Total bridges
36
Public highway bridges in Zapata County
County profile · official public datasets
Zapata County, TX
36 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 69.4% rated Good, 30.6% Fair, 0% Poor.
- 36
- Public bridges
- 69.4%
- Good condition
- 0%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Zapata County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 25%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 0%
- Poor-condition share
- 36
- public highway bridges
- 1961
- 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.
Zapata County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Zapata County ranks #61 of 247 Texas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 0%). Zapata County, Texas contains 36 public highway bridges. Roughly 69.4% are rated “Good,” 30.6% “Fair,” and 0% “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
69.4%
25 of 36 rated 7-9
Fair condition
30.6%
11 of 36 rated 5-6
Poor condition
0%
0 of 36 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#61 of 247
Among Texas counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 36 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 69.4% (25)
Fair 30.6% (11)
Poor 0% (0)
80.6% of Zapata County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
29 of the 36 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 69.4% 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.
When Zapata County's bridges were built
36 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1930s 5
1930–1939
5 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
16 bridges
- 1960s 6
1960–1969
6 bridges
- 1970s 5
1970–1979
5 bridges
- 1980s 2
1980–1989
2 bridges
- 2000s 1
2000–2009
1 bridges
- 2010s 1
2010–2019
1 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 16 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 44.4% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1961, 19 years older than the Texas average of 1980.
How Zapata County compares with Texas's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Texas counties nearest Zapata County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 0% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1961 against a peer-group mean of 1957 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 246 Texas counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upton County | 39 | 43.6% | 56.4% | 0% | 1947 |
| Kinney County | 38 | 44.7% | 55.3% | 0% | 1938 |
| Lipscomb County | 38 | 39.5% | 57.9% | 2.6% | 1966 |
| Hansford County | 36 | 36.1% | 63.9% | 0% | 1970 |
| Zapata County (this page) | 36 | 69.4% | 30.6% | 0% | 1961 |
| Hemphill County | 35 | 45.7% | 54.3% | 0% | 1964 |
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 Zapata 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 Zapata County, both outside Texas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside TX (36 bridges here).
- Banner County, NE · 36 bridges
- Sioux County, NE · 36 bridges
- Wahkiakum County, WA · 36 bridges
- Sitka City and County, AK · 37 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside TX (1961 here).
- Westchester County, NY · avg 1961 · 774 bridges
- Tehama County, CA · avg 1961 · 450 bridges
- Berkshire County, MA · avg 1961 · 450 bridges
- Schuylkill County, PA · avg 1961 · 368 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (36)
US 83
FairOver: Arroyo Dolores
12.1 Mi N of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1937 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 3,669
SH 16
FairOver: Draw
22.6 Mi NE of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 435
FM 2687
FairOver: Arroyo Charco Redondo
7.0 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 288
FM 3169
FairOver: DRAW
APPX 4.3 MI NE OF US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1971 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 191
US 83
FairOver: Arroyo Chilpin
10.7 Mi N of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1939 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 3,669
US 83
FairOver: Arroyo Grullo
0.6 Mi N of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1934 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 3,912
US 83 SB
FairOver: Arroyo Burro
4.6 Mi S of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,922
SH 16
FairOver: Arroyo Veleno
8.1 Mi NE of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1979 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 706
US 83
FairOver: Arroyo Tigre Grande
2.7 Mi S of FM 2687, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 2,699
US 83
FairOver: Arroyo Tigre Chiquito
6.1 Mi S of FM 2687, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 2,692
US 83
FairOver: Arroyo Salado
7.1 Mi N of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1935 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,669
US 83
GoodOver: Arroyo Molletes
9.7 Mi S of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 4,203
US 83
GoodOver: Arroyo Clareno
4.9 Mi NW of FM 2687, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,692
US 83
GoodOver: Draw
2.5 Mi N of FM 2687, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,692
US 83
GoodOver: Arroyo Los Guajes
8.9 Mi S of FM 2687, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,692
US 83
GoodOver: Arroyo Tinajas
9.6 Mi S of FM 2687, Zapata, TX
Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,446
SH 16
GoodOver: Draw
0.2 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1954 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 8,470
SH 16
GoodOver: Arroyo Indio
0.9 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1954 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 8,470
SH 16
GoodOver: Draw
4.0 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1954 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,750
SH 16
GoodOver: Draw
17.8 Mi NE of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1954 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 567
SH 16
GoodOver: Draw
4.7 Mi N of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,750
SH 16
GoodOver: Draw
5.5 Mi NE of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,750
SH 16
GoodOver: Escobas Creek
20.8 Mi NE of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 435
FM 496
GoodOver: Draw
1.8 Mi SW of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,101
FM 2687
GoodOver: Arroyo Miguel
0.5 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 288
FM 2687
GoodOver: Arroyo Correhuela
3.3 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 288
FM 2687
GoodOver: Draw
4.7 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 288
FM 2687
GoodOver: Draw
6.3 Mi E of US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 288
FM 3169
GoodOver: EL GRULLO CREEK
APPX 1.3 MI NE OF US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1971 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 286
FM 3169
GoodOver: DRAIN
APPX 8.2 MI NE OF US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 191
FM 3169
GoodOver: ARROYO BLANCAS
APPX 9.8 MI NE OF US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 100
FM 3169
GoodOver: DRAIN
APPX 14.2 MI NE OF US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 1982 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 100
US 83 NB
GoodOver: Arroyo Burro
4.6 Mi S of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,281
US 83
GoodOver: Arroyo Veleno
1.6 MI. S Of SH 16, Zapata, TX
Built 2018 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 21,575
SH 16
GoodOver: ARROYO COSTA RICA
1.18 MILE EAST OF US 83, Zapata, TX
Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,750
US 83
GoodOver: Arroyo San Francisco
2.7 Mi N of FM 3169, Zapata, TX
Built 1934 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 3,912
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.