Total Bridges
18,901
Public highway bridges in North Carolina
State profile · Near median Poor share
North Carolina bridge safety
Condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition data for every public highway bridge in North Carolina, based on the FHWA National Bridge Inventory.
- 18,901
- Public bridges
- 35.8%
- Good condition
- 6.2%
- Poor condition
Data updated May 2026
Good Condition
35.8%
6,773 bridges rated 7-9
-14.2pp vs 50% benchmark
Poor Condition
6.2%
1,165 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4
-0.8pp vs national avg 7.0%
North Carolina vs national bridge condition
North Carolina - Good condition share 35.8%
National avg
Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).
North Carolina - Poor-condition share 20.5%
National avg
Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.0%.
Condition Distribution
Counties (100)
Alamance 21 Alexander 26 Alleghany 117 Anson 162 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 315 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 234 Mecklenburg 746 Mitchell 127 Montgomery 151 Moore 178 Nash 261 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 164
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.
SC
South Carolina
6.10% top marginal rate
WI
Wisconsin
6.13% top marginal rate
NC
North Carolina
6.16% top marginal rate
HI
Hawaii
6.47% top marginal rate
MT
Montana
6.70% top marginal rate
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
PoorOver: WEST FORK PIGEON RIVER
100 FT.E.JCT.NC215, Haywood, NC
Built 1920 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 30
TSALI ENOLA ROAD
PoorOver: SOCO CREEK
TSALI ENOLA ROAD, Swain, NC
Built 1960 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 10
HORNBUCKLE CREEKRD
PoorOver: HORNBUCKLE CREEK
389 HORNBUCKLE CREEK ROAD, Swain, NC
Built 1950 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 5
SR1630
PoorOver: KIT CREEK
1.8MI.N.JCT.NC55, Wake, NC
Built 1975 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 12,500
SR1340
PoorOver: NORTH FORK NEW RIVER
.1 MI.N.JCT.NC88, Ashe, NC
Built 1977 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 500
SR1323
PoorOver: CANAL
0.05 MI.N.JCT.1300, Tyrrell, NC
Built 1961 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 650
All Bridges in North Carolina
Showing 18,901-18,901 of 18,901 bridges
Related
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.
Every figure on PlainBridge is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.