State profile · Above median Poor share

West 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 West Virginia.

7,348
Public bridges
25.2%
Good condition
18.6%
Poor condition

West Virginia holds 7,348 public highway bridges (#31 of 52 by inventory) with a 18.64% Poor share (#2 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 18.6% 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 52 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

7,348

Public highway bridges in West Virginia

Good Condition

25.2%

1,855 bridges rated 7-9

-24.8pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

18.6%

1,370 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

11.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

West Virginia vs national bridge condition

West Virginia - Good condition share 25.2%
National avg

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

West Virginia - Poor-condition share 62.1%
National avg

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

West 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: West Virginia has 7,348 bridges and a 18.6% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #52 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 (%) WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%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%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%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: West Virginia has 7,348 bridges and a 18.6% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #52 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.

West 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

7,348 31st of 54 higher than 23 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 West Virginia

The highlighted point is West Virginia: 7,348 bridges and 18.64% in Poor condition, rank #52 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below West Virginia on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Maine: 2,518 bridges · 15.41% Poor
  • South Dakota: 5,887 bridges · 16.36% Poor
  • West Virginia: 7,348 bridges · 18.64% Poor
  • Iowa: 23,719 bridges · 19.16% Poor
  • Virgin Islands: 24 bridges · 29.17% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in West Virginia

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 7,348 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains West Virginia’s inventory

State agency holds 97.4% of the 7,348 public highway bridges filed under West Virginia in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When West Virginia’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 16.0% of the 7,348 bridges with a recorded original year in West Virginia. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

West Virginia25.2%56.1%18.6%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - West Virginia (FHWA NBI)

West 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 West Virginia on the same metric.

ME

Maine

15.41% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,518

SD

South Dakota

16.36% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,887
Selected

WV

West Virginia

18.64% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$7,348

IA

Iowa

19.16% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$23,719

VI

Virgin Islands

29.17% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$24

Bridges Needing Most Attention in West Virginia

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

All Bridges in West Virginia

CEDAR LAKES ROAD

Poor

Over: MILL CREEK

0.01 MILE EAST OF CR 25, Jackson, WV

Built 1955 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 75

CR 46

Poor

Over: ELK TWOMILE CREEK

0.86 MI E OF CR 46/1, Kanawha, WV

Built 1924 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 1,100

CR 83/3

Poor

Over: PAINT CREEK

0.03 MI S OF CR 83, Kanawha, WV

Built 1921 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 300

LOUDEN HEIGHTS RD.

Poor

Over: FORK OF PORTERS HOLLOW

1.40 MI S OF WV 61 F, Kanawha, WV

Built 1924 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,500

CR 3/14

Poor

Over: MUD RIVER

0.18 MI SOUTH OF WV 3, Lincoln, WV

Built 1940 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 90

CR 110/20

Poor

Over: GUYANDOTTE SIDE CHANNEL

0.05 MI N. OF CR 119/26, Logan, WV

Built 1954 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 30

US. 52

Poor

Over: Elkhorn Creek

0.02 MI. E. OF CR. 52/17, McDowell, WV

Built 1945 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 3,700

COUNTY ROUTE 12/10

Poor

Over: WAR CREEK

0.01 MI. S. OF CR. 12/4, McDowell, WV

Built 1936 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROUTE 16/48

Poor

Over: Tug Fork & Tug Street

0.01 MI WEST OF WV 16, McDowell, WV

Built 1946 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 40

GARY CITY STREET

Poor

Over: TUG FORK

0.01 MI S OF WV 103, McDowell, WV

Built 1930 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 120

MARION CO RT 56

Poor

Over: BOOTHS CREEK

0.01 MI WEST MARION CR 58, Marion, WV

Built 1971 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,600

MARION CO 73/6

Poor

Over: PRICKETT CREEK

0.02 MI NORTH CO RT 73/19, Marion, WV

Built 1923 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 650

WV ROUTE 218

Poor

Over: RAVINE

0.07 MI SOUTH CO RT 20, Marion, WV

Built 1953 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,700

MARION CO. 250/58

Poor

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

0.02 MI EAST CO RT 250/32, Marion, WV

Built 1926 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 50

County Route 74/2

Poor

Over: Fish Creek

0.10 mi. South jct CR 74, Marshall, WV

Built 1906 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 50

CO 10/25

Poor

Over: RIGHTHAND FORK

0.05 MILE EAST OF WV 10, Mercer, WV

Built 1936 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 90

MONONGALIA CR 73

Poor

Over: WHITEDAY CREEK

0.05 MI SOUTH CO RT 73/1, Monongalia, WV

Built 1956 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,300

CR 08 SLS

Poor

Over: SLEEPY CREEK

0.72 MI S JCT CR 13 SLS, Morgan, WV

Built 1924 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 150

WV 09 F

Poor

Over: CACAPON RIVER

0.35 MI W OF CR 9/27 SLS, Morgan, WV

Built 1915 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 550

CR 37

Poor

Over: TRACE FORK OF MUD RIVER

0.25 MI S OF CR 39, Putnam, WV

Built 1927 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 350

CR 5/6

Poor

Over: ISNER CREEK

0.15 MI N US 219, Randolph, WV

Built 1915 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 800

COUNTY ROUTE 50/34

Poor

Over: GOOSE CREEK

0.35 M WEST OF CR 50/27, Ritchie, WV

Built 1931 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 250

County Route 32

Poor

Over: Point Pleasant Creek

0.05 mi. East jct WV 180, Tyler, WV

Built 1922 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 250

COUNTY ROUTE 26

Poor

Over: ELK RIVER

1.89 MI W OF CO 26/8, Webster, WV

Built 1923 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 250

COUNTY ROUTE 13/4

Poor

Over: PECKS RUN

0.38 MI S CO 13/2, Barbour, WV

Built 1913 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 20

CO 31

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

0.04 MI EAST OF CO 31/5, Cabell, WV

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 350

DODDRIDGE CO RT 20

Poor

Over: FLINT RUN

0.11 MI SOUTH CO RT 3, Doddridge, WV

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 200

COUNTY ROUTE 23/7

Poor

Over: RIGHT FORK STEER CREEK

0.04 MI E CO 23, Gilmer, WV

Built 1920 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 200

COUNTY ROUTE 5

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

1.37 Miles N. of CR 5/7, Greenbrier, WV

Built 1967 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 151

CR 23/10 SLS

Poor

Over: TROUT RUN

7.27 MI S OF CR 16 SLS, Hardy, WV

Built 1937 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 90

COUNTY ROUTE 21

Poor

Over: GRASSLICK CREEK

0.89 MILE S OF CR 21/29, Jackson, WV

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,000

CR 79/35

Poor

Over: CABIN CREEK

0.01 MILE W OF CR 79/35, Kanawha, WV

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 30

COUNTY ROUTE 2

Poor

Over: KINCHELOE CREEK

1.53 MI N OF CO 2/2, Lewis, WV

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 10

HARP 932

Poor

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

0.03 MILE NORTH OF CR 16, Logan, WV

Built 1972 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 10

CO 16/57

Poor

Over: BROWNS CREEK

0.01 MI EAST OF WV 10, McDowell, WV

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 40

HARP 966

Poor

Over: Elkhorn Creek

0.01 MILE S OF CR 52/20, McDowell, WV

Built 2010 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 30

County Route 1

Poor

Over: Boggs Run

1.02 mi. East jct CR 4, Marshall, WV

Built 1921 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 650

County Route 74

Poor

Over: Big Tribble Creek

1.68 Mi. East Jct. CR 72, Marshall, WV

Built 1961 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 250

CR 11/10

Poor

Over: CRANE CREEK

0.02 MI S OF CR 11, Mercer, WV

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 90

COUNTY RD. 10 SLS

Poor

Over: PATTERSON CREEK

0.11 MI E OF CR 46/7 SLS, Mineral, WV

Built 1926 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 400

WV 55

Poor

Over: MUDDLETY CREEK

0.17 Miles E. of CR 19/41, Nicholas, WV

Built 1929 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,700

County Route 1

Poor

Over: Short Creek

0.43 Mi. North Jct CR 1/1, Ohio, WV

Built 1951 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,000

PRESTON CO RT 31

Poor

Over: RACCOON CREEK

0.10 MI SOUTH CO RT 33/12, Preston, WV

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 50

WV 26

Poor

Over: Morgan Run

0.02 mi N of Pre Co 26/72, Preston, WV

Built 1936 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,500

COUNTY ROUTE 27

Poor

Over: HENRY FK OF W FK L KANAW

0.01 M SOUTH OF CR 27/4, Roane, WV

Built 1927 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 150

I-79 NBL

Poor

Over: CR 29 & Big Sandy Creek

3.56 MI. N. 0F CR 29, Roane, WV

Built 1972 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,900

COUNTY ROUTE 8 SLS

Poor

Over: SAND RUN

0.47 MI N OF CO RT 3 SLS, Upshur, WV

Built 1914 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 50

CR 1

Poor

Over: FALLING ROCK CREEK

0.08 MI E OF CR 1/6, Boone, WV

Built 1924 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,000

COUNTY ROUTE 40

Poor

Over: STRANGE CREEK

0.06 MI W OF CO RT 40/2, Braxton, WV

Built 1952 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 450

CO RT 11

Poor

Over: NICUT RUN

0.16 MI CR 11/16, Calhoun, WV

Built 1926 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 150

Showing 6,251-6,300 of 7,348 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 West Virginia's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in West 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. West 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.