Brady PieperAccording to a new analysis from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), nearly 221,800 bridges across the United States are in urgent need of major repairs or replacement. ARTBA estimates it would cost over $400 billion to repair, replace and renovate all the bridges and structures in need of rehabilitation, according to federal data.
The data, sourced from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory, tallies all bridges in the U.S., classifying bridges on a scale of 0 (failed condition) to 9 (excellent condition) based on biennial inspections. According to the data, 49% of all bridges in the country are in fair condition, while 6.8% of bridges are classified as poor. ARTBA’s analysis of the data supports the organization’s advocacy for infrastructure investments and safe and efficient travel initiatives.
Steadily, states have made progress in decreasing the amount of structurally deficient bridges, with nearly 3,000 poor condition bridges being replaced since 2020. In the last year, several states have seen reductions in the number of bridges rated as poor. Pennsylvania led with a reduction of 90 bridges, followed by Louisiana with 87, Florida with 85, West Virginia with 74 and California with 64.
Despite making substantial strides in repairing and replacing failing bridges, ARTBA estimates that there are still over 42,000 bridges rated in poor condition and classified as structurally deficient. 
States with the highest percentage of poor condition bridges, according to the analysis, include:
- Iowa with 19.2%
- West Virginia with 18.6%
- South Dakota with 16.4%
- Maine with 15.4%
- Rhode Island with 15.2%
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) Bridge Formula Program has played a crucial role in funding bridge repairs. The program, through its first three years, has delivered $15.9 billion to states to repair poor condition bridges and rehabilitate fair condition bridges.
Investing 46% of funds, states have already committed $7.3 billion in IIJA resources to over 4,170 bridge projects across the country. Of the states that have committed over half of their available budgets, Georgia leads the way, having allocated all of their funds. North Dakota, Indiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Idaho have all designated over 90% of their available resources to bridge projects. Seventeen states have committed less than 33% of available funds, as of June.
The remaining 54%, or $8.5 billion, of released bridge funds plus the $10.6 billion left in the IIJA bridge formula program funding for the next two years will serve states and their bridges for years to come.
Another IIJA initiative addressing bridges, known as the Bridge Investment Program, will deliver an additional $12.5 billion to projects on a discretionary basis through the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Photo by Yuval Zukerman on Unsplash
