More than 45,000 of America's bridges are in 'poor' condition. Should you be worried?

Kevin Crowe and Doug Caruso
·2 min read
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More than 45,000 bridges across America have deteriorated so badly that the Federal Highway Administration listed them in poor condition in last year's National Bridge Inventory.

Help is likely on the way, with $40 billion allocated to bridge repair and replacement out of the $1.2 trillion in infrastructure spending Congress approved in early November. That money is to be spent over the next five years. The need is everywhere, according to the data.

The 45,000 bridges in poor condition add up to 7% of all bridges in the United States, according to a USA TODAY data analysis of the inventory. That's better than in 2010, when about 11% of bridges rated as "structurally deficient," an older term that a highway administration spokesperson said equates to today's "poor" condition.

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Source: Federal Highway Administration

Some states are struggling more than others to maintain bridges, though. In West Virginia, Iowa and Rhode Island, about one in five bridges was listed in poor condition.

Iowa has the most bridges rated in poor condition of any state with 4,571. Pennsylvania follows that up with 3,353 poor bridges.

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Just five states account for one third of all the “poor” bridges in the U.S.: Iowa, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Oklahoma and Missouri.

The five states with the smallest percentages of poor bridges: Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Delaware all had less than 2% of their bridges rated as “poor” in 2020.

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Source: USA TODAY analysis of Federal Highway Administration data

The county with the largest number of poor bridges: Cook County, Ill., home to Chicago, with 234. That's nearly 11 percent of the county's bridges.

Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) and Bucks County (Philadelphia) in Pennsylvania, Wayne County (Detroit) in Michigan, and Marshall County, Iowa round out the five counties with the highest numbers of poor bridges.

Cracked and crumbling concrete can be seen on the supports under the Illinois Route 18 bridge at Henry.
Cracked and crumbling concrete can be seen on the supports under the Illinois Route 18 bridge at Henry.

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There are 18 counties in the U.S. with at least 10 bridges where at least one out of every three bridges is in poor condition. Ten of those counties are in Iowa.

The counties in the U.S. with the most bridges – Harris County (Houston) in Texas; Los Angeles County; Dallas County, Texas; and Maricopa County (Phoenix) in Arizona –each had poor ratings on fewer than 2% of their bridges in 2020.

See how bridges fared in your county

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Source: USA TODAY analysis of Federal Highway Administration data

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What bridges near you are in need of repair? Search our database.