State profile · Near median Poor share

South 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 South Carolina.

9,490
Public bridges
38.9%
Good condition
6.2%
Poor condition

South Carolina holds 9,490 public highway bridges (#26 of 52 by inventory) with a 6.17% Poor share (#25 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 6.2% 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 28 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

9,490

Public highway bridges in South Carolina

Good Condition

38.9%

3,690 bridges rated 7-9

-11.1pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

6.2%

586 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-1.3pp vs national avg 7.5%

South Carolina vs national bridge condition

South Carolina - Good condition share 38.9%
National avg

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

South Carolina - Poor-condition share 20.6%
National avg

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

South 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: South Carolina has 9,490 bridges and a 6.2% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #28 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 (%) SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%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%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%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: South Carolina has 9,490 bridges and a 6.2% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #28 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.

South 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

9,490 26th of 54 higher than 28 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 South Carolina

The highlighted point is South Carolina: 9,490 bridges and 6.17% in Poor condition, rank #28 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below South Carolina on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • New Jersey: 6,827 bridges · 6.01% Poor
  • Mississippi: 16,739 bridges · 6.03% Poor
  • South Carolina: 9,490 bridges · 6.17% Poor
  • Wyoming: 3,136 bridges · 6.51% Poor
  • Wisconsin: 14,446 bridges · 6.52% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in South Carolina

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 9,490 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains South Carolina’s inventory

State agency holds 89.2% of the 9,490 public highway bridges filed under South Carolina in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When South Carolina’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 13.0% of the 9,490 bridges with a recorded original year in South Carolina. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

South Carolina38.9%54.9%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - South Carolina (FHWA NBI)

Counties (46)

Abbeville 163 Aiken 198 Allendale 69 Anderson 463 Bamberg 80 Barnwell 76 Beaufort 72 Berkeley 216 Calhoun 64 Charleston 336 Cherokee 199 Chester 190 Chesterfield 199 Clarendon 170 Colleton 231 Darlington 174 Dillon 128 Dorchester 198 Edgefield 124 Fairfield 139 Florence 277 Georgetown 113 Greenville 635 Greenwood 144 Hampton 113 Horry 479 Jasper 129 Kershaw 174 Lancaster 181 Laurens 259 Lee 91 Lexington 229 Marion 112 Marlboro 96 McCormick 68 Newberry 218 Oconee 215 Orangeburg 273 Pickens 291 Richland 361 Saluda 125 Spartanburg 638 Sumter 166 Union 131 Williamsburg 195 York 288

South 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 South Carolina on the same metric.

NJ

New Jersey

6.01% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$6,827

MS

Mississippi

6.03% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,739
Selected

SC

South Carolina

6.17% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$9,490

WY

Wyoming

6.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,136

WI

Wisconsin

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

Bridges Needing Most Attention in South Carolina

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

C-42-1024

Poor

Over: PACOLET RIVER

1.0 MI NW OF CAMPOBELLO, Spartanburg, SC

Built 1932 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 275

C-4-3791

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.0 MI S WILLIAMSTON, Anderson, SC

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 175

C-28-250

Poor

Over: LITTLE FLAT ROCK CK

13MI W OF CAMDEN, Kershaw, SC

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 200

S-41-164

Poor

Over: BR OF LITTLE SALUDA RV

5.5 MI NE OF SALUDA, Saluda, SC

Built 1952 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

C-11-92

Poor

Over: GILKEY CREEK

6.7 MI SE GAFFNEY, Cherokee, SC

Built 1954 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 125

C-11-331

Poor

Over: ABINGTON CREEK

8.8 MI SE GAFFNEY, Cherokee, SC

Built 1954 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 275

All Bridges in South Carolina

S-20-12

Good

Over: ROCKY CREEK

18.0 MI W WINNSBORO, Fairfield, SC

Built 2014 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 425

S-19-284

Good

Over: MOUNTAIN CREEK

12.0MI NW EDGEFIELD, Edgefield, SC

Built 2009 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 50

S-36-28

Good

Over: CRIMS CREEK

16.4 MI SE NEWBERRY, Newberry, SC

Built 2006 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 950

S-1-181

Good

Over: PARK CREEK

2.7MI SW DUE WEST, Abbeville, SC

Built 1967 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 125

C-23-354

Good

Over: MUSH CREEK

6.0 MI N TRAVELERS REST, Greenville, SC

Built 2007 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 125

US 15 NB

Good

Over: POCOTALIGO RIVER

2 MI S OF SUMTER, Sumter, SC

Built 1969 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 10,200

US 301 NB

Good

Over: INDIAN CAMP BRANCH

8MI W OF SANTEE, Orangeburg, SC

Built 1970 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,750

S-21-726

Good

Over: BR - WILLOW CREEK

5.0 MI SE FLORENCE, Florence, SC

Built 2004 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 550

C-39-305

Good

Over: BURDINE CREEK

4.5MI NE OF EASLEY, Pickens, SC

Built 2007 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 200

S-4-231

Good

Over: BIG GARVAN CREEK

4.2MI NE PENDLETON, Anderson, SC

Built 1974 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 650

S-8-16

Good

Over: MILL BRANCH

5MI SW MONCKS CORNER, Berkeley, SC

Built 2001 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,600

S-14-49

Good

Over: TEARCOAT BRANCH

8MI N MANNING, Clarendon, SC

Built 2016 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,050

S-33-43

Good

Over: LITTLE BUFFALO CK

3.0 MI SW MCCORMICK, McCormick, SC

Built 1980 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 275

C-23-389

Good

Over: MIDDLE SALUDA RIVER

10.4MI NW TRAVELERS REST, Greenville, SC

Built 1984 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 125

C-42-1945

Good

Over: CHEROKEE CR

7.5 MI NE SPARTANBURG, Spartanburg, SC

Built 1984 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 225

S-42-44

Good

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR

IN SPARTANBURG, Spartanburg, SC

Built 1997 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 21,600

I-185 NB

Good

Over: SC 153

SOUTH OF GREENVILLE, Greenville, SC

Built 2000 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 3,600

SC 22 EB

Good

Over: S-559 KINGS RD

1MI N BRIARCLIFF ACRES, Horry, SC

Built 2000 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 29,500

SC 22 RAMP

Good

Over: ICWW

1MI N BRIARCLIFF ACRES, Horry, SC

Built 2000 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,906

C-42-666

Good

Over: TRIB MIDDLE TYGER RIVER

15 NW OF SPARTANBURG, Spartanburg, SC

Built 2006 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 225

S-40-234

Good

Over: I-26

2 MI W OF WHITE ROCK, Richland, SC

Built 2023 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,800

SC 277 NB

Good

Over: I-77

7 MI N OF COLUMBIA, Richland, SC

Built 2020 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 24,600

S-44-35

Good

Over: CSX RR

2.6 MI W CARLISLE, Union, SC

Built 2004 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 200

S-2-70

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

AT WARRENVILLE, Aiken, SC

Built 2008 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 850

SC 34

Good

Over: WELCH BRANCH

4.9 MI SW NEWBERRY, Newberry, SC

Built 1940 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 5,500

S-41-449

Good

Over: CLOUDS CREEK

9.2 MI SE SALUDA, Saluda, SC

Built 2017 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 75

C-4-141

Good

Over: TOOGALOO CR

7.5 MI SE OF ANDERSON, Anderson, SC

Built 2005 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 300

S-11-42

Good

Over: LITTLE THICKETTY CREEK

8.2MI SW GAFFNEY, Cherokee, SC

Built 2005 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 550

S-113/RED ROOT RD

Good

Over: OLDFIELD CREEK

10.2 MI NW WALTERBORO, Colleton, SC

Built 2012 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 325

SC 5

Good

Over: TOOLS FORK CREEK

8.6 MI E OF YORK, York, SC

Built 2018 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 9,900

S-2-576

Good

Over: SHAWS CREEK

8.0 MI SE AIKEN, Aiken, SC

Built 2017 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 250

S-29-64

Good

Over: MCALPINE CREEK

12.8MI N VAN WYCK, Lancaster, SC

Built 2014 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 6,300

I-26

Good

Over: CONGAREE CREEK

2.5 MI NE OF PINERIDGE, Lexington, SC

Built 1959 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 89,800

S-46-152

Good

Over: CROWDERS CREEK

6.1 MI E CLOVER, York, SC

Built 2011 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 1,950

SC 417

Good

Over: HORSE PEN CREEK

7 MI NE SIMPSONVILLE, Greenville, SC

Built 1964 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 8,400

SC 39

Good

Over: SOUTH EDISTO RIVER

ORANGEBURG CO LN, Barnwell, SC

Built 1968 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 1,450

L-40-4699

Good

Over: SMITH BRANCH

3 MI N OF COLUMBIA, Richland, SC

Built 1974 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 225

S-40-1677

Good

Over: LITTLE JACKSON CREEK

7 MI NE COLUMBIA, Richland, SC

Built 1980 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 8,900

C-42-134

Good

Over: TRIB JORDAN CREEK

1.8 MI N OF WELLFORD, Spartanburg, SC

Built 1983 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 2,900

C-42-423

Good

Over: HANNAH CR

6.8 MI SE WOODRUFF, Spartanburg, SC

Built 1984 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 225

C-23-1055

Good

Over: BRUSHY CREEK

SETH ST GREENVILLE, Greenville, SC

Built 1985 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 650

S-43-92

Good

Over: LEE SWAMP NO. 2

6 MI N SUMTER, Sumter, SC

Built 1985 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 1,300

S-13-114

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

11.5 MI SE PATRICK, Chesterfield, SC

Built 1986 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 325

S-43-92

Good

Over: LEE SWAMP NO. 1

7 MI NW SUMTER, Sumter, SC

Built 1986 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 1,300

SC 34

Good

Over: PRIVATE ROAD

4.8 MI E RIDGEWAY, Fairfield, SC

Built 1989 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 2,200

S-32-158

Good

Over: LITTLE CREEK

5 MI NW OF GILBERT, Lexington, SC

Built 1996 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 850

S-40-83

Good

Over: CRANE CREEK

1 MI SE OF KILLIAN, Richland, SC

Built 1996 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 18,400

C-23-310

Good

Over: RR NS

IN GREENVILLE OFF SC 291, Greenville, SC

Built 1998 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 3,700

S-23-107 RAMP

Good

Over: REEDY RIVER

IN GREENVILLE, Greenville, SC

Built 1999 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 6,300

I-185 SB

Good

Over: SC 153

SOUTH OF GREENVILLE, Greenville, SC

Built 2000 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 3,600

Showing 6,301-6,350 of 9,490 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 South Carolina's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in South 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. South 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.