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

PATAPSCO AVENUE

Fair

Over: CSX

1 MI E OF I-95, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1962 Load: 76.6 t ADT: 12,100

SHADY GROVE RD WB

Fair

Over: CSXT RAILROAD

0.5 MI EAST OF MD 355, Montgomery, MD

Built 1976 Load: 76.6 t ADT: 35,374

CHERRYWOOD LANE

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.9 MI NORTH OF MD 193, Prince George's, MD

Built 1989 Load: 76.6 t ADT: 7,353

PINDER HILL ROAD

Fair

Over: BROWNS BRANCH

0.73 MI. NE OF MD 300, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1986 Load: 76.6 t ADT: 1,215

NORTH BEACH ROAD

Fair

Over: HUNTING CREEK

CUNN. FALLS STATE PARK, Frederick, MD

Built 1980 Load: 76.6 t ADT: 100

MD 103

Fair

Over: US 29

1.89 MILES NORTH OF US 29, Howard, MD

Built 1992 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 12,161

IS 370 EB

Fair

Over: IS 370 RAMP B

0.07 MILE WEST OF IS 270, Montgomery, MD

Built 1990 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 78,741

WILSON ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH BRANCH OF THE POTO

ON WEST VIRGINIA LINE, Garrett, MD

Built 1942 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 250

HARPERS FERRY ROAD

Fair

Over: ANTIETAM CREEK

ANTIETAM MD, Washington, MD

Built 1832 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 720

RED RUN BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: RED RUN

0.6 MI SOUTH OF I-795, Baltimore, MD

Built 1997 Load: 77.5 t ADT: 10,305

OLD TELEGRAPH ROAD

Fair

Over: GREAT BOHEMIA CREEK

0.04 MI N OF BUNKER HI R, Cecil, MD

Built 2002 Load: 77.5 t ADT: 1,456

MD 2

Fair

Over: MARLEY CREEK

0.13 M N OF PHELPS AVENUE, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1936 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 23,961

US 40

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.83 MILE EAST OF MD 222, Cecil, MD

Built 1941 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 22,280

BIG RUN ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG RUN

0.16 MI NW SAVAGE RIVER R, Garrett, MD

Built 1935 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 55

BW PARKWAY

Fair

Over: MD ROUTE 212

1.8 MILES SOUTH OF MD ROU, Prince George's, MD

Built 1953 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 80,000

MD 222

Fair

Over: OCTORARO CREEK

0.88 MILE SOUTH OF US 1, Cecil, MD

Built 1900 Load: 78.5 t ADT: 2,959

MD 650

Fair

Over: NORTHWEST BRANCH

0.05 MILE SOUTH OF MD 320, Prince George's, MD

Built 1939 Load: 78.5 t ADT: 40,653

MILT SUMMERS ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF CATOCTIN CREEK

0.3 MI W OF MT TABOR RD, Frederick, MD

Built 1977 Load: 78.5 t ADT: 1,210

MD 117

Fair

Over: GUNNERS BRANCH

1.21 MILES EAST OF MD 118, Montgomery, MD

Built 1951 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 18,752

SMITHVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVERDAM CREEK

4.7 MILES S. OF MD. 16, Dorchester, MD

Built 1985 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 143

HIP ROOF ROAD

Fair

Over: SPICER CREEK

2.53 MILES W. OF MD. 335, Dorchester, MD

Built 1987 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 304

ST JOHN ROAD

Fair

Over: ST JOHN CREEK

0.07 MI. E. OF PUNCH IS R, Dorchester, MD

Built 1984 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 82

BISHOPS HEAD ROAD

Fair

Over: GOOSE CREEK

0.37 MI S OF TODDVILLE RD, Dorchester, MD

Built 1989 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 133

WESLEY CHURCH ROAD

Fair

Over: FARM CREEK

0.68 MI. N. OF TODDVILLE, Dorchester, MD

Built 1985 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 349

ELLIOTT ISLAND ROA

Fair

Over: POKATA CREEK

7.93 MI.S. OF LEWIS W. RD, Dorchester, MD

Built 1981 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 204

WALTERS MILL ROAD

Fair

Over: STOUT BOTTLE BRANCH

0.2 MILES W OF MD 543, Harford, MD

Built 1959 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 508

CHANTILLY LANE

Fair

Over: LOTTSFORD BRANCH

0.63 MI WEST OF MD 193, Prince George's, MD

Built 1979 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 2,309

I-395 SB

Fair

Over: HAMBURG ST

Milepost 1.4, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1982 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 30,420

WEST NURSERY ROAD

Fair

Over: MD 295 SBR

1.18 MI S OF IS 695, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1949 Load: 79.1 t ADT: 9,020

CHAPEL POINT RD

Fair

Over: WILLS BRANCH

1.1 MI S LOCUST GROVE DR, Charles, MD

Built 1997 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 838

CHELSEA ROAD

Fair

Over: AMTRAK RAILROAD

0.3 MILES SE OF MD 159, Harford, MD

Built 1981 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 2,130

LOUDON AVENUE

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

1.5 MI EAST OF RTE 1, Howard, MD

Built 2004 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 540

RIDINGS WAY

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

0.4 Mile West of MD 1, Howard, MD

Built 1996 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 100

ROYAL OAK ROAD

Fair

Over: PETERS CREEK

1 MI NW OF MD RTE 349, Wicomico, MD

Built 1995 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 718

MD 100 EBR

Fair

Over: IS-97

1-97 MD 100 INTERCHANGE, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1996 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 36,794

MD 314

Fair

Over: CHOPTANK RIVER

0.04 MILE WEST OF MD 313, Caroline, MD

Built 1995 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 2,621

MD 175 WB

Fair

Over: IS 95

0.49 MILE NORTH OF US 1, Howard, MD

Built 1970 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 28,774

INDIA AVENUE

Fair

Over: COULTON RUN

0.13 MI WEST OF US RT. 1, Baltimore, MD

Built 1978 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 100

SPARKS MILL ROAD

Fair

Over: GRANNY FINLEY BRANCH

1.1 MI. WEST OF MD 213, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1985 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 221

COLLEGE ROAD

Fair

Over: SAINT JAMES RUN

1.0 MI NE OF MD RTE 68, Washington, MD

Built 1950 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 1,006

WATERSVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH BRANCH OF PATAPSCO

WATERSVILLE RD 2.81, Carroll, MD

Built 1976 Load: 80.3 t ADT: 938

MD 201

Fair

Over: MD 450

0.11 MILE S OF MD 769C, Prince George's, MD

Built 1955 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 23,800

MD 404 EB

Fair

Over: NORWICH CREEK

ON TALBOT CO LINE, Queen Anne's, MD

Built 1949 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 13,631

CLARKS LANE

Fair

Over: WESTERN RUN

0.1 MI N CROSS COUNTRY BL, Baltimore city, MD

Built 1973 Load: 81.2 t ADT: 30,841

BIG WOODS ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE MONOCACY RIVER

0.6 MI S OF JCT SR 28, Montgomery, MD

Built 1919 Load: 81.2 t ADT: 345

ALLEN ROAD

Fair

Over: PASSERDYKE CREEK

ON SOMERSET CO LINE, Wicomico, MD

Built 1991 Load: 81.2 t ADT: 1,196

IS 195 WBR

Fair

Over: MD 295 SBR RAMP B

0.86 MI E OF MD 170, Anne Arundel, MD

Built 1990 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 56,601

US 15 BU

Fair

Over: FLAT RUN

0.75 MILE SOUTH OF US 15, Frederick, MD

Built 1927 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 1,820

MD 68

Fair

Over: ANTIETAM CREEK

1.9 MILES EAST OF MD 65, Washington, MD

Built 1833 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 2,592

RASPE AVENUE

Fair

Over: REDHOUSE CREEK

0.79 MILES EAST OF US 1, Baltimore, MD

Built 1948 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 604

Showing 3,051-3,100 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.