State profile · Below median Poor share

Virginia 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 Virginia.

14,120
Public bridges
33.0%
Good condition
3.4%
Poor condition

Virginia holds 14,120 public highway bridges (#20 of 52 by inventory) with a 3.39% Poor share (#42 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 3.4% 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 11 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

14,120

Public highway bridges in Virginia

Good Condition

33.0%

4,660 bridges rated 7-9

-17.0pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

3.4%

478 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-4.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

Virginia vs national bridge condition

Virginia - Good condition share 33.0%
National avg

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

Virginia - Poor-condition share 11.3%
National avg

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

Virginia 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: Virginia has 14,120 bridges and a 3.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #11 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 (%) VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%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%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%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: Virginia has 14,120 bridges and a 3.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #11 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.

Virginia 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

14,120 20th of 54 higher than 34 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 Virginia

The highlighted point is Virginia: 14,120 bridges and 3.39% in Poor condition, rank #11 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Virginia on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Utah: 3,125 bridges · 2.91% Poor
  • Alabama: 16,205 bridges · 3.35% Poor
  • Virginia: 14,120 bridges · 3.39% Poor
  • Tennessee: 20,379 bridges · 4.41% Poor
  • Minnesota: 13,532 bridges · 4.44% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Virginia

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 14,120 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Virginia’s inventory

State agency holds 86.3% of the 14,120 public highway bridges filed under Virginia in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Virginia’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 17.0% of the 14,120 bridges with a recorded original year in Virginia. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Virginia33%63.6%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Virginia (FHWA NBI)

Counties (131)

Accomack 31 Albemarle 262 Alexandria city 29 Alleghany 197 Amelia 58 Amherst 157 Appomattox 68 Arlington 183 Augusta 357 Bath 73 Bedford 204 Bland 122 Botetourt 202 Bristol city 34 Brunswick 152 Buchanan 283 Buckingham 72 Buena Vista city 18 Campbell 153 Caroline 107 Carroll 161 Charles City 22 Charlotte 97 Charlottesville city 24 Chesapeake city 187 Chesterfield 322 Clarke 38 Colonial Heights city 9 Covington city 8 Craig 60 Culpeper 99 Cumberland 39 Danville city 50 Dickenson 76 Dinwiddie 151 Emporia city 7 Essex 37 Fairfax 751 Fairfax city 7 Falls Church city 5 Fauquier 229 Floyd 115 Fluvanna 55 Franklin 174 Frederick 168 Fredericksburg city 18 Galax city 5 Giles 96 Gloucester 21 Goochland 87 Grayson 145 Greene 49 Greensville 92 Halifax 161 Hampton city 50 Hanover 161 Harrisonburg city 34 Henrico 352 Henry 135 Highland 53 Hopewell city 5 Isle of Wight 80 James City 60 King George 30 King William 32 King and Queen 32 Lancaster 9 Lee 153 Lexington city 8 Loudoun 442 Louisa 93 Lunenburg 88 Lynchburg city 80 Madison 80 Manassas Park city 3 Manassas city 13 Martinsville city 10 Mathews 5 Mecklenburg 160 Middlesex 10 Montgomery 196 Nelson 136 New Kent 60 Newport News city 60 Norfolk city 199 Northampton 12 Northumberland 16 Norton city 13 Nottoway 67 Orange 71 Page 96 Patrick 145 Petersburg city 41 Pittsylvania 267 Portsmouth city 50 Powhatan 34 Prince Edward 82 Prince George 132 Prince William 303 Pulaski 105 Radford city 2 Rappahannock 87 Richmond 23 Richmond city 125 Roanoke 204 Roanoke city 88 Rockbridge 255 Rockingham 288 Russell 136 Salem city 17 Scott 138 Shenandoah 213 Smyth 190 Southampton 145 Spotsylvania 102 Stafford 112 Staunton city 18 Suffolk city 132 Surry 31 Sussex 105 Tazewell 204 Virginia Beach city 119 Warren 81 Washington 186 Waynesboro city 19 Westmoreland 22 Williamsburg city 12 Winchester city 8 Wise 165 Wythe 181 York 122

Virginia 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 Virginia on the same metric.

UT

Utah

2.91% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,125

AL

Alabama

3.35% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,205
Selected

VA

Virginia

3.39% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,120

TN

Tennessee

4.41% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$20,379

MN

Minnesota

4.44% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$13,532

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Virginia

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

All Bridges in Virginia

Marquis Lane

Fair

Over: North Anna River

Louisa/Orange Co. Line, Orange, VA

Built 1970 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 821

Raven Rock Rd 671

Fair

Over: Ararat River

0.05 RT 631; 0.25 RT 752, Patrick, VA

Built 1926 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 572

Roark Mill Road

Fair

Over: Sycamore Creek

0.80 TO 641 - 0.80 TO 637, Pittsylvania, VA

Built 1932 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 339

Sago Road

Fair

Over: Turkeycock Creek

0.05 TO 651 - 0.15 TO 648, Pittsylvania, VA

Built 1957 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 499

EBL Route 460

Fair

Over: Sandy River

3.27-ECL Farm/2.04-Rt.307, Prince Edward, VA

Built 1917 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 4,226

FARM CREEK DRIVE

Fair

Over: FARM CREEK

00.10 636/00.40END MAIN., Prince William, VA

Built 1986 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,704

SBL ROUTE 0081

Fair

Over: NEW RIVER TRAIL S. P.

0.31-RT 99; 4.03-RT 100, Pulaski, VA

Built 1960 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 22,056

CLEBURNE BLVD./100

Fair

Over: NS RAILWAY & RTE 689

0.46-S DUBLIN; 0.08-RT11, Pulaski, VA

Built 1966 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 8,562

OLDBALTIMORE RD654

Fair

Over: RTES 81 & 11

0.01-F044; 0.15-F047, Pulaski, VA

Built 1961 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 95

SBL ROUTE 0081

Fair

Over: RTE 641_TEXAS HOLLOW RD

6.21MONTG CO;0.62 RT 112, Roanoke, VA

Built 1962 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 28,030

NBL ROUTE 0081

Fair

Over: RT642; ALLEGHANNY DR.

5.11-MONT CO; 1.72-RT 112, Roanoke, VA

Built 1962 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 28,294

SBL ROUTE 0081

Fair

Over: ALLEGHANY DRIVE_(RT642)

5.11 MONT CO; 1.72 RT 112, Roanoke, VA

Built 1962 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 28,030

BELLS VALLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: COVE RUN

1.00 TO 601 & 0.20 TO 42, Rockbridge, VA

Built 1965 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 110

FALLING SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: RTE I 81 NBL

0.20 TO 11 & 0.05 TO F233, Rockbridge, VA

Built 1966 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 503

ROUTE 33 EBL

Fair

Over: S F SHENANDOAH RIVER

0.63 33 BUS - 0.93 RT 340, Rockingham, VA

Built 1971 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 4,411

LAWYER RD

Fair

Over: CUB RUN

0.15 RT 33 - 0.30 RT 1801, Rockingham, VA

Built 1973 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 786

INTERSTATE 81 NBL

Fair

Over: RTE 638 TATTLE BRANCH RD

1.31 FR 762-2.56 TO 11, Smyth, VA

Built 1962 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 16,536

I-81 NBL

Fair

Over: Route 689

1.04 TO R11&6.01 TO R683, Smyth, VA

Built 1963 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 14,838

CLIFFVIEW ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK HOLSTON RIVER

.4 TOR630 & .45 TO R725, Smyth, VA

Built 1932 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 43

Old Church Road

Fair

Over: Bellyache Swamp

0.55 TO 652 / 1.65 TO 653, Southampton, VA

Built 1964 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 131

BELMONT RD.

Fair

Over: LAKE ANNA

1.1M RTE612-0.7M RTE652, Spotsylvania, VA

Built 1972 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,547

I-95 NBL

Fair

Over: Nottoway River

1.7 Mi To Route 642, Sussex, VA

Built 1979 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 19,336

Indian Creek Road

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK #1

.0MI.F.1202&.85 MI.T.1206, Tazewell, VA

Built 1956 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,901

BRUSHFORK ROAD

Fair

Over: N&W RAILWAY

.01M TO 102 & .25M TO 717, Tazewell, VA

Built 1961 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 3,177

ROUTE 717

Fair

Over: BRANCH FORK CREEK

0.35 FR 102; 0.02 TO 643, Tazewell, VA

Built 1960 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 49

Bottom Road

Fair

Over: CLINCH RIVER

.0M TO 67 & .02M TO 724, Tazewell, VA

Built 1980 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,790

I-66 WBL

Fair

Over: NS RWY SHEN RV & CK RUN

0.40 TO 340 - 6.10 TO 79, Warren, VA

Built 1976 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 16,056

POTERFIELD HWY.

Fair

Over: GREENDALE CREEK

4.17 FR ALT58A-6.11TO RCL, Washington, VA

Built 1933 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 15,759

OLD INDIAN CK. RD.

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

1.2M TO 633 & .23M TO 23B, Wise, VA

Built 1915 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 212

GRAYSON TPK.

Fair

Over: DRY RUN CREEK

.23M TO 619 & .20M TO 684, Wythe, VA

Built 1935 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,640

IS 64 EBL N Appr

Fair

Over: Hampton Roads

North Approach HRBT, York, VA

Built 1974 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 42,209

5th Street

Fair

Over: 7TH O NS;CSX;JAMES RV @

.02-Rt.501 & .00-Amherst, Lynchburg city, VA

Built 1988 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 13,992

IS 664 N Appr

Fair

Over: Terminal Ave & Boat Harb

North Approach MMMBT, York, VA

Built 1990 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 69,530

IS 64 WBL

Fair

Over: IS 264 WBL

2.70 MI.FR.INT.RTE. 407, Norfolk city, VA

Built 1968 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 83,388

IS 264 EBL

Fair

Over: HRT Light Rail

1.17 fr 460/2.11 to 13, Norfolk city, VA

Built 1968 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 55,507

IS 464 NBL

Fair

Over: Berkley Ave & Ramp

1.40 fr 337/0.60 to 264, Norfolk city, VA

Built 1988 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 24,210

HOLLINS RD.

Fair

Over: LICK RUN

0.4 MI From Orange Ave, Roanoke city, VA

Built 1932 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 7,153

ROUTE 0419

Fair

Over: ELECTRIC RD

001111 015011 & 460, Salem city, VA

Built 1960 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 18,781

Old Myrtle Road

Fair

Over: Cohoon Creek

0.5 MI.FR.INT.RTE. 610, Suffolk city, VA

Built 1949 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 695

HOPEMAN PARKWAY

Fair

Over: SOUTH RIV

1.4 RT 340 - .11 RT 865, Waynesboro city, VA

Built 1967 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 6,774

NICKELSVILLE HWY

Fair

Over: BIG MOCCASIN CREEK

0.03-RT 792 & 0.02-RT1402, Scott, VA

Built 1992 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 6,470

Sugar Run Road/663

Fair

Over: Sugar Run

.10-Rte665 ;2.05-Dead End, Giles, VA

Built 1992 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 57

GODWIN DRIVE

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF CANNON BRANCH

00.05 S OF NOKESVILLE RD., Manassas city, VA

Built 1990 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 10,895

River Run Trail

Fair

Over: Ducks Swamp

1.35 MI.FR.INT.RTE. 648, Isle of Wight, VA

Built 1995 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 467

FRYE ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF DOGUE CREEK

00.10FR915/00.05TO622, Fairfax, VA

Built 1995 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 5,143

Old Richmond Road

Fair

Over: Rt 29 Bypass

0.18-Rt 732 / 2.39-Rt 723, Pittsylvania, VA

Built 1995 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 4,243

ROUTE 460 (WBL)

Fair

Over: ROUTE 19

.26TORT720-4.88TOW.VALINE, Tazewell, VA

Built 1996 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 5,418

ROUTE 19 (NBL)

Fair

Over: RTE. 770 & INDIAN CREEK

1.78FR RUS.C.L.-.58TO609, Tazewell, VA

Built 1996 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 4,519

MT. CLINTON PIKE

Fair

Over: TRIB. BLACKS RUN

0.1 MI RTE 42, Harrisonburg city, VA

Built 1992 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 6,351

Joyners Bridge Rd

Fair

Over: Corrowaugh Swamp

1.10 Mi.Fr.Int.Rte. 641, Isle of Wight, VA

Built 1996 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 378

Showing 3,951-4,000 of 14,120 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 Virginia's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Virginia 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. Virginia 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.