

3.50 MI NE OF FM 102, Wharton, TX

Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,389

US 59 SB

Good

Over: SH 60 (BU 59 R) & KCS RR

3.50 MI NE OF FM 102, Wharton, TX

Built 2023 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 29,743

US 59

Good

Over: DRAW

0.85 MI S OF FM 1161, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 29,743

US 59 NBFR

Good

Over: Preisler Creek

2.27 MI NE OF FM 1161, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 33,077

US 59 NBFR

Good

Over: WEST BERNARD CREEK

0.65 MI N OF FM 1161, Wharton, TX

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 25,728

US 59 SBFR

Good

Over: DRAW

0.87 MI W OF FM 1161, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 29,743

US 59 SBFR

Good

Over: DRAW

0.58 MI E OF SH 60, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 29,743

US 59 NBFR

Good

Over: BOONE BRANCH

2.38 MI W OF FM 2919, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20,021

BU 59 S

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

0.90 MI SW OF SH 71, Wharton, TX

Built 2007 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,121

SH 71

Good

Over: TRES PALACIOS RIVER

0.25 Mi NW OF FM 653, Wharton, TX

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,928

FM 441

Good

Over: EAST MUSTANG CREEK

1.95 MI S OF FM 1300, Wharton, TX

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 321

FM 647

Good

Over: EAST MUSTANG CREEK

2.05 MI SE OF LP 523, Wharton, TX

Built 2022 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 123

CR 103

Good

Over: BEE TREE BAYOU

1.80 MI N OF CO RD 194, Wharton, TX

Built 2018 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 210

CR 104

Good

Over: WATER HOLE CREEK

3.3 MI NE OF CR 147, Wharton, TX

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

CO RD 134

Good

Over: JARVIS CREEK

0.6 MI NE OF SH 60, Wharton, TX

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

CR 117

Good

Over: DRAW

0.8MI E OF CR 129, Wharton, TX

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 540
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.