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

SPARKS MILL ROAD

Fair

Over: ISLAND CREEK

.26 MI SE OF LANDS END RD, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1989 Load: 72.1 t ADT: 400

IS 95 RAMP B

Fair

Over: MONROE ST

Milepost M53.7, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1978 Load: 72.1 t ADT: 9,101

US 29

Fair

Over: HAMMOND BRANCH

0.73 MILE NORTH OF MD 216, Howard, MD

Built 1951 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 69,132

IS 81

Fair

Over: TRIB TO SEMPLE RUN

0.43 MILE NORTH OF IS 70, Washington, MD

Built 1965 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 68,040

US 13 SB

Fair

Over: PARKER POND

0.42 MILE SOUTH OF MD 350, Wicomico, MD

Built 1975 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 24,770

RICKETTS MILL RD

Fair

Over: BIG ELK CREEK

0.25 MI NW OF MD 316, Cecil, MD

Built 1965 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 1,318

MILT SUMMERS ROAD

Fair

Over: GRINDSTONE RUN

0.13 MILES WEST OF MD 17, Frederick, MD

Built 1977 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 1,657

MORNINGWOOD DRIVE

Fair

Over: WILLIAMSBURG RUN TRIB

0.90 MI. W. OF MD 108, Montgomery, MD

Built 1970 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 5,113

BW PARKWAY (SBL)

Fair

Over: MD ROUTE 197 (EBL)

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

Built 2001 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 88,000

IS 270

Fair

Over: TUCKERMAN LANE

0.08 MILE N OF IS 270Y, Montgomery, MD

Built 1958 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 265,320

MD 58

Fair

Over: IS 81

0.26 M E/BROADFORDING RD, Washington, MD

Built 1958 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 14,431

NEWBURY STREET

Fair

Over: WESTERN RUN

0.05 MI N KELLY AVE, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1972 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 1,941

GOSHEN ROAD

Fair

Over: WHETSTONE RUN

0.1 MI S MID-COUNTY HWY, Montgomery, MD

Built 1986 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 20,972

NELSON STREET

Fair

Over: WATTS BRANCH

0.5 MILES NORTH OF MD 28, Montgomery, MD

Built 1955 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 13,576

SPRINGBROOK LANE

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO PEA HILL BR

1.5 MI NORTH OF MD 223, Prince George's, MD

Built 1968 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 2,214

GREENSBURG ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE ANTIETAM CREEK

0.8 MI NE OF MD RTE 64, Washington, MD

Built 1974 Load: 73.0 t ADT: 811

IS 695 & BELMONT A

Fair

Over: DEAD RUN

0.66 M N OF SECURITY BLVD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1961 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 206,852

IS 795 RAMP 4

Fair

Over: IS 795 RAMP NBR 10

0.43 MI S OF MD 940, Baltimore, MD

Built 1986 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 15,802

MD 586

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.68 MILES EAST OF MD 28, Montgomery, MD

Built 1954 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 56,222

IS 270 RAMP A(6)

Fair

Over: IS 495 OL

1.19 MILE SOUTH OF MD 187, Montgomery, MD

Built 1990 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 11,255

MD 300

Fair

Over: ANDOVER BRANCH

1.44 M W OF DELAWARE LINE, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1995 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 2,461

US 40 EDMONDSON AV

Fair

Over: HILTON PARKWAY

0.1 MI E OF HILTON PKWY, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1952 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 4,309

VALLEYTRAIL LANE

Fair

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

.9 MI NORTHEAST OF MD 214, Prince George's, MD

Built 1993 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 338

ELL DOWNES ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVERDAM DITCH

0.6 MI. WEST OF MD 313, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1988 Load: 73.5 t ADT: 221

MD 392

Fair

Over: MARSHYHOPE CREEK

2.35 MILES EAST OF MD 331, Dorchester, MD

Built 1999 Load: 73.9 t ADT: 3,502

MD 175 EB

Fair

Over: IS 95

0.49 MILE NORTH OF US 1, Howard, MD

Built 1970 Load: 73.9 t ADT: 33,570

MD 197

Fair

Over: TRIB TO PATUXENT RIVER

.3 M N/Old Jericho Park R, Prince George's, MD

Built 1990 Load: 73.9 t ADT: 19,692

TYRONE ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAR BRANCH

1.16 MILES N OF MD 140, Carroll, MD

Built 1960 Load: 73.9 t ADT: 1,322

PRESERVE PARKWAY

Fair

Over: CABIN JOHN CREEK

0.2 MI E OF TOWER OAKS BL, Montgomery, MD

Built 2006 Load: 73.9 t ADT: 2,450

MD 704

Fair

Over: CABIN BRANCH

0.90 MI E OF WASH DC LINE, Prince George's, MD

Built 1942 Load: 74.4 t ADT: 18,430

MD 176

Fair

Over: AMTRAK

0.08 M W OF BR NO 0216700, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1936 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 13,400

IS 95

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

1.38 MILES N OF MD 212, Prince George's, MD

Built 1970 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 183,230

US 50 WB

Fair

Over: WICOMICO RIVER

0.591 M E OF JERSEY ROAD, Wicomico, MD

Built 2001 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 18,971

PACK HORSE ROAD

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

0.52 MI NE OF MD 51, Allegany, MD

Built 1985 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 169

MEXICO FARMS ROAD

Fair

Over: CSXT RAILROAD

0.17 MI W OF MD 51, Allegany, MD

Built 1957 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 1,185

HARRY S TRUMAN DRI

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO SOUTHWEST B

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

Built 1972 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 17,575

US 40 ALT

Fair

Over: WILLS CREEK

0.84 MI E OF MD 36, Allegany, MD

Built 1932 Load: 75.3 t ADT: 13,491

US 50

Fair

Over: BR OF WYE RIVER

0.67 MILE EAST OF MD 213, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1947 Load: 75.3 t ADT: 45,511

LIME PLANT ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY OF BENS BRANCH

0.3 MI W OF DETRICK RD, Frederick, MD

Built 1972 Load: 75.3 t ADT: 128

WEST NURSERY ROAD

Fair

Over: MD 295 NBR

1.23 MI N OF IS 195, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1949 Load: 75.5 t ADT: 9,020

US 301 NB

Fair

Over: RED LION BRANCH

0.27 MILE NORTH OF MD 290, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1955 Load: 75.7 t ADT: 5,500

SUGARLOAF PARKWAY

Fair

Over: PETER PAN RUN

0.1 MI N OF BUSH CREEK DR, Frederick, MD

Built 2002 Load: 75.7 t ADT: 1,080

LAKE FORD ROAD

Fair

Over: MUDDY CREEK

0.2 MI W CRANESVILLE RD, Garrett, MD

Built 1992 Load: 75.7 t ADT: 79

BEACH DRIVE

Fair

Over: TRIB TO ROCK CREEK

1.1 MI SOUTH OF MD 547, Montgomery, MD

Built 1968 Load: 75.7 t ADT: 6,263

MD 2

Fair

Over: CABIN BRANCH

0.03 MI N OF MD 711, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1968 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 46,601

MD 733A

Fair

Over: SAVAGE RIVER

.01 MILE WEST OF US 40AL, Garrett, MD

Built 1840 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 4

MD 662

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF WYE RIVER

.06 M N OF TALBOT CO LINE, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1914 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 860

MD 242

Fair

Over: LOCUST RUN

1.62 MILES SOUTH OF MD 5, St. Mary's, MD

Built 1929 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 2,371

BUCKINGHAM ROAD

Fair

Over: GWYNNS FALLS

0.4 MI NE LIBERTY RD, Baltimore, MD

Built 1972 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 2,209

I-695 OL

Fair

Over: PENINSULA EXPRESSWAY

1.2 MI W OF MD 151, Baltimore, MD

Built 1998 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 11,760

Showing 3,001-3,050 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.