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 794

Fair

Over: GALLOWAY CREEK

0.76 MILE SOUTH OF MD 408, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1997 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,571

MD 423

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF HERRING BAY

2.44 MILE EAST OF MD 2, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1989 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,492

MD 139

Fair

Over: TOWSON RUN

0.05 M N/TOWSONTOWN BLVD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1957 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 39,381

HOLLINS FERRY ROAD

Fair

Over: I-695

0.27 MI W OF HOLLINS FERR, Baltimore, MD

Built 1957 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 19,562

IS 83 RAMP C

Fair

Over: IS 695 MTA LIGHT RAIL

0.22 MILE SOUTH OF MD 131, Baltimore, MD

Built 1973 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 49,349

COVE ROAD

Fair

Over: MD 695

1.03 MI S OF MD 151, Baltimore, MD

Built 1971 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 5,699

MD 695 OL

Fair

Over: MD702 NE CR &RP 7 A

0.34 MI N OF US 40, Baltimore, MD

Built 1972 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 69,922

MD 166 NBR

Fair

Over: RAMP 5 FROM UMBC

0.38 MILE NORTH OF IS 195, Baltimore, MD

Built 1975 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 11,636

MD 16

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.01 MILE NORTH OF MD 617, Caroline, MD

Built 1968 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 5,417

MD 404 WB

Fair

Over: WATTS CREEK

0.25 MILE WEST OF MD 16, Caroline, MD

Built 2006 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 18,941

US 40

Fair

Over: TRIB TO HAWBOTTOM BRANCH

0.29 MI E OF HOLLOW ROAD, Frederick, MD

Built 1936 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 5,522

ST MARKS ROAD

Fair

Over: US 340

0.96 MI W OF MD 180, Frederick, MD

Built 1964 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 53

US 219

Fair

Over: WILSON RUN

0.025 M N OF E GREEN ST, Garrett, MD

Built 1925 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 10,524

MD 24

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

2.17 MILES S OF MD 165, Harford, MD

Built 1934 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,930

US 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF DORSEY RUN

1.03 MILES S OF MD 958P, Howard, MD

Built 1929 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 21,992

MD 94

Fair

Over: CABIN BRANCH

1.03 MILES N OF MONT CO, Howard, MD

Built 1970 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,022

MD 299

Fair

Over: JACOBS CREEK

1.27 MILES S OF MD 290, Kent, MD

Built 1938 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,272

MD 355 SB

Fair

Over: MD 355 RAMP 1

0.1 MILE N OF IS 495 WBL, Montgomery, MD

Built 1959 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 55,020

FOREST GLEN ROAD

Fair

Over: IS 495

.86 W OF MD 97, Montgomery, MD

Built 1964 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 11,684

US 1 SB

Fair

Over: PATUXENT RIVER

ON HOWARD CO LINE, Prince George's, MD

Built 1970 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 16,752

MD 193

Fair

Over: NORTHWEST BRANCH

0.37 MILE WEST OF MD 193B, Prince George's, MD

Built 1956 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 29,880

IS 95X SB

Fair

Over: IS 495 IL

0.15 M N OF BR NO 1612100, Prince George's, MD

Built 1967 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,760

IS 95 OL

Fair

Over: GOOD LUCK ROAD

1.15 MILES S OF MD 295, Prince George's, MD

Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 204,147

I-495 O.L.

Fair

Over: AMTRAK

0.18 MILE SOUTH OF MD 450, Prince George's, MD

Built 1964 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 226,100

MD 5 NB

Fair

Over: PISCATAWAY CREEK

2.13 MILES N OF MD 373, Prince George's, MD

Built 1969 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 32,251

MD 363

Fair

Over: S BRANCH OF ROCK CREEK

0.21 M E OF EARL WEBST RD, Somerset, MD

Built 1977 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 2,245

US 13 NB

Fair

Over: BACK CREEK

0.19 MILE SOUTH OF MD 413, Somerset, MD

Built 1934 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 13,630

IS 70 WB

Fair

Over: CRYSTAL FALLS DRIVE

1.98 MILES WEST OF MD 66, Washington, MD

Built 1968 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 58,600

US 13 SB

Fair

Over: LEONARD MILL POND

0.4 MILE SOUTH OF MD 675B, Wicomico, MD

Built 1952 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 38,793

US 13 NB

Fair

Over: US 50

0.37 MILE SOUTH OF MD 346, Wicomico, MD

Built 1973 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 36,390

PATUXENT ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER

1.9 MI S OF WAUGH CH RD, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1966 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 7,376

MARRIOTTSVILLE ROA

Fair

Over: FALLS RUN

0.28 MI W OF W CHAPEL RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1984 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 4,050

RAMP X

Fair

Over: OWINGS MILLS BOULEVARD

0.4 MI SW OF IS 795, Baltimore, MD

Built 1986 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 3,131

COVERED BRIDGE ROA

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO GUNPOWDER F

0.25 NE OF NORTH END MD41, Baltimore, MD

Built 1960 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,947

GRAVE RUN ROAD

Fair

Over: GUNPOWDER FALLS

0.14 MI N OF ROLLER ROAD, Carroll, MD

Built 1970 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 660

DOUBS ROAD

Fair

Over: TUSCARORA CREEK

1.23 MI W OF NEW DESIGN R, Frederick, MD

Built 1950 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 327

SAVAGE RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: SAVAGE RIVER

0.9 MI NW OF MD 135, Garrett, MD

Built 2007 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 285

SPESUTIA ROAD

Fair

Over: CRANBERRY RUN

0.2 MILES N OF MD 159, Harford, MD

Built 1966 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 4,242

EAST MAPLE AVENUE

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.03 MI NE OF SYCAMORE RD, Prince George's, MD

Built 1984 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 875

OLD ARDWICK-ARDMOR

Fair

Over: TRIB TO BALD HILL BRANCH

1.04 MILES E OF IS 95, Prince George's, MD

Built 1964 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 5,463

KEMPS MILL ROAD

Fair

Over: CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK

0.85 W OF WALNUT POINT RD, Washington, MD

Built 1976 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,187

NINEPIN BRANCH RD

Fair

Over: NINEPIN BRANCH

0.42 MI S OF MD 374, Worcester, MD

Built 1994 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 172

BOUCHELLE ROAD

Fair

Over: I-95

Milepost 100.8, Cecil, MD

Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 2,486

MD 24 NB

Fair

Over: I-95

I-95 Milepost 76.4, Harford, MD

Built 1987 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 73,058

CHAPEL ROAD

Fair

Over: I-95

Milepost 87.8, Harford, MD

Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 2,816

S LANDOVER ACCESS

Fair

Over: BEAVERDAM CREEK

0.5 MI N MD 202, Prince George's, MD

Built 1979 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 853

N LANDOVER ACCESS

Fair

Over: BEAVERDAM CREEK

0.5 MI N MD 202, Prince George's, MD

Built 1979 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 853

PALMER ROAD

Fair

Over: ROMNEY CREEK

80 YDS W OF OLD BALTIMORE, Harford, MD

Built 1942 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 100

MD 51

Fair

Over: CSX TRANS. MD 61

0.40 MI E OF MD 51A, Allegany, MD

Built 1965 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 14,721

IS 68 EBR

Fair

Over: MD 736 (MIDLOTHIAN ROAD)

0.83 MILE WEST OF MD 936, Allegany, MD

Built 1972 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 23,640

Showing 1,151-1,200 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.