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

SC 68

Fair

Over: CAMP BRANCH

2 MI E OF VARNVILLE, Hampton, SC

Built 1931 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 4,500

SC 410

Fair

Over: PLAY CARDS SWAMP

6.5MI E OF LORIS, Horry, SC

Built 1931 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,000

US 301 SB

Fair

Over: SOUTH EDISTO RIVER SWAMP

.1MI N OF BAMBERG CO LN, Orangeburg, SC

Built 1933 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,000

S-29-39

Fair

Over: SOUTH BRANCH OF WILDCAT

13.3MI E LANCASTER, Lancaster, SC

Built 1939 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 500

US 25

Fair

Over: MUSH CREEK

6.7 MIN. TRAVELERS REST, Greenville, SC

Built 1940 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 10,600

US 221

Fair

Over: BURNT MILL CREEK

1.8 MI SW OF LAURENS, Laurens, SC

Built 1940 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 4,300

US 221

Fair

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

3.7 MI S SPARTANBURG, Spartanburg, SC

Built 1940 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 14,000

US 178

Fair

Over: CAW CAW SWAMP

0.5MI N OF ORANGEBURG, Orangeburg, SC

Built 1942 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 27,600

SC 125

Fair

Over: LOWER THREE RUNS CREEK

10.5MI W OF ALLENDALE, Allendale, SC

Built 1948 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,200

US 123

Fair

Over: P.AND N. RAILROAD

WEST GREENVILLE, Greenville, SC

Built 1948 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 23,400

US 701

Fair

Over: COWFORD SWAMP

1 MI NW BUCKSPORT, Horry, SC

Built 1948 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 5,700

US 1

Fair

Over: S C 191

GRANITVILLE, Aiken, SC

Built 1950 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 25,600

US 1

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RR (NO. 2)

5 MI W OF AIKEN, Aiken, SC

Built 1950 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 25,600

SC 64 WB

Fair

Over: SALKEHATCHIE RIVER

1/2MI W OF BARNWELL, Barnwell, SC

Built 1952 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 825

US 378

Fair

Over: CUFFEYTOWN CREEK

6.8MI NE OF MCCORMICK, McCormick, SC

Built 1952 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 950

US 378

Fair

Over: LITTLE SALUDA RIVER

1.8 MI NE OF SALUDA, Saluda, SC

Built 1952 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,900

US 21

Fair

Over: RR NS

8.2 MI S OF ROCK HILL, York, SC

Built 1954 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 9,100

SC 170

Fair

Over: CHECHESSEE RIVER

10MI SW OF BEAUFORT, Beaufort, SC

Built 2004 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 29,600

SC 243

Fair

Over: ROCKY CREEK

16.6 MI NW OF ANDERSON, Anderson, SC

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,800

S-9-22

Fair

Over: I-26

8 MILES SW OF ST MATTHEWS, Calhoun, SC

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,200

L-23-76

Fair

Over: U.S. 29

CITY GREENV-CLEVELAND ST, Greenville, SC

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 5,700

US 278

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILROAD

5.3MI N OF ALLENDALE, Allendale, SC

Built 1961 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,000

S-97/CANE GULLY RD

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

8.5 MI NE MONCKS CORNER, Berkeley, SC

Built 1961 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 375

S-8-361

Fair

Over: CANADY BRANCH

5.5 MI NE MONCKS CORNER, Berkeley, SC

Built 1961 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 250

S-166/COMBAHEE RD

Fair

Over: TRIB TO CALFPEN CREEK

14.7 MI SW WALTERBORO, Colleton, SC

Built 1961 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 125

S-39-337

Fair

Over: TWELVE MILE CREEK

1.5 MI NW CENTRAL, Pickens, SC

Built 1961 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 900

S-4-96

Fair

Over: I-85 S-291 OVERLAPS

6.0MI NW WILLIAMSTON, Anderson, SC

Built 1963 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,650

S-15-379

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

5.9 MI W WALTB, Colleton, SC

Built 1964 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 150

I-20

Fair

Over: SOU. RR & PRIV. RD. .

4MI N OF COLUMBIA, Richland, SC

Built 1965 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 113,600

S-8-275

Fair

Over: CYPRESS SWAMP

10.4 SW MONCKS CORNER, Berkeley, SC

Built 1966 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 250

S-17-323

Fair

Over: I-95

4MI NW LATTA, Dillon, SC

Built 1966 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 125

S-9-266

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RWY

CITY OF ST MATHEWS, Calhoun, SC

Built 1967 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 77

S-12-355

Fair

Over: TRIB TO LITTLE ROCKY CR

7.7MI NW GREAT FALLS, Chester, SC

Built 1967 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 50

S-28-47

Fair

Over: I-20

3MI SE ELGIN, Kershaw, SC

Built 1967 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,800

S-36-383

Fair

Over: SCOTTS CREEK

CITY OF NEWBERRY, Newberry, SC

Built 1967 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,500

S-8-478/BIRCH AVE

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

CITY OF GOOSE CREEK, Berkeley, SC

Built 1968 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 100

S-14-420

Fair

Over: I-95

6MI SW MANNING, Clarendon, SC

Built 1968 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 500

S-8-605/WALTER RD

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

4.5 MI SE BONNEAU, Berkeley, SC

Built 1970 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 375

S-19-34

Fair

Over: HORN CREEK

5.2 MI SW EDGEFIELD, Edgefield, SC

Built 1971 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,600

S-46/OLD DIARY RD

Fair

Over: KELLY BRANCH

14MI SW MONCKS CORNER, Berkeley, SC

Built 1973 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,500

S-27-427

Fair

Over: TULIFINY RIVER

1MI N OF COOSAWHATCHIE, Jasper, SC

Built 1974 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 425

SC 9 NB

Fair

Over: CATAWBA RIVER

CHESTER CO LINE, Lancaster, SC

Built 1975 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 6,150

S-36-28

Fair

Over: HELLERS CREEK

16.4 MI E NEWBERRY, Newberry, SC

Built 1977 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,050

S-15-26

Fair

Over: ASHEPOO RIVER

22.5 MI S WALTB, Colleton, SC

Built 1980 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 450

S-23-48

Fair

Over: I-385

1.8MI E MAULDIN, Greenville, SC

Built 1981 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 5,000

S-39-48

Fair

Over: OOLENOY RIVER

9.0 MI N PICKENS, Pickens, SC

Built 1997 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 175

S-39-137

Fair

Over: GOLDEN CREEK

2.0 MI SW LIBERTY, Pickens, SC

Built 2000 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,850

CLARKS CREEK-Bridg

Fair

Over: CLARKS CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Chester, SC

Built 1979 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 50

WAMBAW CREEK-Bridg

Fair

Over: CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Berkeley, SC

Built 1968 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 50

CUBA STREET

Fair

Over: BALLAST CREEK

1.1 KM S. OF MALECON DR., Beaufort, SC

Built 1941 Load: 27.1 t ADT: 50

Showing 2,951-3,000 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.