Here’s the latest condition of North Carolina bridges. How well are they holding up?

While preliminary reports indicate the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore on Tuesday was an accident, the topic of structural safety of bridges is front of mind for experts and the rest of us.

Large ships like the freighter that crashed into the Key Bridge don’t have to pass under bridges to reach this state’s two largest ports in Morehead City and Wilmington.

But North Carolina has 13,700 bridges that the state Department of Transportation inspects.

So how safe and secure are North Carolina’s bridges? Overall, the state’s bridges are in good shape, NCDOT says.

However, as of January, about 8%, or 1,150, of them were considered in poor condition, according to NCDOT. This means the bridges need extensive rehabilitation or to be replaced.

NCDOT estimates the cost of replacing those bridges is $4 billion, much more than the $333 million in state funding and $139 million in federal funding allocated for that in 2024. An additional $47 million is set aside for maintenance and $86.5 million for preservation.

More NC bridge facts:

• About one-third of the state’s bridges were built in the last 20 years. About 37% were built more than 50 years ago.

• 72% have no deficiencies. 20% are rated as “functionally obsolete”, which means the bridge is safe but no no longer meets the demands of traffic but needs to be improved or replaced.

• Of the 1,150 bridges in poor condition, only 22 were built in the last 30 years and 167 were built in the last 50 years.

• The five counties with the highest share of structurally deficient bridges are all in the mountain region of the state, where flooding and landslides take more of a toll on roads: Ashe, 31%; Mitchell, 24%; Macon, 22%; Wilkes, 21%; and Madison, 20%. These five counties comprise 21% of all structurally deficient bridges

• Approximately 2,000 bridges, or about 15%, have weight limits. Of those, about 1,200 are functionally obsolete or structurally deficient.

For more information on North Carolina bridges, go to the NCDOT website.

Search and sort the entire bridge database below:

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com

This story was originally published March 28, 2024 at 5:30 AM.