Home › North Carolina › Watauga County › US321 over East Fork Cove Creek

US321 over East Fork Cove Creek

Watauga County, North Carolina · rated Fair in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory

United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled August 20, 2026

US321 over East Fork Cove Creek in Watauga County, North Carolina, is rated in fair condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of August 20, 2026).
Its lowest-rated component is the culvert, rated 5 (fair condition) on the 0-9 scale.
It was built in 1950, making it 75 years old at the 2025 inventory.
It carries about 4,300 vehicles a day (traffic count year 2021).
Its listed owner is the state highway agency.
It is one of 96 of the 202 inventoried bridges in Watauga County rated fair (47.5%); 19 (9.4%) are rated poor.
A fair rating means the lowest-rated major component scores 5 or 6 on FHWA's 0-9 scale: some deterioration or minor section loss, but the structure is sound. It is the middle class, not a warning.

Component ratings

Component	Rating (2025)	FHWA scale meaning
Culvert	5	Fair condition


Structure	Continuous concrete culvert
Length	about 26 ft
Location	100 Ft. S. Jct. SR1149
NBI structure number	000000001890054
Condition class	Fair

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 data as reported by the North Carolina department of transportation.

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
US221 321 over Winkler Creek	1947	42,000	Fair
NC105 over Hodges Creek	1954	30,000	Good
NC105 over Boone Creek	1964	30,000	Good
US221 421 over South Fork New River	1990	27,000	Fair
US221 US32 over Mid. Fork S. Fork New Rv	1949	22,500	Fair
US221 US32 over Middle Fork S.fork Newrv	1949	21,000	Fair