Nationwide more than 222,000 bridges, 36 percent of all U.S. structures, need major repairs or should be replaced, according to American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) analysis of the U.S. Department of Transportation 2023 National Bridge Inventory database.
The bridges span more than 6,100 miles. ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black, who conducted the analysis, calculated it would cost more than $319 billion to make the needed repairs.
When compared to 2022, there are 560 bridges in poor condition. It would take 75 years to repair them at the current pace. A total of 48.9 percent of bridges are in fair condition.
“Most bridges are inspected every two years, so it takes time for repairs and rehabilitation efforts to show up in the annual federal data,” Black said. “What we do know now from other market indicators is that there are more bridge projects in the pipeline.”
The 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made available $10.6 billion with another $15.9 billion to be available in the next three years.
States have committed $3.2 billion to 2,060 different bridge projects.
As of June 30, Idaho and Georgia have committed 100 percent of their available bridge formula funds while 31 states that have committed less than 33 percent.