Highway Bridges: Conditions, Funding Programs, and Issues for Congress

The United States has approximately 624,000 bridges longer than 20 feet on public roads. About 48% of these bridges are owned by state governments and 50% by local governments. The number of bridges classified as poor has declined gradually for many years, but as of June 2025, about 42,000 remain. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58), enacted on November 15, 2021, established federal programs specifically to fund bridges for the first time since FY2012 and significantly increased the total amount of federal funding that can be used for bridge construction and repair. The IIJA provided funding for FY2022 through FY2026. The IIJA created two large stand-alone bridge programs, the Bridge Formula Program and the Bridge Investment Program, authorized at $27.5 billion and $15.8 billion, respectively, over five years. In addition, the average annual authorizations for the so-called core highway programs that can provide funding for both roads and bridges were increased by roughly 26% over the FY2021 baseline unadjusted for inflation; this money is distributed by formula to the states, which can use it for bridge projects at their discretion. The IIJA also increased funding of existing discretionary surface transportation programs and created several new discretionary programs to which local entities and the states can apply directly to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Bridge projects that match the program criteria are eligible under some of these programs. Adjusted for inflation, average annual bridge spending (as measured by funding obligations) has been 22% higher in the IIJA period (FY2022-FY2025) to date than under the previous authorization law, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act; P.L. 114-94) as extended (FY2016 through FY2021). Average annual spending has been $12.0 billion in the IIJA period to date and $9.8 billion in the FAST Act period (FY2025 dollars). Based on an analysis by the Federal Highway Administration of bridge funding needs, this level of spending combined with nonfederal spending could reduce the bridge investment backlog by about 90% if continued over a 20-year period, although additional funds would be needed for the construction of new bridges. The vast majority of bridges in poor condition, over four out of five, are in rural areas. These bridges tend to be small and relatively lightly traveled. In urban areas, bridges in poor condition, while far fewer, are generally much larger and, therefore, more expensive to fix. In 2025, 58% of the deck area classified as in poor condition was on urban bridges. Bridges on roads carrying heavy traffic loads, particularly Interstate Highway bridges, are generally in better condition than those on more lightly traveled routes. Although improvements have been made in most states, there remain major differences among states in the share of bridges in poor condition. For example, about 18% of bridges in West Virginia were classified as poor in 2025, whereas in Nevada the share was 1%. The IIJA reaffirmed congressional support for the improvement of bridges on smaller roads that are not part of the federal-aid system by making these so-called “off-system bridges” eligible under the new bridge programs. The IIJA replaced the former policy of gradual improvement of the nation’s bridges with a more ambitious program to speed up the pace of bridge improvements. The implementation of this policy and its success in improving bridge conditions are likely to be of ongoing concern to Congress. Other potential issues in reauthorization of the IIJA include the reduction in funding flexibility afforded state DOTs by dedicated bridge programs; the competitive distribution of some bridge funding—competitive funding has the potential of focusing funds on bridge projects with the greatest benefits, but state DOTs generally prefer formula funds that provide known funding amounts with less administrative effort; whether the large increase in federal grants for bridges under the IIJA has discouraged state and local funding, including the use of tolling as a funding option; and the eligibility of off-system bridges and whether the repair or replacement of more heavily traveled bridges on major roads would constrain resources.