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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

FIGURE 2 Bridge Condition by Age Group: 2011

Friday, January 9, 2015

Graphic Version | Excel

  Age in years (as of 12/31/2011)
0-24 25-49 50-74 75-99 >99
Total bridges 179,777 220,266 133,613 59,677 11,730
Total deficient bridges          
Number 13,365 44,395 49,028 29,646 7,443
Percent 7.4 20.2 36.7 49.7 63.5
Structurally deficient          
Number 2,571 18,159 24,370 17,593 4,826
Percent 1.4 8.2 18.2 29.5 41.1
Functionally obsolete          
Number 10,794 26,236 24,658 12,053 2,617
Percent 6.0 11.9 18.5 20.2 22.3

NOTES: Excludes 39 bridges with no recorded age. Bridges with a Year Built or Year Reconstructed within the past 10 years will not be assigned a deficient status. Therefore, when referring to the deficiency being calculated not using the 10-year rule, the status will be calculated without taking into consideration the year built or the year reconstructed. U.S. totals include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Table includes: Rural–interstate, principal arterial, minor arterial, major collector, minor collector and local roads; Urban–interstate, other freeways or expressways, other principal arterial, minor arterial, collector, and local roads. Functionally obsolete: does not meet current design standards (for criteria such as lane width), either because the volume of traffic carried by the bridge exceeds the level anticipated when the bridge was constructed and/or the relevant design standards have been revised. Structurally deficient: characterized by deteriorated conditions of significant bridge elements and potentially reduced load-carrying capacity. A "structurally deficient" designation does not imply that a bridge is unsafe, but such bridges typically require significant maintenance and repair to remain in service, and would eventually require major rehabilitation or replacement to address the underlying deficiency.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory. Available at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm as of November 2013.