One-third of bridges in the U.S. need to be repaired or replaced. But federal infrastructure dollars are helping states chip away at that number, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association's
"'Slow and steady' describes ongoing state efforts to reduce the number of bridges in poor condition ("structurally deficient") to 42,067, down from 42,391 in 2023," said the report, which bases its findings on the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2024 National Bridge Inventory dated Aug. 20.
Overall, 36% of all U.S. bridges, nearly 221,800, need major repair or replacement, and 76,175 bridges should be replaced, ARTBA said.
Iowa has the largest number of poor bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri.
The March
As of 2021, the bridge-repair backlog totaled $125 billion, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Spending on bridge repair needs to increase to $22.7 billion annually from $14.4 billion, or by 58%, the ASCE said. ARTBA puts the cost of making all needed repairs at $400 billion.
Despite the daunting numbers, the country has seen the number of spans considered in fair condition climb over the last five years and the number of "poor" bridges fall, ARTBA said. Federal funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act have proved critical, the group said.
"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 Alison Premo Black, ARTBA's chief economist. "While improvements can take time, every bridge repair increases the safety and efficiency of our network for the traveling public."
The IIJA provided $27.5 billion in formula funds to states for bridge repairs. The law allocated another $12.5 billion in grants through its newly created Bridge Investment Program.
States have received $15.9 billion in the first three years of the IIJA's new $27.5 billion formula funds, and have committed 46% of that to more than 4,170 bridge projects, the report found.
"The remaining 54% ($8.5 billion) of already released bridge funds and the $10.6 billion that will be provided in the next two years will support needed bridge improvements well into the future," the group said.
Twenty-three states have committed at least half of their available bridge formula funds. Georgia has committed 100% of its funds, followed by North Dakota at 99%, Indiana at 98%, and Florida at 96%.
It's ARTBA's 11th annual bridge report.
