Decades of neglect and lack of investment have left over 46,000 bridges in the United States in a state of disrepair. To address this, President Joe Biden signed into law in November 2021 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocates $550 billion to rebuilding key infrastructure. Still, necessary repairs may take years, and each day, Americans make 178 million trips across bridges deemed to be structurally deficient.
A structurally deficient bridge is defined by the Federal Highway Administration as one in which any component - the deck, superstructure, substructure, or culverts - is in poor or worse condition.
According to the advocacy group American Road & Transportation Builders Association, there are 459 bridges considered to be structurally deficient in Florida - equal to 3.6% of all bridges in the state. For context, 7.0% of bridges nationwide are considered structurally deficient.
Of the bridges in poor or worse condition in the state, the bridge on I-95 South over Sistrunk Blvd. in Broward County - built in 1975 - carries the largest number of commuters and travelers, with an estimated 156,000 daily crossings on average.
It is important to note that structurally deficient bridges do not necessarily pose imminent risk to those crossing. They do, however, require significant investment to avoid becoming hazardous or to avoid restrictions on the weight or speed of vehicles crossing.
StateMost traveled bridge in poor conditionLocationYear builtAvg. daily crossings
Alabama
I-459 over the Cahaba River
Jefferson County
1981
99,312
Alaska
South Tongass Highway over Hoadley Creek
Ketchikan Gateway Borough
1957
17,165
Arizona
Shea Boulevard over Indian Bend Wash
Maricopa County
1976
48,700
Arkansas
I-30, Sec 23 over the Arkansas River
Pulaski County
1958
119,000
California
U.S. Highway 101 over Kester Ave
Los Angeles County
1959
293,000
Colorado
I-70 over U.S. Route 6
Denver County
1964
157,000
Connecticut
I-95 over Metro North
New Haven County
1956
136,400
Delaware
Red Mill Rd. over stream Mill Pond
New Castle County
1971
22,887
Florida
Southbound I-95 over Sistrunk Blvd.
Broward County
1975
156,000
Georgia
I-75 over Swamp Creek
Whitfield County
1961
66,210
Hawaii
Kalaniana'ole Highway over Niu Stream
Honolulu County
1934
58,500
Idaho
State Highway 33 over the Teton River
Madison County
1971
22,000
Illinois
I-90 Express over Stewart Ave.
Cook County
1962
203,100
Indiana
I-65 over Ohio St.
Marion County
1974
186,289
Iowa
Centennial Bridge
Scott County
1940
30,600
Kansas
College Blvd. over Indian Creek
Johnson County
1976
21,800
Kentucky
I-65 over Grade Ln.
Jefferson County
1988
166,770
Louisiana
Calcasieu River Bridge
Calcasieu Parish
1952
86,600
Maine
I-295 Northbound over Route 88
Cumberland County
1959
27,320
Maryland
I-695 over U.S. Route 40
Baltimore County
1958
188,860
Massachusetts
I-93 Northbound over Route 24 Northbound
Norfolk County
1958
193,356
Michigan
I-696 over I-75
Oakland County
1971
209,200
Minnesota
I-35W over Cliff Rd.
Dakota County
1959
92,000
Mississippi
I-20 over Lynch St.
Hinds County
1969
26,000
Missouri
I-270E over Conway Rd.
St. Louis County
1964
196,655
Montana
S Higgins Ave. over Clark Fork River Pedestrian Paths
Missoula County
1962
15,552
Nebraska
U.S. Route 75 over J St.
Douglas County
1970
85,640
Nevada
I-515 over Desert Inn Rd.
Clark County
1981
127,000
New Hampshire
I-89 over South St.
Merrimack County
1959
51,032
New Jersey
NJ Route 495 over Paterson Plank Rd.
Hudson County
1939
159,000
New Mexico
I-25 over Gibson Blvd.
Bernalillo County
1961
117,053
New York
I-278 over 15th St.
Kings County
1962
190,572
North Carolina
I-40 over Walnut Creek
Wake County
1982
118,000
North Dakota
Demers Ave over BNSF Rail Road
Grand Forks County
1972
18,500
Ohio
I-270 Ramp over Ramp I-270 West Bound to state Route 315 Southbound
Franklin County
1969
143,208
Oklahoma
I-44 Southbound over Oklahoma River
Oklahoma County
1975
62,800
Oregon
Morrison St. over Willamette River
Multnomah County
1958
55,335
Pennsylvania
I-95 over Fraley St.
Philadelphia County
1967
202,857
Rhode Island
I-95 over U.S. Route 6 and Woonasquatucket River
Providence County
1964
171,707
South Carolina
I-85 over Laurel Creek
Greenville County
1960
119,700
South Dakota
U.S. Route 12 over Moccasin Creek
Brown County
1954
19,426
Tennessee
I-24 over Mill Creek
Davidson County
1958
167,340
Texas
I-610 over Houston Ship Channel
Harris County
1973
171,423
Utah
I-15 Southbound over state Route 193
Davis County
1966
130,000
Vermont
I-89 Northbound over the Connecticut River
Windsor County
1966
20,734
Virginia
I-95 over state Route 608
Chesterfield County
1958
111,000
Washington
SW Spokane St. Bridge over Duwamish Waterway
King County
1983
108,179
West Virginia
I-64 Ramp B over state Route 25
Kanawha County
1965
68,700
Wisconsin
I-43 Freeway over Glendale Ave.
Milwaukee County
1960
132,000
Wyoming
U.S. Route 26 over Flat Creek
Teton County
1969
26,260