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

IS 68 WB

Fair

Over: WATER ST YOUGHIOGHENY R

0.12 MILE WEST OF MD 742, Garrett, MD

Built 1973 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 12,240

IS 68 EB

Fair

Over: SAND SPRING RD

0.66 MILE EAST OF W VA, Garrett, MD

Built 1975 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 15,710

US 40

Fair

Over: CRANBERRY RUN

0.32 MILE EAST OF MD 159, Harford, MD

Built 1935 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 34,600

MD 22

Fair

Over: US 40

0.39 MILE WEST OF MD 132B, Harford, MD

Built 1968 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 17,370

MD 32 WB

Fair

Over: IS 95 SBR

1.74 MILES NORTH OF US 1, Howard, MD

Built 1970 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 91,311

MORGAN STATION RD

Fair

Over: IS 70

1.89 MI W OF MD 97, Howard, MD

Built 1973 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 999

MD 191

Fair

Over: CABIN JOHN CREEK

0.96 MILE SOUTH OF IS 495, Montgomery, MD

Built 1991 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 8,530

IS 270

Fair

Over: MIDDLEBROOK ROAD

0.77 MILE SOUTH OF MD 118, Montgomery, MD

Built 1990 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 133,720

IS 495

Fair

Over: POTOMAC RIVER

ON VIRGINIA LINE, Montgomery, MD

Built 1963 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 239,022

US 1 SB

Fair

Over: NORTHWEST BRANCH

0.68 MILE NORTH OF MD 208, Prince George's, MD

Built 1969 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 9,008

MD 202

Fair

Over: MD 704

0.28 MILE S OF MD 977H, Prince George's, MD

Built 1969 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 37,612

CHERRY HILL RD

Fair

Over: IS 95 NBR(OL)

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

Built 1963 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 20,920

MD 450

Fair

Over: BALD HILL BRANCH

0.38 MILE EAST OF MD 564, Prince George's, MD

Built 1968 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 24,890

US 301 NB

Fair

Over: UNICORN BRANCH

0.48 M S OF KENT CO LINE, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1955 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 10,370

MD 68

Fair

Over: CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK

0.20 MILE WEST OF US 11, Washington, MD

Built 1829 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 4,532

US 13 NB

Fair

Over: MD 12

2.62 MILE N OF MD 513, Wicomico, MD

Built 1981 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 24,770

US 13 SB

Fair

Over: WAGRAM CREEK

0.56 M N OF VA STATE LINE, Worcester, MD

Built 1945 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 12,933

HENDERSON AVENUE

Fair

Over: FRANKLIN STREET & CSX RR

0.14 MI. E. OF NATL HWY S, Allegany, MD

Built 1932 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 19,319

WOOD BRIDGE ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO BELL BRANCH

60 FT S OF BELL BRANCH RD, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1994 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 193

MONKTON ROAD

Fair

Over: GUNPOWDER FALLS

0.6 MI E OF PINEY HILL RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1975 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 3,850

EBENEZER ROAD

Fair

Over: EASTERN AVENUE

EBENZER AT EASTERN AVENUE, Baltimore, MD

Built 1982 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 11,600

28TH STREET

Fair

Over: FALLS ROAD JONES FALLS

0.8 MI N NORTH AVE, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1961 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 26,584

CLEAR VIEW ROAD

Fair

Over: MEADOW BRANCH

1.15 MILES S OF MD 832, Carroll, MD

Built 1984 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 192

SHILOH ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH PATAPSCO RIV

0.05 MI W OF BRODBECK RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1969 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,327

GREEN STREET

Fair

Over: MD MIDLAND RAILWAY

WESTMINSTER MD, Carroll, MD

Built 1923 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 7,436

LILY PONS ROAD

Fair

Over: MONOCACY RIVER

1 MI E OF MD RTE 85, Frederick, MD

Built 1977 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 610

BETHEL ROAD

Fair

Over: FISHING CREEK

AT FISH HATCHERY RD INT, Frederick, MD

Built 1961 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 2,050

FONT HILL DRIVE

Fair

Over: BR. LITTLE PATUXENT RIVE

AT FONT HILL PARK, Howard, MD

Built 1969 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 3,293

AMBLESIDE DRIVE

Fair

Over: WATTS BRANCH

0.6 MI NORTH OF GLEN ROAD, Montgomery, MD

Built 1970 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 2,418

BEAVER ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVERDAM CREEK

.14 M N OF COLUMBIA PK RD, Prince George's, MD

Built 1967 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,212

5TH STREET

Fair

Over: TRIB TO PATUXENT RIVER

0.2 MI SOUTH OF MD 198 EB, Prince George's, MD

Built 1950 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 960

CATHELL ROAD

Fair

Over: PASSERDYKE CREEK

ON WICOMICO CO LINE, Somerset, MD

Built 1996 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 12

IS 95 RAMP G

Fair

Over: MIDDLE BR I 95 RAMP D

0.3 MI E RUSSELL ST, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1977 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 34,476

IS 95 NB

Fair

Over: WB MCCOMAS ST

0.2 MI. N. OF EXIT 54, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1982 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 58,406

MD 956

Fair

Over: CSX TRANSPORTATION

0.18 MI W OF W VA LINE, Allegany, MD

Built 1967 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 7,151

IS 195 WBR

Fair

Over: AMTRAK PATAPSCO RIVER

0.96 MI E OF MD 295, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1990 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 39,015

MD 125

Fair

Over: PATAPSCO RIVER

AT HOWARD COUNTY LINE, Baltimore, MD

Built 1982 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 5,551

RUXTON ROAD

Fair

Over: IS 83

0.26 MI W OF MD 25, Baltimore, MD

Built 1961 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 5,329

MD 147

Fair

Over: LONG GREEN CREEK

0.02 MI N OF HARTLEY MILL, Baltimore, MD

Built 1915 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 5,752

ROLLING ROAD

Fair

Over: CSX TRANSPORTATION

.26 MI. N. OF I-95 & US 1, Baltimore, MD

Built 1931 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 39,381

IS 795 RAMP G

Fair

Over: MTA METRO

@ METRO, Baltimore, MD

Built 1983 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 37,780

US 1

Fair

Over: STONE RUN

0.35 MILE NORTH OF MD 276, Cecil, MD

Built 1956 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 7,802

US 50 EB

Fair

Over: BIG MILL POND

3.21 MILES WEST OF MD 331, Dorchester, MD

Built 1967 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 23,981

WATERSVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: IS 70

0.32 MILE NORTH OF MD 144, Howard, MD

Built 1973 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 2,066

US 1 ALT

Fair

Over: ANACOSTIA RIVER

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

Built 1955 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 22,252

MD 201 SB

Fair

Over: US 50

0.33 MILE SOUTH OF MD 459, Prince George's, MD

Built 1957 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 32,080

MD 381

Fair

Over: SWANSON CREEK

ON CHARLES CO LINE, Prince George's, MD

Built 1933 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 6,020

IS 595 EB

Fair

Over: MD 193

2.52 MILES EAST OF MD 704, Prince George's, MD

Built 1955 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 124,950

MD 202

Fair

Over: IS 95

1.42 MILES S OF MD 704, Prince George's, MD

Built 1963 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 52,430

MD 300

Fair

Over: UNICORN BRANCH

1.4 MILES EAST OF MD 313, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1939 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 2,461

Showing 1,801-1,850 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.