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 270 SB

Fair

Over: MD 80

3.52 MILES N OF MONT CO, Frederick, MD

Built 1950 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 81,890

ALBERT STAUB ROAD

Fair

Over: OWENS CREEK

0.5 M N OF EYLER ROAD, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 1,323

MD 22

Fair

Over: BYNUM RUN

0.99 MI W OF MD 543, Harford, MD

Built 1950 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 22,861

IS 95 NB

Fair

Over: MD 32 EBR

0.28 M S OF GUILFORD ROAD, Howard, MD

Built 1970 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 187,920

US 1

Fair

Over: CSX TRANS.

0.85 MILE NORTH OF MD 32, Howard, MD

Built 1969 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 21,992

MD 202 NB

Fair

Over: AMTRAK WMATA

0.08 MILE SOUTH OF US 50, Prince George's, MD

Built 1959 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 23,901

FIFTEEN MI CRK RD

Fair

Over: FIFTEEN MILE CREEK

0.28 MI N OF US 40, Allegany, MD

Built 1940 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 107

COLBURY ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO HERRING RUN

0.01 MI W OF GOUCHER BLVD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1968 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 4,763

MT EPHRAIM ROAD

Fair

Over: BENNETT CREEK

0.37 MI S OF PARK MILLS R, Frederick, MD

Built 1974 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 260

CRADLEROCK WAY

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

0.4 MI E BROKENLAND PKWY, Howard, MD

Built 1972 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 8,471

COLUMBIA PARK ROAD

Fair

Over: AMTRAK/WMATA/CSXT

125 FEET SOUTH OF US 50, Prince George's, MD

Built 1977 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 40,870

WOODMONT ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE TONOLOWAY CREEK

0.19 MI S OF MD 144, Washington, MD

Built 1918 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 507

BENEVOLA NEWCOMER

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

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

Built 1993 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 109

NORTH BURHANS BLVD

Fair

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROA

0.4 MI N OF RTE 40 W, Washington, MD

Built 1960 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 16,086

MT OLIVE CHURCH RD

Fair

Over: NASSAWANGO CREEK

1.74 MI SE OF WO, Worcester, MD

Built 2001 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 155

I-395 RAMP D

Fair

Over: STADIUM LOT & RR

Milepost M3.8, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1982 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 2,687

IS 195 WBR

Fair

Over: MD 295

1.09 MI E OF MD 170, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1990 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 39,015

MD 43

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF WHITEMARSH RUN

1.61 MILE EAST OF IS 695, Baltimore, MD

Built 1991 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 36,232

MD 91

Fair

Over: MARYLAND MIDLAND RR

.14 MILE SOUTH OF MD 879E, Carroll, MD

Built 1965 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 5,640

US 15 SBR

Fair

Over: MD 550

0.36 MILE NORTH OF MD 15D, Frederick, MD

Built 1982 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 27,210

MD 948B

Fair

Over: IS 68

0.31 MILE S OF US 40AL, Garrett, MD

Built 1975 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 199

US 1

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

2.08 MILES S OF MD 136, Harford, MD

Built 1934 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 11,172

MD 23

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

1.98 MILES WEST OF MD 136, Harford, MD

Built 1989 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 3,552

MD 24

Fair

Over: KELLOGG BRANCH

2.86 MILES S OF MD 165, Harford, MD

Built 1917 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 3,193

MD 108 EB

Fair

Over: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER

0.55 MILE WEST OF US 29, Howard, MD

Built 1975 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 36,160

MD 108 WB

Fair

Over: LITTLE PATUXENT RIVER

0.55 MILE WEST OF US 29, Howard, MD

Built 1975 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 36,160

I-170 WB

Fair

Over: M.L.K. BLVD

0.7 MI. N. OF FAYETTE ST., Baltimore city, MD

Built 1979 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 19,900

I-170 EB

Fair

Over: M.L.K. BLVD

0.7 MI. N. OF FAYETTE ST., Baltimore city, MD

Built 1979 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 19,900

VAN DEMAN STREET

Fair

Over: COLGATE CREEK

0.04 MI S BECKLEY ST, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1983 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 1,110

BOWERS ROAD

Fair

Over: ALLOWAY CREEK

.3 MI N OF PINEY CREEK RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1988 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 212

SCHALK ROAD NO. 1

Fair

Over: GUNPOWDER FALLS

0.03 MI E OF KERN RD, Carroll, MD

Built 1980 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 699

FOLLY QUARTER ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO MIDDLE PATU

1.2 MI S OF MD RTE 144, Howard, MD

Built 1970 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 3,489

EDNOR ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTHWEST BRANCH

1.6 MILES WEST OF MD 650, Montgomery, MD

Built 1990 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 2,110

SHAVOX ROAD

Fair

Over: NASSAWANGO CREEK

0.5 MI E FOREST GROVE RD, Wicomico, MD

Built 1992 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 605

CATON AVENUE

Fair

Over: IS 95

0.41 MI N OF JOH AVE, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1971 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 23,839

I-395 SB

Fair

Over: OSTEND ST/LOTS G&H

Milepost 1.1, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1981 Load: 60.3 t ADT: 49,838

IS 595

Fair

Over: SOUTH HAVEN ROAD

0.73 MI W OF IS 97, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1950 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 101,670

IS 695

Fair

Over: MD 542

1.06 MILE SOUTH OF MD 41, Baltimore, MD

Built 1961 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 149,621

MD 140

Fair

Over: MEADOW BRANCH

0.17 MILE SOUTH OF MD 832, Carroll, MD

Built 1952 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 17,390

MD 272 NB

Fair

Over: NORTHEAST CREEK

0.1 MILE NORTH OF MD 7C, Cecil, MD

Built 1968 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 6,802

US 15

Fair

Over: OWENS CREEK

0.6 MILE NORTH OF MD 550, Frederick, MD

Built 1954 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 27,210

MD 7A

Fair

Over: AMTRAK

0.12 MILE NORTH OF US 40, Harford, MD

Built 1983 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 11,932

MD 18B

Fair

Over: US 50/301

0.36 MILE EAST OF MD 18A, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1989 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 2,442

MD 238

Fair

Over: BURROUGHS RUN

1.49 MILES W OF MD 234, St. Mary's, MD

Built 1929 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 1,791

IS 68 EB

Fair

Over: RICE ROAD

1.71 MILES EAST OF MD 903, Washington, MD

Built 1985 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 19,950

SILVER SPRING ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO WHITE MARSH

.01 M E OF PERRY HALL BLV, Baltimore, MD

Built 1991 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 9,324

SERVICE ROAD

Fair

Over: ELBOW BRANCH

1.5 MI E OF MD 161, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1962 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 11

SAVAGE RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: POPLAR LICK RUN

1.43 MI S WESTERN PORT RD, Garrett, MD

Built 1935 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 544

I-695 OUTER LOOP

Fair

Over: P AND B RAILROAD

0.3 MI W OF MD 151, Baltimore, MD

Built 1997 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 12,337

I-95 SB

Fair

Over: FRENCHTOWN RD

0.8 MI N OF SUSQUEHANNA R, Cecil, MD

Built 1963 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 46,815

Showing 2,701-2,750 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.