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

Poor-condition bridges (69)

COUNTY ROUTE 60/5

Poor

Over: UPTON CREEK

0.12 MI E OF CR 12/7, Kanawha, WV

Built 1917 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 600

MARMET CITY STREET

Poor

Over: LENS CREEK

0.01 MI E OF WV 94, Kanawha, WV

Built 1992 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROUTE 7/11

Poor

Over: ROCKY FORK CREEK

0.09 MI E OF WV 622, Kanawha, WV

Built 1980 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 20

HARP ROUTE 901/29

Poor

Over: KELLY CREEK

0.01 MILE WEST OF CR 7, Kanawha, WV

Built 1992 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 30

CR 39

Poor

Over: LITTLE SANDY CREEK

0.05 MI N OF CR 43, Kanawha, WV

Built 1928 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 900

COUNTY ROUTE 43

Poor

Over: POCA FK OF LTL SANDY CR

0.03 MI S OF CR 54, Kanawha, WV

Built 1948 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 1,000

CR 27/6

Poor

Over: EDENS FORK

0.10 MIL S OF CR 27, Kanawha, WV

Built 1971 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 20

CR 46

Poor

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

0.86 MI E OF CR 46/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1924 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 1,100

CR 83/3

Poor

Over: PAINT CREEK

0.03 MI S OF CR 83, Kanawha, WV

Built 1921 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 300

LOUDEN HEIGHTS RD.

Poor

Over: FORK OF PORTERS HOLLOW

1.40 MI S OF WV 61 F, Kanawha, WV

Built 1924 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,500

CR 79/35

Poor

Over: CABIN CREEK

0.01 MILE W OF CR 79/35, Kanawha, WV

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 30

CR. 23

Poor

Over: KANAWHA FK OF DAVIS CK

0.04 MI S OF CR 23/15, Kanawha, WV

Built 1981 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 40

CR 64/2

Poor

Over: LITTLE BLUE CREEK

0.23 MI E OF CR 59, Kanawha, WV

Built 1984 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 30

CR 70

Poor

Over: LEFT FK WITCHER CREEK

0.01 MI WEST OF CR 70/3, Kanawha, WV

Built 1971 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 150

CR 59

Poor

Over: THOROFARE RUN

0.98 MI N OF US 119 (T), Kanawha, WV

Built 1940 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 950

COUNTY ROUTE 12

Poor

Over: SMITH CREEK

0.80 MI E OF CR 12/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1940 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,000

CR. 51/3

Poor

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

1.00 MI N CR 114/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1988 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 450

US 60

Poor

Over: KANAWHA RIVER & BLVD

0.08 MI E OF WV 61, Kanawha, WV

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 15,950

COUNTY ROUTE 60/12

Poor

Over: GEORGES CREEK

0.05 MI N OF CR 60/11, Kanawha, WV

Built 1954 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 900

CR 63

Poor

Over: FALLING ROCK CREEK

0.01 MI S OF CR 58, Kanawha, WV

Built 1951 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 200

CR 72/1

Poor

Over: SLAUGHTER CREEK

0.01 MI W OF CR 72, Kanawha, WV

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 200

WV 94

Poor

Over: FOURMILE FORK OF LENS CK

0.01 MI S OF CR 44, Kanawha, WV

Built 1933 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 5,000

WV 62

Poor

Over: TYLER CREEK

0.32 MI N CR 25/25, Kanawha, WV

Built 1930 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 7,900

CR 79/3

Poor

Over: BEAR HOLLOW CREEK

0.89 MI N OF DELTA RT 7, Kanawha, WV

Built 1940 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,100

CR 46

Poor

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

0.02 MI E OF CR 46/4 SLS, Kanawha, WV

Built 1960 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 550

WV 25

Poor

Over: KANAWHA TWOMILE CREEK

0.04 MI W OF US 60 WBL, Kanawha, WV

Built 1943 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 11,600

CR 46

Poor

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

0.40 MI EAST OF CR 46/2, Kanawha, WV

Built 1960 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 850

CR 61/11

Poor

Over: MORRIS CREEK

0.04 MI E OF CR 61/10, Kanawha, WV

Built 1930 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 450

COUNTY ROUTE 77/1

Poor

Over: FIELDS CREEK

0.70 MI S OF WV 61(F), Kanawha, WV

Built 1977 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 1,700

CR 36

Poor

Over: I-77

0.18 MI E OF CR 36/1 SLS, Kanawha, WV

Built 1959 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 150

I-77 NB & SB

Poor

Over: US 60

1.35 MI N of US 60 (T), Kanawha, WV

Built 1975 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 47,700

COUNTY ROUTE 1/3

Poor

Over: BROWNS CREEK

0.07 MILE S OF CR 1, Kanawha, WV

Built 2003 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 250

CR 57

Poor

Over: SLACK BRANCH OF BLUE CK

0.08 MI S OF CR 49, Kanawha, WV

Built 1980 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 400

COUNTY ROUTE 9

Poor

Over: COAL RIVER

0.07 MI S OF CR 9/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1969 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,700

I-64 RAMP B

Poor

Over: WV25

0.17 MI E OF CR 25/10, Kanawha, WV

Built 1965 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 28,000

US 60 WB

Poor

Over: WITCHER CREEK

0.18 MI E OF CR 70, Kanawha, WV

Built 1969 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 9,200

US 60 EB

Poor

Over: WITCHER CREEK

0.18 MI E OF CR 70, Kanawha, WV

Built 1969 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,457

WV 622

Poor

Over: ROCKY FORK

0.04 MILE N OF CR 5/3, Kanawha, WV

Built 1971 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 14,800

CR 25/47

Poor

Over: 10TH st. US Rt 60 Kan R

0.10 MI N OF JCT US 60, Kanawha, WV

Built 1953 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 18,959

COUNTY ROUTE 46

Poor

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

0.29 MI E OF CR 46/2, Kanawha, WV

Built 1960 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 850

I-77 NB

Poor

Over: CR 21

0.99 MI N OF CR 28 SLS, Kanawha, WV

Built 1959 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,821

CR 60/64

Poor

Over: First Avenue & CSX RR

0.20 MI S OF US 60, Kanawha, WV

Built 1974 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,800

COUNTY ROUTE 61/13

Poor

Over: I-64 EB & WB

0.03 MI W OF CR 61/12, Kanawha, WV

Built 1973 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,900

COUNTY ROUTE 81

Poor

Over: ROCKCAMP FK OF BELLS CR

1.06 MI E OF CR 81/11, Kanawha, WV

Built 1950 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 350

QUARRIER STREET

Poor

Over: COLUMBIA AVE & ELK RIVER

0.01 MI E OF I-64, Kanawha, WV

Built 1955 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 6,200

I-79 NBL

Poor

Over: CR 53 & GABES CREEK

6.29 MI. N. OF CR 43, Kanawha, WV

Built 1976 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 11,300

CR 77/3

Poor

Over: FIELDS CREEK

0.10 MI S OF CR 77/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1975 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 10

COUNTY ROUTE 60/18

Poor

Over: US 60 & CR 60/20

0.04 MI N OF CR 60/21, Kanawha, WV

Built 1965 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 400

CR 60/64

Poor

Over: I-64 EB & WB

0.25 MI S OF US 60, Kanawha, WV

Built 1974 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 15,600

COUNTY ROUTE 77/2

Poor

Over: FIELDS CREEK

0.02 MI E OF CR 77/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1975 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 30

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.