ARTBA: More Than One-Third of U.S. Bridges Need Major Repair or Replacement

The new study found that 221,800 bridges require serious repair at an estimates total cost of over $400 billion.

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Sep 18, 2024 - 12:55
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ARTBA: More Than One-Third of U.S. Bridges Need Major Repair or Replacement

A new analysis from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association found that nearly 221,800 bridges in the U.S. are in need of serious repair. However, this is the fourth year in a row where the number of bridges in need of major repair or replacement has declined.

ARTBA analyzed the U.S. Depart of Transportation’s National Bridge Inventory, which was updated August 29, and found the number of bridges in need of replace or repair fell slightly in 2024 from 222,017 last year. The percentage of U.S. bridges in need of repair or replacement, however, remained unchanged at 36%. ARTBA estimates it would cost more than $400 billion to address all those needs.

a pie chart showing types of repairs needed by categoryJust 2% of U.S. bridges requiring major work need deck rehabilitation or replacement.ARTBA

Among bridges needing work, 76,175 (34%) need total replacement; 51,366 (23%) require rehabilitation; and 40,552 (18%) require widening and rehabilitation.

The number of bridges in “poor condition” came in at 42,067, down from 42,391 in 2023. The percentage of bridges classified as structurally deficient remained unchanged at 6.8%.

a bar chart showing the number of poor condition bridges by yearThe percentage of bridges classified as structurally deficient in 2024 remained unchanged at 6.8%.ARTBA

The definition of “poor” is when a key element of the bridge, such as the deck, is rated in poor or worse condition. During inspection, the conditions of a variety of bridge elements are rated on a scale of 0 (failed) to 9 (excellent). A rating of 4 is considered “poor.” 

States with the biggest decline in the number of bridges in poor condition were Pennsylvania (down 90), Louisiana (down 87), Florida (down 85), West Virginia (down 74 bridges) and California (down 64).

The number of bridges in poor condition rose in New York (up 86), Kentucky (up 60), South Carolina (up 59), Illinois (up 45) and Puerto Rico (up 38).

The states or territories with the most bridges in poor condition, as a percentage of their total bridge inventory, are:

  1. Iowa (19.2%, #2 in 2023)
  2. West Virginia (18.6%, #1 in 2023)
  3. South Dakota (16.4%, #3 in 2023)
  4. Maine (15.4%, #5 in 2023)
  5. Rhode Island (15.2%, #4 in 2023)
  6. Puerto Rico (13.9%, #7 in 2023)
  7. Pennsylvania (12.6%, #6 in 2023)
  8. Louisiana (11.5%, #8 in 2023)
  9. Michigan (11.3%, #9 in 2023)
  10. North Dakota (11%, #10 in 2023)

States with the largest number of bridges in poor condition, are:

  1. Iowa (4,544, #1 in 2023)
  2. Pennsylvania (2,932, #2 in 2023)
  3. Illinois (2,517, #3 in 2023)
  4. Missouri (2,203, #4 in 2023)
  5. Oklahoma (1,764, #5 in 2023)
  6. New York (1,664, #7 in 2023)
  7. California (1,527, #6 in 2023)
  8. Louisiana (1,458 #8 in 2023)
  9. West Virginia (1,370, #9 in 2023)
  10. Kansas (1,310, #11 in 2023)

Some bridges newly rated in poor condition include:

  • Dauphin Island Bridge, Alabama
  • Columbia Wrightsville Bridge, Pennsylvania
  • NC 45/308 over the Cashie, Middle and Roanoke Rivers, North Carolina
  • I-678 over Boat Basin Place, Flushing Cree, New York
  • Popp’s Ferry Bridge over Back Bay Biloxi, Mississippi
  • I-90 over Canal to Stewart Streets, Illinois
  • Interstate 680 over Monument Boulevard, California
  • I-93 over Mystic Valley Parkway, Massachusetts
  • I-95 North and Southbound over Thurbers Avenue, Rhode Island
  • IH-35 over Grand Avenue, Texas

Based on average cost data submitted by states to the USDOT, ARTBA estimates it would cost over $400 billion to make all needed repairs.

States have received $15.9 billion from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s $27.5 billion bridge formula program and so far have committed 46% to over 4,170 bridge projects.

Most bridges are inspected every two years, meaning repairs underway or in the planning stages can take time to be reflected in the data.

a table showing the number of U.S. bridges by conditionIn 2024, 49% of all bridges in the U.S. (306,245) were in fair condition.ARTBA

Over the last five years, the share of bridges in fair condition has continued to grow as the share of structures classified in “poor” or “good” condition declined.

In 2024, 49% of all bridges in the U.S. (306,245) were in fair condition. Another 274,835 were rated in good condition, down 258 structures from last year.

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