County profile · official public datasets

Ritchie County, WV

127 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 33.9% rated Good, 39.4% Fair, 26.8% Poor.

127
Public bridges
33.9%
Good condition
26.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Ritchie County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

50th
of 55 on Poor share
26.8%
Poor-condition share
127
public highway bridges
1967
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.

Ritchie County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Ritchie County ranks #50 of 55 West Virginia counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 26.8%). Ritchie County, West Virginia contains 127 public highway bridges. Roughly 33.9% are rated “Good,” 39.4% “Fair,” and 26.8% “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

127

Public highway bridges in Ritchie County

Good condition

33.9%

43 of 127 rated 7-9

Fair condition

39.4%

50 of 127 rated 5-6

Poor condition

26.8%

34 of 127 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#50 of 55

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

Condition distribution

Share of 127 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
33.9% (43)
Fair
39.4% (50)
Poor
26.8% (34)

Ritchie County's Poor-condition bridges carry 10,129 vehicle crossings a day

That is 8.4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 26.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 298 crossings a day against 888 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 127 of 127 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

51.2% of Ritchie County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

65 of the 127 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 33.9% 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 11.8% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

WEST VIRGINIA 16 over WIGNER RUN, built 1926, carries 1,200 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 34-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 10,129 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Ritchie County's bridges were built

127 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 21 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 16.5% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1967, 13 years older than the West Virginia average of 1980.

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

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

The 5 West Virginia counties nearest Ritchie County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 26.8% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1967 against a peer-group mean of 1983 is 16 years older.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Ritchie County and the 5 West Virginia counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Putnam County 135 15.6%
Boone County 131 16%
Hardy County 131 8.4%
Roane County 130 26.2%
Ritchie County (this page) 127 26.8%
Berkeley County 119 5%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside WV (127 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside WV (1967 here).

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

All 127 Good 43 Fair 50 Poor 34

Good-condition bridges (43)

COUNTY ROUTE 22/3

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.01 MI E OF CR 7/18, Ritchie, WV

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 30

County Route 16/4

Good

Over: Bonds Creek

0.49 Mi East of CR 50/29, Ritchie, WV

Built 2012 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 90

WEST VIRGINIA 16

Good

Over: HUSHERS RUN

0.14 MILE SOUTH CR 50/39, Ritchie, WV

Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,000

COUNTY ROUTE 17

Good

Over: DOG RUN

0.06 MILE WEST OF CR 17/9, Ritchie, WV

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 150

West Virginia 47

Good

Over: South Fork Hughes River

0.06 M East of CR 47/20, Ritchie, WV

Built 2012 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 650

COUNTY ROUTE 50/34

Good

Over: Bonds Creek

0.23 MILE WEST OF WV 16, Ritchie, WV

Built 2020 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 550

WEST VIRGINIA 74

Good

Over: Long Run

0.02 MI SOUTH CR 7/24, Ritchie, WV

Built 2021 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 750

WV 31

Good

Over: North Fork Hughes River

.10 Mi.South To C.R. 31/4, Ritchie, WV

Built 2019 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 700

COUNTY ROUTE 5

Good

Over: THIRD RUN

0.22 MIL EAST OF CR 31/10, Ritchie, WV

Built 2002 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 300

County Route 7/13

Good

Over: South Fork Hughes River

0.22 MI. W of C.R. 22, Ritchie, WV

Built 2018 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 20

WEST VIRGINIA 47

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.08 MILE EAST OF CR 47/7, Ritchie, WV

Built 2022 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 600

WEST VIRGINIA 31

Good

Over: BACK RUN

0.02 NORTH OF CR 31/13, Ritchie, WV

Built 2000 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 700

COUNTY ROUTE 5

Good

Over: NORTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.01 MILE EAST OF CR 8, Ritchie, WV

Built 2003 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 200

CR 47/11

Good

Over: Grass Run

0.03 Mi East of CR 28/8, Ritchie, WV

Built 2016 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 50

WV. 16

Good

Over: WV. 16 & N. FK HUGES RV.

0.06 MI. S. CR. 12, Ritchie, WV

Built 1976 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 5,000

COUNTY ROUTE 34

Good

Over: BONE CREEK

0.03 MILE WEST OF WV 74, Ritchie, WV

Built 1998 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 70

COUNTY ROUTE 31/5

Good

Over: RUSH RUN

0.01 MI. S. OF CR. 14, Ritchie, WV

Built 2022 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 10

COUNTY ROUTE 10

Good

Over: SUGAR RUN

0.25 MILE EAST OF US 50, Ritchie, WV

Built 1997 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 550

WEST VIRGINIA 74

Good

Over: BRANCH LEFT FORK SLAB CK

0.01 MILE SOUTH OF CR 7/7, Ritchie, WV

Built 2007 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 400

COUNTY ROUTE 5

Good

Over: GOOSE CREEK

0.05 MI. E. OF C/R 50/34, Ritchie, WV

Built 2012 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 200

US 50 EBL

Good

Over: Bonds Creek

0.82 MI. E OF CR 8, Ritchie, WV

Built 1970 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,950

US 50 WBL

Good

Over: Bonds Creek

0.82 MI. E OF CR 8, Ritchie, WV

Built 1970 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,950

COUNTY ROUTE 21

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.06 MILE SOUTH OF WV 47, Ritchie, WV

Built 1981 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 300

COUNTY ROUTE 24

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.01 M EAST OF WV 16, Ritchie, WV

Built 1992 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 250

COUNTY ROAD 18

Good

Over: NUTTER FK. OF GOOSE CK.

0.09 MI. S. OF US. 50, Ritchie, WV

Built 1991 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 250

COUNTY ROUTE 22/3

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.01 MI.W.OF CR 22, Ritchie, WV

Built 1981 Load: 47.2 t ADT: 80

CR28

Good

Over: Slab Creek

0.01 MI W of CR 28/4, Ritchie, WV

Built 2018 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 80

WEST VIRGINIA 16

Good

Over: LEATHERBARK CREEK

0.03 M SOUTH OF CR 16/19, Ritchie, WV

Built 1996 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 750

WV 74

Good

Over: Right Fork Slab Creek

0.5 Mi North of CR 7/12, Ritchie, WV

Built 2017 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 400

COUNTY ROUTE 19

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.01 M WEST OF CR 19/10, Ritchie, WV

Built 1993 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 200

COUNTY ROUTE 7/14

Good

Over: BONE CREEK

0.01 MILE W FO CR 28/2, Ritchie, WV

Built 2001 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROUTE 13

Good

Over: LAUREL FORK OF GOOSE CRK

2.17 MILE WEST OF CR 11, Ritchie, WV

Built 2002 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 50

COUNTY ROUTE 74/3

Good

Over: NORTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.04 MILE WEST OF WV 74, Ritchie, WV

Built 2000 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROUTE 19

Good

Over: LONG RUN

0.03 MI E OF CR 28, Ritchie, WV

Built 1992 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 250

CR 10/4

Good

Over: LYNNCAMP RUN

0.23 MI. S. OF CR 10, Ritchie, WV

Built 1996 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY ROUTE 1

Good

Over: BONDS CREEK

0.10 MILE S OF CR 16/4, Ritchie, WV

Built 2003 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 500

WEST VIRGINIA 47

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.02 MILE EAST OF CR 32, Ritchie, WV

Built 2001 Load: 61.7 t ADT: 650

COUNTY ROUTE 10

Good

Over: NORTH FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.05 MILE WEST OD CR 7/1, Ritchie, WV

Built 1994 Load: 62.6 t ADT: 30

CR. 50/4

Good

Over: GOOSE CREEK

0.05 MI. S. OF CR. 50/34, Ritchie, WV

Built 1990 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 10

COUNTY ROUTE 16/4

Good

Over: BONDS CREEK

0.02 M WEST OF CR 50/29, Ritchie, WV

Built 1989 Load: 71.7 t ADT: 90

CR 28/2

Good

Over: S. FORK HUGHES RIVER

0.03 MI.S.CR.28, Ritchie, WV

Built 1996 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 40

US 50 EBL & WBL

Good

Over: MARIETTA RUN

AT JCT. US. 50&CR 50/2, Ritchie, WV

Built 1969 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 8,200

COUNTY ROUTE 12

Good

Over: WV 12 BUNNELL ROAD

1.52 MI S OF WV 16, Ritchie, WV

Built 2004 Load: 88.9 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.