County profile · official public datasets

Kanawha County, WV

554 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 20.6% rated Good, 67% Fair, 12.5% Poor.

554
Public bridges
20.6%
Good condition
12.5%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Kanawha County posts a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.

Top 18%
lowest Poor share in state
12.5%
Poor-condition share
554
public highway bridges
1982
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.

Kanawha County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Kanawha County ranks #10 of 55 West Virginia counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 12.5%). Kanawha County, West Virginia contains 554 public highway bridges. Roughly 20.6% are rated “Good,” 67% “Fair,” and 12.5% “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

554

Public highway bridges in Kanawha County

Good condition

20.6%

114 of 554 rated 7-9

Fair condition

67%

371 of 554 rated 5-6

Poor condition

12.5%

69 of 554 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#10 of 55

Among West Virginia counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 554 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
20.6% (114)
Fair
67% (371)
Poor
12.5% (69)

Kanawha County's Poor-condition bridges carry 295,534 vehicle crossings a day

That is 5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 12.5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 4,283 crossings a day against 3,221 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 554 of 554 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

30.3% of Kanawha County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

168 of the 554 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 20.6% 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 16.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

I-77 NB & SB over US 60, built 1975, carries 47,700 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 69-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 295,534 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Kanawha County's bridges were built

554 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 157 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1982) matches the West Virginia average (1980).

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

How Kanawha County compares with West Virginia's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 West Virginia counties nearest Kanawha County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 12.5% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1982 against a peer-group mean of 1981 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 54 West Virginia counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Kanawha County and the 5 West Virginia counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Kanawha County (this page) 554 12.5%
Harrison County 256 25%
Logan County 236 23.7%
McDowell County 225 31.6%
Raleigh County 224 24.6%
Fayette County 211 13.3%

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 Kanawha 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 Kanawha County, both outside West Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside WV (554 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside WV (1982 here).

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

All 554 Good 114 Fair 371 Poor 69

Good-condition bridges (114)

CR214/13

Good

Over: Davis Ck and Kramer St.

0.01 Mi. S of WV601, Kanawha, WV

Built 2023 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,500

COUNTY ROUTE 35/7

Good

Over: ARMOUR CREEK

0.01 MI S OF CR 35/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1972 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 40

COUNTY ROUTE 26

Good

Over: HOLMES BR OF EDENS FORK

0.55 MI N OF CR 27, Kanawha, WV

Built 1972 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 700

COUNTY ROUTE 26

Good

Over: HOLMES BR OF EDENS FORK

0.01 MI S OF CR 26/6, Kanawha, WV

Built 1972 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 550

CR 219/32

Good

Over: ELK RIVER

0.04 MI S OF US 119, Kanawha, WV

Built 2015 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 350

US 119

Good

Over: COOPERS CREEK

0.07 MI N OF WV 114, Kanawha, WV

Built 2013 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 9,000

US 119 CORRIDOR G

Good

Over: ALUM CREEK

0.10 MI N OF CR 11, Kanawha, WV

Built 1982 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 26,500

I-77 NB & SB

Good

Over: RT FK KANAWHA TWOMILE CK

0.25 MI N OF CR 27, Kanawha, WV

Built 1971 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 41,700

WV 61

Good

Over: UPPER CREEK

1.06 MI NORTH OF CR 16/11, Kanawha, WV

Built 2003 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 2,000

CR 21

Good

Over: KANAWHA TWOMILE CREEK

1.39 MI. N OF US 60 WEST, Kanawha, WV

Built 2019 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 6,000

COUNTY ROUTE 46

Good

Over: ELK TWO MILE CREEK

0.02 MILE E OF CR 462, Kanawha, WV

Built 2010 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,000

CR 114/1

Good

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

0.08 MILE N OF WV114, Kanawha, WV

Built 2014 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 2,000

CR 19

Good

Over: LT FK OF POCATALICO RV

0.01 MI N OR CR 21, Kanawha, WV

Built 2022 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 800

CR 79/3

Good

Over: Cabin Ck at Dry Branch

1.7mi South of WV61, Kanawha, WV

Built 2023 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 3,600

STATE ROUTE 114

Good

Over: COOPERS CREEK

0.03 MI S OF 41/3 SLS, Kanawha, WV

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,500

WV 114

Good

Over: COOPERS CREEK

0.02 MI N OF CR 41, Kanawha, WV

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,600

I-79 NORTH & SOUTH

Good

Over: WILLS CREEK

0.34 MI N OF CR 43, Kanawha, WV

Built 1976 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 24,000

COUNTY ROUTE 79/3

Good

Over: GREENS BR OF CABIN CREEK

3.70 MI N OF CR 79/12, Kanawha, WV

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,500

WV 114

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.38 MI N. OF CR 51/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,800

COUNTY ROUTE 43/4

Good

Over: LITTLE SANDY CREEK

0.02 MIL EAST OF CR 43, Kanawha, WV

Built 2002 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 50

CR 59

Good

Over: Little Blue Creek

4.63 MI. N of US 119, Kanawha, WV

Built 2022 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 150

I-77S RAMP WR

Good

Over: CHARLESTON MAINT. LOT

0.43 MILES EAST OF US 60, Kanawha, WV

Built 1975 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,500

CR 79/6

Good

Over: CABIN CREEK

0.01 MI W OF CR 79/3, Kanawha, WV

Built 1984 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 70

CR 15/3

Good

Over: MIDDLE FK OF DAVIS CR

0.04 MI W OF CR 15, Kanawha, WV

Built 1996 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 10

COUNTY RT 83/1

Good

Over: PAINT CREEK

0.01 M S OF CR 83, Kanawha, WV

Built 1997 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 40

VIRGINIA STREET

Good

Over: ELK RIVER

0.10 MI E OF US 119 NB, Kanawha, WV

Built 1991 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 7,000

CR 160/1

Good

Over: NORFOLK & SOUTHERN RAIL

0.13 MILE S OF US 60, Kanawha, WV

Built 1998 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 2,900

CR 83/2

Good

Over: OVER PAINT CREEK

0.01 miles East of CR 83, Kanawha, WV

Built 2011 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 90

I-77 NB

Good

Over: CR 29 & TUPPER CREEK

1.05 MI N OF CR 29, Kanawha, WV

Built 2014 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 12,821

CR 52

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK

0.07 MI S OF CR 57, Kanawha, WV

Built 2020 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 600

I-77 SB

Good

Over: CR 28 & TUPPER CREEK

2.34 MI N OF CR 29, Kanawha, WV

Built 2014 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 12,821

CR 79/3

Good

Over: CABIN CREEK

0.17 MI N OF CR 79/5, Kanawha, WV

Built 1988 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 6,200

WV 622

Good

Over: TUPPERS CREEK

0.05 MI N OF CR 32, Kanawha, WV

Built 1988 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,500

COUNTY RT 901/60

Good

Over: TRACE FORK

0.01 MI W OF CR 161, Kanawha, WV

Built 2011 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 30

CR 79/2

Good

Over: CABIN CREEK

0.5 MI S OF CR 79/3, Kanawha, WV

Built 2016 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 20

CR 73/5

Good

Over: RENSFORD CREEK

1.89 MI E OF CR 73, Kanawha, WV

Built 2017 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,100

COUNTY ROUTE 12

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

0.39 MI E OF CR 9, Kanawha, WV

Built 1996 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 1,000

WV 61

Good

Over: FIELDS CREEK

0.11 MIL N. OF CR 771, Kanawha, WV

Built 2007 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 3,300

CR 15

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK OF DAVIS CK

0.17 MI SOUTH OF CR 15/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 2012 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 150

CR 24

Good

Over: RICH FORK

0.51 MI NORTH of CR 27/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 2019 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 650

WV. 622

Good

Over: ROCKY FORK

0.17 MI N OF CR 7/9, Kanawha, WV

Built 1988 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 2,800

I-77 NB & SB

Good

Over: WESTMORELAND ROAD

0.54 MI N OF I-64, Kanawha, WV

Built 1974 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 95,100

COUNTY ROUTE 81

Good

Over: KELLY CREEK BR

0.76 MI E OF CR 818 SLS, Kanawha, WV

Built 2008 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,200

COUNTY ROUTE 15

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK DAVIS CR

0.27 MI. NORTH OF CR 15/3, Kanawha, WV

Built 2010 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 200

CR 50

Good

Over: QUEEN SHOALS CREEK

0.34 MI N OF CR 1/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 2017 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 90

CR 21/24

Good

Over: KANAWHA TWOMILE

0.02 MI N OF CR 27/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 2016 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 350

CR 73/5

Good

Over: POINTLICK FORK

0.55 MI E OF CR 73, Kanawha, WV

Built 1996 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 2,400

COUNTY ROUTE 8/6

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY OF MILE CREEK

0.01 MI W OF CR 8, Kanawha, WV

Built 2006 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 150

CR 955

Good

Over: AARONS FORK

0.02 MILE SOUTH CR 39, Kanawha, WV

Built 2010 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 20

I-77 NB

Good

Over: CR 19 & ALLEN FORK

1.28 MI N OF CR 21/17, Kanawha, WV

Built 1959 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 14,800

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.