US Highway 281 over South Fork-maple River

Dickey County, North Dakota · rated Fair in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory

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

• US Highway 281 over South Fork-maple River in Dickey County, North Dakota, is rated in fair condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of August 20, 2026).
• Its lowest-rated component is the culvert, rated 6 (satisfactory condition) on the 0-9 scale.
• It was built in 1941 and reconstructed in 1972, making it 84 years old at the 2025 inventory.
• It carries about 850 vehicles a day (traffic count year 2019).
• Its listed owner is the state highway agency.
• It is one of 16 of the 43 inventoried bridges in Dickey County rated fair (37.2%); 0 (0.0%) are rated poor.
• Its traffic status in the 2025 inventory is open, no restriction (NBI item 41).
• Its condition class and component ratings are unchanged from the 2024 inventory.
• Its most recent inspection on record is dated July 2024, on a 24-month routine inspection cycle.
• 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.

View this bridge on a map → (46.16479, -98.59259)

Component ratings

Bridge details

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

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Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.