Slow & Steady Progress Repairing America’s Bridges, According To Latest Federal Government Data
Nearly 221,800 U.S. bridges require major repairs or replacement, with 42,067 rated as structurally deficient, a slight improvement from 2023. States have committed 46% of the $27.5 billion bridge program funds, with significant progress seen in states like Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.
According to GroundBreak, placed end-to-end, these structures span over 6,100 miles, or the equivalent of every mile of urban and rural Interstate in California, Florida, and Illinois. Of the bridges needing repair, 42,067 are rated in poor condition and classified as “structurally deficient.” That is 324 fewer than in 2023.
States with the biggest decline in the number of bridges in poor condition: Pennsylvania (down 90), Louisiana (down 87), Florida (down 85), West Virginia (down 74), and California (down 64).
Bridges in poor condition represent 6.8 percent of the 2024 U.S. bridge inventory—compared to 7.3 percent in 2020.
“Over the last five years we have seen significant progress in states like Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia – reducing the number of bridges in poor condition,” said Dr. Alison Premo Black, ARTBA’s chief economist, who conducted the analysis. “While improvements can take time, every bridge repair increases the safety and efficiency of our network for the traveling public.”
States have received $15.9 billion in the first three years of the IIJA’s new $27.5 billion formula bridge program and, to date, have committed 46 percent ($7.3 billion) of these resources to over 4,170 bridge projects. The remaining 54 percent ($8.5 billion) of already released bridge funds – plus the $10.6 billion that will be provided in the next two years – will support needed bridge improvements well into the future.
Twenty-three states have committed at least half of their available bridge formula funds, with the top 10 being: Georgia (100%), North Dakota (99%), Indiana (98%), Florida (96%), Oklahoma (95%), Nebraska (91.5%), Idaho (91.5%), Arkansas (88%), West Virginia (85%) and Alabama (85%).