State profile · Near median Poor share

North Carolina 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 North Carolina.

19,210
Public bridges
43.8%
Good condition
6.8%
Poor condition

North Carolina holds 19,210 public highway bridges (#12 of 52 by inventory) with a 6.76% Poor share (#21 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 6.8% 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 32 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

19,210

Public highway bridges in North Carolina

Good Condition

43.8%

8,421 bridges rated 7-9

-6.2pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

6.8%

1,298 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-0.8pp vs national avg 7.5%

North Carolina vs national bridge condition

North Carolina - Good condition share 43.8%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

North Carolina - Poor-condition share 22.5%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

North Carolina 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: North Carolina has 19,210 bridges and a 6.8% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #32 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 (%) NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%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%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%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%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: North Carolina has 19,210 bridges and a 6.8% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #32 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.

North Carolina 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

19,210 12th of 54 higher than 42 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 North Carolina

The highlighted point is North Carolina: 19,210 bridges and 6.76% in Poor condition, rank #32 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below North Carolina on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Wisconsin: 14,446 bridges · 6.52% Poor
  • Hawaii: 1,195 bridges · 6.53% Poor
  • North Carolina: 19,210 bridges · 6.76% Poor
  • Montana: 5,224 bridges · 6.81% Poor
  • Kentucky: 14,548 bridges · 7.37% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in North Carolina

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 19,210 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains North Carolina’s inventory

State agency holds 92.6% of the 19,210 public highway bridges filed under North Carolina in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When North Carolina’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 5.0% of the 19,210 bridges with a recorded original year in North Carolina. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

North Carolina43.8%49.4%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - North Carolina (FHWA NBI)

Counties (100)

Alamance 244 Alexander 107 Alleghany 117 Anson 169 Ashe 247 Avery 108 Beaufort 154 Bertie 95 Bladen 123 Brunswick 166 Buncombe 555 Burke 231 Cabarrus 236 Caldwell 201 Camden 28 Carteret 55 Caswell 90 Catawba 236 Chatham 241 Cherokee 163 Chowan 38 Clay 63 Cleveland 270 Columbus 226 Craven 147 Cumberland 348 Currituck 22 Dare 40 Davidson 340 Davie 93 Duplin 208 Durham 314 Edgecombe 147 Forsyth 454 Franklin 118 Gaston 232 Gates 41 Graham 94 Granville 149 Greene 62 Guilford 736 Halifax 158 Harnett 134 Haywood 286 Henderson 245 Hertford 58 Hoke 136 Hyde 75 Iredell 335 Jackson 234 Johnston 318 Jones 82 Lee 98 Lenoir 145 Lincoln 169 Macon 223 Madison 244 Martin 124 McDowell 235 Mecklenburg 746 Mitchell 127 Montgomery 151 Moore 178 Nash 260 New Hanover 123 Northampton 83 Onslow 172 Orange 189 Pamlico 45 Pasquotank 54 Pender 112 Perquimans 39 Person 106 Pitt 228 Polk 127 Randolph 401 Richmond 154 Robeson 285 Rockingham 229 Rowan 245 Rutherford 298 Sampson 196 Scotland 101 Stanly 163 Stokes 150 Surry 308 Swain 129 Transylvania 162 Tyrrell 28 Union 353 Vance 75 Wake 760 Warren 84 Washington 59 Watauga 200 Wayne 208 Wilkes 349 Wilson 195 Yadkin 168 Yancey 163

North Carolina 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 North Carolina on the same metric.

WI

Wisconsin

6.52% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,446

HI

Hawaii

6.53% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,195
Selected

NC

North Carolina

6.76% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,210

MT

Montana

6.81% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,224

KY

Kentucky

7.37% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,548

Bridges Needing Most Attention in North Carolina

Six lowest-condition bridges in North Carolina, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

SR1216

Poor

Over: WEST FORK PIGEON RIVER

100 FT.E.JCT.NC215, Haywood, NC

Built 1920 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 30

TSALI ENOLA ROAD

Poor

Over: SOCO CREEK

TSALI ENOLA ROAD, Swain, NC

Built 1960 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 10

HORNBUCKLE CREEKRD

Poor

Over: HORNBUCKLE CREEK

389 HORNBUCKLE CREEK ROAD, Swain, NC

Built 1950 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 5

SR1630

Poor

Over: KIT CREEK

1.8MI.N.JCT.NC55, Wake, NC

Built 1975 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 12,500

SR1340

Poor

Over: NORTH FORK NEW RIVER

.1 MI.N.JCT.NC88, Ashe, NC

Built 1977 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 500

SR1323

Poor

Over: CANAL

0.05 MI.N.JCT.1300, Tyrrell, NC

Built 1961 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 650

All Bridges in North Carolina

SR3097 RAMP E

Good

Over: SR3097 RAMP B

0.2 MI.W.JCT.I540 SBL, Wake, NC

Built 1998 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 23,750

I87 US64WBYP US264

Good

Over: US64BUS

.4 MI. W. JCT. SR2601, Wake, NC

Built 2005 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 31,000

I540W

Good

Over: TRIANGLE TOWN BLVD

0.5 MI. E. JCT. US1, Wake, NC

Built 2007 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 29,000

I540E

Good

Over: TRIANGLE TOWN BLVD.

0.5 MI. E. JCT US-1, Wake, NC

Built 2007 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 29,000

NC540 9906 FLYOVER

Good

Over: DIRT

0.44 MI. N. NC540E RMP, Wake, NC

Built 2007 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 13,833

NC 540 NBL (TOLL)

Good

Over: WHITE OAK CREEK

0.4 MI.S. OF JCT.SR1615, Wake, NC

Built 2012 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 16,750

SR1512

Good

Over: FISHING CREEK

0.3 M.I W. OF JCT. SR1507, Warren, NC

Built 1997 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 190

US64 EBL

Good

Over: OLD MILL CREEK

8.7 MI. W. JCT. SR1304, Washington, NC

Built 2004 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,650

US64 WBL

Good

Over: OLD MILL CREEK

8.7 MI. W. SR1304, Washington, NC

Built 2004 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,650

SR1547

Good

Over: BOONE CREEK

150 FT.S. JCT.US321, Watauga, NC

Built 2002 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 4,000

SR1351

Good

Over: GRASSY CREEK

.35 MI.E.JCT.SR1354, Watauga, NC

Built 2019 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 370

SR1223

Good

Over: LITTLE BEAVERDAM CREEK

100 FT.N.JCT.SR1221, Watauga, NC

Built 2015 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 150

NC581

Good

Over: LITTLE RIVER

200 N.JCT.SR1326, Wayne, NC

Built 2005 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 7,500

SR1007

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

0.4 MI.E.SR1236, Wayne, NC

Built 2001 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,900

SR1717

Good

Over: MULBERRY CREEK

.2 MI.N.JCT.SR1782, Wilkes, NC

Built 1980 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,700

US421 NBL

Good

Over: SR2402

.4 MI.S.JCT.SR2303, Wilkes, NC

Built 2004 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 7,750

US264E

Good

Over: NORFOLK/SOUTHERN RR

0.5 MI.W.JCT.I95, Wilson, NC

Built 1998 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 12,750

SR1341

Good

Over: CRANBERRY CREEK

.4 MI.S.JCT.SR1331, Yadkin, NC

Built 2021 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 260

NFSR 482

Good

Over: CURTIS CREEK

3.3 MI. N. JCT. NFSR 482A, Yancey, NC

Built 1978 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 25

SR1917

Good

Over: BACK CREEK

1.0 MI. W. JCT. SR1920, Alamance, NC

Built 1990 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,000

SR1600

Good

Over: RICHARDSON CREEK

1.5 MI. W. JCT. SR1608, Anson, NC

Built 1995 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 70

SR1126

Good

Over: BRANCH S.FORK JONES CRK

2.1 MI. E. JCT. SR1129, Anson, NC

Built 2021 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 270

NC194

Good

Over: OLD FIELD BRANCH

100 FT.S.JCT.SR1353, Ashe, NC

Built 2021 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 4,000

SR1155

Good

Over: LITTLE NAKED CREEK

0.7 MI.N.JCT.NC16 88, Ashe, NC

Built 2018 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,100

SR1169

Good

Over: WEST FORK PINE SWAMP CRK

1.0 MI.S.JCT.SR1168, Ashe, NC

Built 2011 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 240

SR1341

Good

Over: ELK RIVER

100 FT.S.JCT.NC184, Avery, NC

Built 2021 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 420

US17S

Good

Over: CASHIE RIVER

0.5 MI.N.OF JCT.US13 BUS, Bertie, NC

Built 2008 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 4,300

NC11&NC53

Good

Over: BLACK RIVER

50 MI N JCT SR 1547, Bladen, NC

Built 1998 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,500

NC9

Good

Over: BROAD RIVER

.2 MI.N.JCT.SR2791, Buncombe, NC

Built 2022 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 800

SR2173

Good

Over: STONEY CREEK

.05 MI.W.JCT.SR2178, Buncombe, NC

Built 2013 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,000

SR3185

Good

Over: SOUTHERN RAILROAD

.04 MI.W.JCT.SR3184, Buncombe, NC

Built 1990 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 860

SR2098

Good

Over: HERRON COVE BRANCH

.05 MI.E.JCT.SR2099, Buncombe, NC

Built 2016 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 540

SR2748

Good

Over: CHRISTIAN CREEK

0.3 MI.N.JCT.SR2749, Buncombe, NC

Built 2018 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,000

9901

Good

Over: GASHES CREEK

60FT.S.JCT.US74A, Buncombe, NC

Built 2001 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 50

SR1922

Good

Over: UT TO HENRY FORK CREEK

.1 MI.S.JCT.SR1983, Burke, NC

Built 2014 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,000

NC268

Good

Over: UT TO YADKIN RIVER

1 MI.E.JCT.SR1507, Caldwell, NC

Built 1991 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 650

SR1142

Good

Over: LOWER CREEK

.1 MI.N.JCT.SR1263, Caldwell, NC

Built 1995 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,700

SR1503

Good

Over: JOES CREEK

50 FT.W.JCT.SR1504, Caldwell, NC

Built 2004 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 270

SR1916

Good

Over: SHADDOX CREEK

0.1 MI.N. JCT. SR1925, Chatham, NC

Built 2016 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,500

SR1176

Good

Over: TICK CREEK

0.8 MI. S. JCT. SR1134, Chatham, NC

Built 2000 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,700

NC294

Good

Over: LAKE CHEROKEE

.7 MI.E.JCT.SR1130, Cherokee, NC

Built 2009 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,200

SR1556

Good

Over: UT TO MARTIN CREEK

.2 MI.N.JCT.SR1560, Cherokee, NC

Built 2010 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,200

NC130

Good

Over: WACCAMAW RIVER OV

.2 MI. W. JCT. 1326, Columbus, NC

Built 1999 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 4,100

SR1433

Good

Over: MILLS BRANCH TRIBUTARY

0.3 MI.NORTH JCT.US17, Craven, NC

Built 2012 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,600

SR1005

Good

Over: BACHELOR CREEK

2.3 MI.W. OF JCT.NC55, Craven, NC

Built 2008 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,700

NC162

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.05 MI E JCT SR1107, Cumberland, NC

Built 2008 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 28,000

I95 S COLLECTOR

Good

Over: NC87

0.42 MI.S.JCT.SR2337, Cumberland, NC

Built 1980 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 22,750

NC295S

Good

Over: US301

0.4 MI. S. JCT. SR1863, Cumberland, NC

Built 2005 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 9,200

SR1231

Good

Over: INDIAN GRAVE CREEK

0.4 MI. W. JCT. SR1425, Davidson, NC

Built 2015 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 540

SR1104

Good

Over: SWEARING CREEK & RR.

0.7 MI. N. JCT. NC47, Davidson, NC

Built 1996 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,900

Showing 11,651-11,700 of 19,210 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
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.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What to do with this

Use North Carolina's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in North Carolina 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. North Carolina 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.