State profile · Below median Poor share

Maryland bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Maryland.

5,484
Public bridges
32.3%
Good condition
4.6%
Poor condition

Maryland holds 5,484 public highway bridges (#34 of 52 by inventory) with a 4.56% Poor share (#38 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 4.6% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 15 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

5,484

Public highway bridges in Maryland

Good Condition

32.3%

1,771 bridges rated 7-9

-17.7pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

4.6%

250 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-3.0pp vs national avg 7.5%

Maryland vs national bridge condition

Maryland - Good condition share 32.3%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Maryland - Poor-condition share 15.2%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Maryland in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Maryland has 5,484 bridges and a 4.6% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #15 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Maryland has 5,484 bridges and a 4.6% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #15 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Maryland vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

5,484 34th of 54 higher than 20 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Maryland

The highlighted point is Maryland: 5,484 bridges and 4.56% in Poor condition, rank #15 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Maryland on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Minnesota: 13,532 bridges · 4.44% Poor
  • New Mexico: 4,035 bridges · 4.51% Poor
  • Maryland: 5,484 bridges · 4.56% Poor
  • Oregon: 8,305 bridges · 4.61% Poor
  • Connecticut: 4,365 bridges · 4.72% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Maryland

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 5,484 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Maryland’s inventory

State agency holds 53.4% of the 5,484 public highway bridges filed under Maryland in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Maryland’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 15.9% of the 5,484 bridges with a recorded original year in Maryland. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Maryland32.3%63.1%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Maryland (FHWA NBI)

Maryland vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Maryland on the same metric.

MN

Minnesota

4.44% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$13,532

NM

New Mexico

4.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,035
Selected

MD

Maryland

4.56% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,484

OR

Oregon

4.61% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,305

CT

Connecticut

4.72% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,365

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Maryland

Six lowest-condition bridges in Maryland, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

All Bridges in Maryland

MD 56

Good

Over: IS 70

1.46 MILES S OF US 40, Washington, MD

Built 1964 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 1,325

CHERRY HILL ROAD

Good

Over: IS 495 IL & IS 95 RMP 4

0.75 MI N OF US 1, Prince George's, MD

Built 1987 Load: 78.5 t ADT: 20,920

US 50

Good

Over: YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER

0.9 MI E OF W VA ST LINE, Garrett, MD

Built 2017 Load: 78.7 t ADT: 1,250

CHESTERFIELD ROAD

Good

Over: BACON RIDGE BRANCH

0.26 MI W OF HAWKINS ROAD, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 2017 Load: 78.7 t ADT: 1,276

JERUSALEM ROAD

Good

Over: LITTLE GUNPOWDER FALLS

2 MI E OF US RTE 1, Baltimore, MD

Built 1993 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 3,035

MAXWELL COURT

Good

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

0.4 Mile West of MD 1, Howard, MD

Built 1995 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 50

MD 157

Good

Over: MD 158 WBR

0.11 MILE NORTH OF MD 695, Baltimore, MD

Built 1957 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 8,161

PYRITE LANE

Good

Over: JAMES CREEK

1.4 MILES EAST OF MD-97, Montgomery, MD

Built 2005 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 518

EASTERN BOULEVARD

Good

Over: HAMILTON RUN

0.3 MI W. OF US RTE 40, Washington, MD

Built 1995 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 7,080

US 15 NBR

Good

Over: FLAT RUN

0.2 MILE SOUTH OF MD 140, Frederick, MD

Built 1981 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 18,340

CROMWELL VALLEY PA

Good

Over: MINEBANK RUN

0.2 MI N OF MD RTE 567, Baltimore, MD

Built 2006 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 332

WATERFORD MILL ROA

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO COLLINGTON

1.0 MILES SOUTH OF US 50, Prince George's, MD

Built 2009 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 1,277

MD 36

Good

Over: NEFF RUN

0.05 M N OF OMARAS AVENUE, Allegany, MD

Built 1987 Load: 80.3 t ADT: 7,706

CHANDLER DRIVE

Good

Over: BEAVER RUN

87 FT SOUTH OF POOLE ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1998 Load: 80.3 t ADT: 825

ROCK HALL ROAD

Good

Over: WASHINGTON RUN

1200 FT. S. OF ROUTE 28, Frederick, MD

Built 1983 Load: 80.3 t ADT: 202

BEAVER DAM ROAD

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

0.8 MI NORTH OF MD 75, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 80.3 t ADT: 53

MD 75

Good

Over: HAINES BRANCH

0.56 MI S OF CARROLL CO, Frederick, MD

Built 2015 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 1,150

MD 807

Good

Over: PEA VINE RUN

0.86 MILE SOUTH OF US 220, Allegany, MD

Built 2002 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 5,092

NATL HARBOR N. RD

Good

Over: IS 295 RAMP O

0.5 MILE WEST OF MD 210, Prince George's, MD

Built 2008 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 191,981

CATHOLIC CHURCH RD

Good

Over: BROAD RUN

0.6 MI N OF GAPLAND RD, Frederick, MD

Built 1974 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 331

DORSET AVENUE

Good

Over: WILLETT BRANCH

1 MI N OF MD RTE 190, Montgomery, MD

Built 1999 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 1,744

NAYLOR MILL ROAD

Good

Over: US 50

AT US 50, Wicomico, MD

Built 2001 Load: 81.2 t ADT: 13,290

EMERSON BURRIER RO

Good

Over: TALBOT BRANCH

0.4 MI S OF WOODVILLE RD, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 81.2 t ADT: 175

MD 151 RAMP 8

Good

Over: MD 151B (Wharf Road)

0.4 MILE SOUTH OF MD 158, Baltimore, MD

Built 2022 Load: 81.3 t ADT: 12,750

BADEN NAYLOR ROAD

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.11 MILES SW OF MD 382, Prince George's, MD

Built 2013 Load: 81.3 t ADT: 797

MD 470

Good

Over: TOMAKOKIN CREEK

0.88 MILE SOUTH OF MD 242, St. Mary's, MD

Built 1997 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 1,162

SANDS ROAD

Good

Over: WILSON OWENS BRANCH

1 MI N OF MD 408, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 2016 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 2,393

WELLER ROAD

Good

Over: CHURCH BRANCH

0.37 MI EAST OF MD 75, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 1,131

IS 195 SBR

Good

Over: CSX TRANSPORTATION

0.26 MILE NORTH OF US 1, Baltimore, MD

Built 1972 Load: 82.1 t ADT: 41,831

BASSFORD ROAD

Good

Over: SWANSON CREEK

EAGLE RIDGE SUBDIVISION, Charles, MD

Built 2007 Load: 82.1 t ADT: 2,180

FOREST SCHOOL ROAD

Good

Over: MIDDLE CREEK

AT BRANDENBURG HOLLOW RD, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 82.1 t ADT: 125

SPRUCE RUN ROAD

Good

Over: SPRUCE RUN

0.6 MI NORTH OF MD 17, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 82.1 t ADT: 166

MONROE ROAD

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY OF LITTLE ANTI

0.07 MI N OF MD RTE 34, Washington, MD

Built 1996 Load: 82.1 t ADT: 203

IS 70 RAMP 7

Good

Over: US 40 RAMP 5

0.46 MILE NORTH OF IS 70, Frederick, MD

Built 2002 Load: 82.5 t ADT: 3,723

BLADES ROAD

Good

Over: HUNTING CREEK

CAROLINE - DOR. CO LINE, Caroline, MD

Built 2005 Load: 82.5 t ADT: 568

Bellows Spring Ele

Good

Over: Deep Run Creek

BELLOW SPRING ELEM SCHOOL, Howard, MD

Built 2003 Load: 82.5 t ADT: 500

BW PARKWAY (SBL)

Good

Over: MD ROUTE 410

1.1 MILES NORTH OF MD ROU, Prince George's, MD

Built 1997 Load: 82.5 t ADT: 40,000

MD 550

Good

Over: ISRAEL CREEK

0.24 MILE SOUTH OF MD 194, Frederick, MD

Built 2015 Load: 82.9 t ADT: 3,450

IS 68 WBR

Good

Over: STREET ROAD

0.92 M E OF BR NO 0114600, Allegany, MD

Built 1990 Load: 83.0 t ADT: 19,030

MD 221A NE RAMP 2

Good

Over: TRIB TO SOUTHWEST BRANCH

0.07 MILE SOUTH OF IS 95, Prince George's, MD

Built 2004 Load: 83.0 t ADT: 8,391

HALFWAY BLVD

Good

Over: IS 81

1.0 MILE NORTH OF IS 70, Washington, MD

Built 2001 Load: 83.0 t ADT: 13,020

SKIDMORE ROAD

Good

Over: GILLIS FALLS

.2 MI N OF BRADDOCK RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1988 Load: 83.0 t ADT: 360

COMMO ROAD

Good

Over: PISCATAWAY CREEK

.74 MI E FRANK TIPPETT RD, Prince George's, MD

Built 1935 Load: 83.3 t ADT: 2,920

CHILLUM ROAD

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO NORTHWEST B

0.35 MI S OF MD 500, Prince George's, MD

Built 2020 Load: 83.9 t ADT: 8,951

GARIS SHOP ROAD

Good

Over: ANTIETAM CREEK

0.64 M SW OF ALT US RT 40, Washington, MD

Built 1839 Load: 84.4 t ADT: 1,698

MD 7

Good

Over: WINTERS RUN

0.33 M S OF EDGEWOOD ROAD, Harford, MD

Built 1991 Load: 84.8 t ADT: 7,300

MASON ROAD

Good

Over: ROCKY GAP RUN

0.23 MI S OF ROCKY GAP RD, Allegany, MD

Built 2017 Load: 84.9 t ADT: 205

EAST OAK RIDGE DRI

Good

Over: ANTIETAM CREEK

0.09 MI W OF ALT US RT 40, Washington, MD

Built 1833 Load: 85.1 t ADT: 12,292

MOLASSES ROAD

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

AT DOTTERER RD INTERSECTN, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 85.3 t ADT: 141

FOX RUN DRIVE

Good

Over: TRIB TO PISCATAWAY CREEK

0.2 MI N OF SURRATTS ROAD, Prince George's, MD

Built 1988 Load: 85.3 t ADT: 3,885

Showing 4,951-5,000 of 5,484 bridges

Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

What to do with this

Use Maryland's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Maryland and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Maryland Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.