Official data, annual
Bridge conditions and weight postings by state
The National Bridge Inventory lists 621,735 bridges in the 50 states and DC. 41,333 (6.6%) are rated poor, 63,974 are posted with a load or other restriction, and 3,560 are closed. Poor does not mean unsafe to cross, and a posting may or may not apply to your truck weight. The state with the highest share rated poor is Iowa at 18.6%. This is an annual snapshot, not a live road status.
Historical dataBTS NTAD National Bridge Inventory (aggregates)Data period: FHWA National Bridge Inventory as of June 20, 2025Retrieved Oct 9, 2026, 11:03 UTCretrieved Oct 9, 2026
Not a route tool
This page counts bridges by state. It does not tell you whether the bridge on your route is posted. Postings and closures change, and states post by vehicle type and weight. Use your state permit office or a truck GPS with current restrictions for a real route. Freight bottleneck lists from the research community were not used because we could not confirm an official open file for them.
Poor-condition bridges, by state
Darker states have a higher share of bridges rated poor. Click a state or a table row.
- 1.0% to 4.0% (11 states)
- 4.3% to 5.2% (10 states)
- 5.3% to 7.1% (10 states)
- 7.1% to 9.5% (10 states)
- 9.9% to 18.6% (10 states)
- No data
| State | Bridges | On National Highway System | Rated poor | Poor, on the NHS | Posted for load or restricted | Posted share | Posted, on the NHS | Closed | Low clearance over a road (under 13 ft 6 in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16,181 | 3,135 | 3.4% | 29 | 2,144 | 13.3% | 2 | 190 | 10 |
| Alaska | 1,660 | 435 | 7.5% | 14 | 106 | 6.4% | 7 | 31 | 2 |
| Arizona | 8,587 | 3,282 | 1.1% | 13 | 204 | 2.4% | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Arkansas | 12,978 | 2,370 | 5.4% | 69 | 1,419 | 10.9% | 81 | 31 | 10 |
| California | 25,975 | 10,929 | 4.9% | 421 | 396 | 1.5% | 11 | 91 | 44 |
| Colorado | 8,990 | 2,756 | 4.6% | 115 | 373 | 4.1% | 3 | 15 | 28 |
| Connecticut | 4,363 | 1,821 | 4.8% | 51 | 158 | 3.6% | 83 | 17 | 49 |
| Delaware | 874 | 340 | 1.1% | 1 | 22 | 2.5% | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| District of Columbia | 261 | 149 | 1.9% | 3 | 6 | 2.3% | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| Florida | 13,070 | 5,872 | 2.8% | 21 | 820 | 6.3% | 5 | 37 | 41 |
| Georgia | 15,090 | 4,026 | 1.7% | 16 | 1,899 | 12.6% | 96 | 59 | 29 |
| Hawaii | 1,180 | 520 | 5.7% | 26 | 201 | 17.0% | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Idaho | 4,646 | 845 | 5.4% | 15 | 365 | 7.9% | 2 | 14 | 4 |
| Illinois | 26,927 | 4,833 | 9.5% | 365 | 828 | 3.1% | 37 | 109 | 10 |
| Indiana | 19,542 | 3,106 | 5.3% | 33 | 1,776 | 9.1% | 8 | 117 | 31 |
| Iowa | 23,716 | 2,659 | 18.6% | 15 | 4,378 | 18.5% | 5 | 330 | 8 |
| Kansas | 24,891 | 2,884 | 5.2% | 27 | 7,461 | 30.0% | 24 | 11 | 18 |
| Kentucky | 14,590 | 2,118 | 7.5% | 45 | 4,443 | 30.5% | 149 | 65 | 21 |
| Louisiana | 12,684 | 3,039 | 11.2% | 130 | 1,820 | 14.3% | 37 | 101 | 16 |
| Maine | 2,542 | 531 | 15.4% | 42 | 128 | 5.0% | 0 | 22 | 8 |
| Maryland | 5,500 | 1,898 | 4.4% | 32 | 393 | 7.1% | 2 | 25 | 32 |
| Massachusetts | 5,311 | 2,309 | 9.4% | 214 | 459 | 8.6% | 84 | 44 | 44 |
| Michigan | 11,397 | 2,980 | 11.0% | 195 | 1,073 | 9.4% | 28 | 80 | 16 |
| Minnesota | 13,551 | 1,742 | 4.5% | 39 | 1,085 | 8.0% | 1 | 50 | 7 |
| Mississippi | 16,711 | 2,806 | 5.8% | 37 | 1,921 | 11.5% | 41 | 203 | 19 |
| Missouri | 24,647 | 3,674 | 8.8% | 179 | 3,198 | 13.0% | 294 | 211 | 30 |
| Montana | 5,235 | 1,360 | 7.4% | 47 | 500 | 9.6% | 10 | 31 | 11 |
| Nebraska | 15,412 | 1,523 | 7.5% | 37 | 3,179 | 20.6% | 6 | 169 | 8 |
| Nevada | 2,123 | 982 | 1.0% | 5 | 18 | 0.8% | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| New Hampshire | 2,549 | 730 | 7.5% | 24 | 105 | 4.1% | 0 | 15 | 5 |
| New Jersey | 6,825 | 3,035 | 5.7% | 140 | 223 | 3.3% | 10 | 21 | 34 |
| New Mexico | 4,033 | 1,618 | 4.3% | 28 | 132 | 3.3% | 0 | 12 | 3 |
| New York | 17,666 | 5,559 | 9.9% | 417 | 842 | 4.8% | 60 | 98 | 421 |
| North Carolina | 19,343 | 3,959 | 7.1% | 121 | 1,841 | 9.5% | 7 | 143 | 14 |
| North Dakota | 4,250 | 654 | 11.1% | 17 | 714 | 16.8% | 0 | 110 | 1 |
| Ohio | 26,713 | 4,973 | 4.7% | 82 | 1,789 | 6.7% | 27 | 112 | 25 |
| Oklahoma | 22,926 | 3,139 | 7.5% | 14 | 3,769 | 16.4% | 2 | 131 | 17 |
| Oregon | 8,329 | 1,862 | 5.1% | 18 | 1,071 | 12.9% | 125 | 26 | 11 |
| Pennsylvania | 23,314 | 5,884 | 12.1% | 257 | 1,681 | 7.2% | 20 | 293 | 55 |
| Rhode Island | 787 | 424 | 14.0% | 43 | 87 | 11.1% | 23 | 7 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 9,504 | 1,797 | 6.3% | 77 | 1,022 | 10.8% | 21 | 122 | 10 |
| South Dakota | 5,883 | 988 | 16.1% | 17 | 867 | 14.7% | 10 | 77 | 9 |
| Tennessee | 20,374 | 4,367 | 4.4% | 158 | 2,074 | 10.2% | 187 | 70 | 17 |
| Texas | 56,951 | 18,243 | 1.2% | 74 | 2,213 | 3.9% | 65 | 92 | 38 |
| Utah | 3,144 | 1,412 | 3.5% | 23 | 255 | 8.1% | 10 | 7 | 12 |
| Vermont | 2,866 | 484 | 4.0% | 14 | 458 | 16.0% | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| Virginia | 14,143 | 3,867 | 3.4% | 74 | 1,126 | 8.0% | 59 | 50 | 38 |
| Washington | 8,520 | 2,629 | 5.6% | 169 | 818 | 9.6% | 61 | 19 | 32 |
| West Virginia | 7,345 | 1,294 | 17.8% | 142 | 909 | 12.4% | 34 | 19 | 35 |
| Wisconsin | 14,498 | 3,612 | 6.7% | 61 | 810 | 5.6% | 22 | 32 | 17 |
| Wyoming | 3,138 | 1,329 | 7.1% | 54 | 395 | 12.6% | 100 | 10 | 6 |
Poor = the lowest of the deck, superstructure, substructure and culvert ratings is 4 or below. Posted = NBI item 41 code P (posted for load) or R (other restriction). Closed = code K. Low clearance counts structures with a road beneath and a recorded minimum clearance under 4.11 m (13 ft 6 in); it is the recorded minimum, not a route check. Puerto Rico and territories are not in this table.
What this number means
- Poor is a structural rating, not a ban. A bridge rated poor is usually open, inspected more often and scheduled for work.
- Posted means a weight or vehicle limit applies. The limit may be lower than a loaded truck weighs. The posted number on the sign is what counts.
- About 10.3% of listed bridges carry a posting. On the National Highway System the share is 1.3%, because those bridges are built for heavier traffic.
- A state with many low-clearance structures is not the issue. A route you did not check is.
What to do about it
- Check the gross weight of your loaded truck against posted limits on secondary roads. Do not follow a car GPS onto a posted road.
- Know your height. Many tickets and strikes happen at a clearance the driver did not know.
- Compare the cost of a longer detour with the cost of hauling a lighter load. The calculator below does it for you.
- Report a sign or a posting that your map does not show to the state department of transportation.
Detour or lighter load: which costs less?
Enter the posting you meet and what a longer route costs you.
Cheaper option per trip
enter numbers
- Over the posting by
- Share of cargo you would shed
- Revenue lost per trip if you shed it
- Detour cost per trip
- Cost over a year, cheaper option
Formula: detour miles x cost per mile, against revenue x (pounds over / cargo pounds). Assumes revenue scales with cargo weight, which is not always true. The example numbers are invented placeholders. Replace them with yours.
Where the numbers come from
Related: state trucking profiles, Maine, Florida.
See what your last 20 loads show.
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