Bridge conditions in Dare County, North Carolina

40 inventoried bridges · 4 rated poor · 2025 National Bridge Inventory

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

Of the 40 Dare County bridges in the federal inventory, 4 carry a poor rating. That 10.0% share is roughly 1x the national average.

4 of the 40 bridges in Dare County, North Carolina, are rated in poor condition (10.0%) in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory, as of August 20, 2026.
18 bridges (45.0%) are rated good and 18 (45.0%) fair.
The median Dare County bridge was built in 2002.
The busiest poor-rated bridge is NC12 over the Slash (built 1956), carrying about 3,300 vehicles a day.

Good 45.0% · Fair 45.0% · Poor 10.0% of 40 bridges

Bridges rated poor

Every bridge in the county with a poor rating, busiest first. Poor means a major component is rated 4 or lower on FHWA's 0-9 scale; it is a repair flag, not a closure notice.

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
NC12 over the Slash	1956	3,300	Poor
US64 over Croatan Sound	1955	2,400	Poor
SR1164 over Canal	2002	520	Poor
Dry Ridge Road over Whipping Creek	1965	5	Poor

Busiest bridges in the county

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
US158 over Jean Guite Creek	1966	22,500	Fair
US64 over Roanoke Sound	1990	21,000	Fair
US64 over Pond Island	1994	20,500	Fair
SR1217 over CR Off Kitty Hawk Bay	1994	13,000	Fair
SR1217 over Colington Creek	1994	13,000	Fair
NC12 over Creek	2014	7,700	Good
US64 US264BYP over Croatan Sound	2002	6,900	Good
SR1492 Ferry Ramp over Pamlico Sound	2001	6,300	Fair
NC12 over Pamlico Sound	2021	6,300	Good
NC12 over New Inlet	2018	5,900	Good

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025. Counts cover inventoried highway bridges over 20 feet; ratings are reported by the state DOT.

All of North Carolina: North Carolina bridge conditions by county · every download on the data page.

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