North Carolina Congressional District 12
- Of the 753 bridges in the counties of this district, 19, or 2.5 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. This means one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition.
- This is up from 18 bridges classified as structurally deficient in 2021.
- Repairs are needed on 169 bridges in the district, which will cost an estimated $335.0 million.
- This compares to 165 bridges that needed work in 2021.
- There currently are now projects in the District that use IIJA formula bridge funds.
Top Most Traveled Structurally Deficient Bridges in North Carolina
| County | Year Built | Daily Crossings | Type of Bridge | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | 1971 | 127,000 | Urban Interstate | I277 & NC16 over US29/Nc49 (Graham St.) |
| Mecklenburg | 1967 | 96,000 | Urban Interstate | I277 & NC16 over Brevard Street |
| Mecklenburg | 1967 | 84,000 | Urban Interstate | I277 & NC16 over North College Street |
| Mecklenburg | 1970 | 41,500 | Urban Interstate | I277 SBL, US74 WBL over I77, US21 |
| Mecklenburg | 1956 | 25,500 | Urban other principal arterial | Nc49 over Southern Railroad |
| Mecklenburg | 1972 | 21,500 | Urban minor arterial | Beatties Ford Road over NC16 & Scl.RR |
| Mecklenburg | 1956 | 20,000 | Urban other principal arterial | Nc160 over Southern Railroad |
| Mecklenburg | 1970 | 19,500 | Urban Interstate | I277 NBl, US74 EBL over I77, US21 |
| Mecklenburg | 1977 | 12,750 | Urban minor arterial | SR1138 WBL over Sugar Creek |
| Mecklenburg | 1960 | 12,000 | Urban minor arterial | SR1441 over Steele Creek |
| Mecklenburg | 1955 | 11,000 | Urban collector | Sr2138 over Torrence Creek |
| Mecklenburg | 1945 | 10,500 | Urban collector | West Tyvola Rd. over Southern Railroad |
| Mecklenburg | 1973 | 9,100 | Urban local road | Davidson Street over I277 & NC16 |
| Mecklenburg | 1981 | 8,600 | Urban collector | Sr2822 over Ut to Reedy Creek |
| Mecklenburg | 1975 | 6,700 | Urban collector | Sr5469 over Coffey Creek |
| Mecklenburg | 1964 | 4,400 | Urban collector | Sr2442 over S.Prong of Clark S Creek |
| Mecklenburg | 1973 | 4,300 | Urban minor arterial | Caldwell Street over I277 & NC16 |
| Mecklenburg | 1975 | 750 | Urban local road | Coulwood Drive over Gum Branch |
| Mecklenburg | 1988 | 100 | Urban local road | Hanging Moss Trl over Ut to Duck Creek |
Bridge Inventory: North Carolina
| Type of Bridge | Number of Bridges | Area of All Bridges (sq. meters) | Daily Crossings on All Bridges | Number of Structurally Deficient Bridges | Area of Structurally Deficient Bridges (sq. meters) | Daily Crossings on Structurally Deficient Bridges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Interstate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rural arterial | 1 | 1,243 | 20,500 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rural minor arterial | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rural major collector | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rural minor collector | 1 | 83 | 4,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rural local road | 7 | 1,497 | 10,850 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urban Interstate | 222 | 319,494 | 11,434,620 | 5 | 8,520 | 368,000 |
| Urban freeway/expressway | 21 | 20,169 | 1,025,100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urban other principal arterial | 99 | 114,408 | 2,791,855 | 2 | 1,676 | 45,500 |
| Urban minor arterial | 101 | 112,647 | 1,972,400 | 4 | 3,855 | 50,550 |
| Urban collector | 88 | 68,610 | 969,400 | 5 | 1,560 | 41,200 |
| Urban local road | 213 | 98,172 | 1,101,375 | 3 | 1,606 | 9,950 |
| Total | 753 | 736,323 | 19,330,100 | 19 | 17,217 | 515,200 |
Proposed Bridge Work
| Type of Work | Number of Bridges | Cost to Repair (in millions) | Daily Crossings | Area of Bridges (sq. meters) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge replacement | 11 | $24 | 265,200 | 9,868 |
| Widening & rehabilitation | 0 | $0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rehabilitation | 158 | $311 | 5,068,953 | 193,312 |
| Deck rehabilitation/replacement | 0 | $0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other structural work | 0 | $0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 169 | $335 | 5,334,153 | 203,179 |
About the data:
Data includes information for the following area(s): Mecklenburg
Data and cost estimates are from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) National Bridge Inventory (NBI), downloaded on June 24, 2025. Note that specific conditions on bridges may have changed as a result of recent work or updated inspections.
Effective January 1, 2018, FHWA changed the definition of structurally deficient as part of the final rule on highway and bridge performance measures, published May 20, 2017 pursuant to the 2012 federal aid highway bill Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). Two measures that were previously used to classify bridges as structurally deficient are no longer used. This includes bridges where the overall structural evaluation was rated in poor or worse condition, or where the adequacy of waterway openings was insufficient.
The new definition limits the classification to bridges where one of the key structural elements—the deck, superstructure, substructure or culverts, are rated in poor or worse condition. During inspection, the conditions of a variety of bridge elements are rated on a scale of 0 (failed condition) to 9 (excellent condition). A rating of 4 is considered “poor” condition.
Cost estimates have been derived by ARTBA, based on 2023 average bridge replacement costs for structures on and off the National Highway System, published by FHWA. Bridge rehabilitation costs are estimated to be 68 percent of replacement costs. A bridge is considered to need repair if the structure has identified repairs as part of the NBI, a repair cost estimate is supplied by the bridge owner or the bridge is classified as structurally deficient. Please note that for a few states, the number of bridges needing to be repaired can vary significantly from year to year, and reflects the data entered by the state.
Bridges are classified by FHWA into types based on the functional classification of the roadway on the bridge. Interstates comprise routes officially designated by the Secretary of Transportation. Other principal arterials serve major centers of urban areas or provide mobility through rural areas. Freeways and expressways have directional lanes generally separated by a physical barrier, and access/egress points generally limited to on- and off-ramps. Minor arterials serve smaller areas and are used for trips of moderate length. Collectors funnel traffic from local roads to the arterial network; major collectors have higher speed limits and traffic volumes and are longer in length and spaced at greater intervals, while minor collectors are shorter and provide service to smaller communities. Local roads do not carry through traffic and are intended for short distance travel.