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

SANDCHAIN ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER

.03 MI W OF YOUNGHEART, Howard, MD

Built 1972 Load: 21.3 t ADT: 1,209

PHOENIX ROAD

Poor

Over: GUNPOWDER FALLS

1.3 MI E YORK RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1922 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 2,132

HARRY S TRUMAN DRI

Poor

Over: SOUTHWEST BRANCH

1.48 MI SOUTH OF MD 214, Prince George's, MD

Built 1974 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 16,141

DOUBLE HILL ROAD

Poor

Over: WATTS CREEK

0.47 MI NE OF MD 404, Caroline, MD

Built 1913 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 570

MILL RUN ROAD

Poor

Over: MILL RUN

1.2 M NE FRNDSVLLEADDISON, Garrett, MD

Built 1984 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 27

STABLERS CHURCH RO

Poor

Over: LITTLE FALLS

1.0 MI W OF YORK RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1975 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 690

TRINITY CHURCH RD

Poor

Over: GILBERT SWAMP RUN

2.05 MILES S OF MD 6, Charles, MD

Built 1927 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 600

CARROLLTON ROAD

Poor

Over: EAST BRANCH PATAPSCO RIV

0.59 MI E OF RIDGE ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 590

MARTINSBURG ROAD

Poor

Over: POTOMAC RIVER TRIBUTARY

1.2 MI N OF WHITES FERRY, Montgomery, MD

Built 1925 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,322

SPARKS ROAD

Poor

Over: GUNPOWDER FALLS

0.5 MI E OF YORK RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1888 Load: 23.1 t ADT: 1,100

TEMPLE HILL ROAD

Poor

Over: TINKERS CREEK

1.91 MILES N OF MD 223, Prince George's, MD

Built 1960 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 13,216

US 522

Poor

Over: POTOMAC RIV CSX TRANS.

On West Virginia line, Washington, MD

Built 1937 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 10,550

GRIER NURSERY ROAD

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

1.0 MILE S OF CHERRY H RD, Harford, MD

Built 1955 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,660

TRAPPE CHURCH ROAD

Poor

Over: HOLLANDS BRANCH

1.1 MILES SW OF MD 161, Harford, MD

Built 1952 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 591

STATE PARK ROAD

Poor

Over: CHERRY CREEK

0.1 MI S INT ROCK LODGE R, Garrett, MD

Built 1970 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 655

PFEFFERKORN ROAD

Poor

Over: MIDDLE PATUXENT RIVER

1 MI S OF MD RTE 144, Howard, MD

Built 1935 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 1,116

BARNES ROAD

Poor

Over: BENNETT CREEK

0.1 MI N OF CLARKSBURG RD, Montgomery, MD

Built 1925 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 600

WALKER ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE FALLS

200 FT S STABLERS CHURCH, Baltimore, MD

Built 1915 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 548

HANOVER STREET

Poor

Over: MIDDLE BRANCH

0.5 MI S OF I 95, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1916 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 14,220

STINES STORE ROAD

Poor

Over: GILBERT SWAMP RUN

0.04 MI W OF MD 234, Charles, MD

Built 1933 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 125

ELLIOTT ISLAND RD

Poor

Over: ELLIOTT CREEK

0.34 MI. E. OF POKES ROAD, Dorchester, MD

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 204

MAPLE GROVE ROAD

Poor

Over: CASSELMAN RIVER

0.08 MI E OF MD RTE 495, Garrett, MD

Built 1926 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 413

MORGNEC ROAD

Poor

Over: TRIB TO CHESTER RIVER

0.2 MI E OF MD RTE 298, Kent, MD

Built 1928 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 265

SMITH ISLAND ROAD

Poor

Over: SHANKS CREEK

0.5 MI N OF RHODES POINT, Somerset, MD

Built 1984 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 55

NAYLOR MILL ROAD

Poor

Over: NAYLORS POND STREAM

1.25 MI W OF US RTE 13, Wicomico, MD

Built 1963 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 15,057

US 1

Poor

Over: N TOLLGATE RD PED TRAIL

1.44 MILES N OF MD 147, Harford, MD

Built 1963 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 20,542

ROLLING ROAD

Poor

Over: TRIBUTARY TO DEAD RUN

0.68 MI N OF IS 70, Baltimore, MD

Built 1961 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 34,803

STONE CHAPEL ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE PIPE CREEK

0.10 MI W OF AVONDALE RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1930 Load: 25.8 t ADT: 4,612

GLEN ARM ROAD

Poor

Over: LONG GREEN CREEK

1.52 MILES NW OF MD 147, Baltimore, MD

Built 1987 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 7,740

MD 51

Poor

Over: TOWN CREEK

0.07 MI W OF GUN CLUB RD, Allegany, MD

Built 1932 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 2,022

UNION CHAPEL ROAD

Poor

Over: CATTAIL CREEK

0.5 MI E OF DAISY RD, Howard, MD

Built 1955 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 1,052

ALCONA STREET

Poor

Over: BALD HILL BRANCH

0.04 MI W OF ELLERBIE ST, Prince George's, MD

Built 1967 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 836

US 1

Poor

Over: WINTERS RUN

0.96 MILE NORTH OF MD 147, Harford, MD

Built 1963 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 21,112

GOLDEN RING ROAD

Poor

Over: STEMMERS RUN

0.05 MI N OF OREMS RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1933 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 3,841

LIVINGSTON ROAD

Poor

Over: PISCATAWAY CREEK

0.49 MI N OF MD 223, Prince George's, MD

Built 1932 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 6,771

HUGHES SHOP ROAD

Poor

Over: BEAR BRANCH

0.025 MI N PLEASANT VA, Carroll, MD

Built 1974 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 152

SOUTHLAWN LANE

Poor

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.25 MI W OF AVERY RD, Montgomery, MD

Built 1920 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 16,792

WITEX ROAD

Poor

Over: ROCK RUN

0.1KM S OF MACARTHUR BLVD, Montgomery, MD

Built 1980 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 500

DAVIS ROAD

Poor

Over: PINEY BRANCH

135 FT S BUNKER HILL RD, Charles, MD

Built 2000 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 4,644

PATAPSCO ROAD

Poor

Over: EAST BR PATAPSCO RIVER

0.55 MI W OF WESLEY ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1900 Load: 28.6 t ADT: 171

RIVER ROAD

Poor

Over: CASSELMAN RIVER

0.41 MI N OF ALT US 40, Garrett, MD

Built 1885 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 130

HENRYTON ROAD

Poor

Over: TRIBUTARY OF PATAPSCO RI

2.09 MI N OF MD RTE 99, Howard, MD

Built 1925 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 1,113

SCHAEFFER ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE SENECA CREEK

0.5 MI E MD RTE 121, Montgomery, MD

Built 1925 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 437

WATERVIEW AVENUE

Poor

Over: MD-295 B/W PARKWAY RAMP

0.6 MI S IS 95, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1950 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 6,124

US 40 ORLEANS STR

Poor

Over: I-83 AND CITY STREETS

0.2 MI W OF IS 83, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1936 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 23,831

BROENING HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: COLGATE CREEK

1.5 MI SE OF I-895, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1968 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 27,231

CAREA ROAD

Poor

Over: ISLAND BRANCH

0.3 MILES S OF MD 136, Harford, MD

Built 1970 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 160

SANG RUN ROAD

Poor

Over: YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER

0.4 M SW OAKLAND SANG RUN, Garrett, MD

Built 1955 Load: 31.3 t ADT: 402

OXON HILL ROAD

Poor

Over: BROAD CREEK

0.30 M W OF LIVINGSTON RD, Prince George's, MD

Built 1963 Load: 32.2 t ADT: 30,739

MD 710

Poor

Over: BRANCH OF BACK CREEK

0.46 MI E OF MD 2, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1973 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 22,351

Showing 5,301-5,350 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.