1 in 3 U.S. Bridges Needs Repair or Replacement: Virginia Ranks 42 in Deficient Bridge Structures

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association has released its Annual Bridge Report reflecting a slight improvement for Virginia when measuring total area of bridge structures. When compared to other states for the worst ratings, Virginia has consistently ranked 42 or 43 since ARTBA started compiling the data in 2019.

The report ranks the states according to percentage of bridges designated as deficient.  The government classifies a bridge as “structurally deficient” if any one of the following bridge components are rated less than or equal to 4 (in poor or worse condition):

• Deck condition
• Superstructure condition
• Substructure condition
• Culvert condition

The FHWA uses four factors in determining the “sufficiency rating” of a bridge, which is its sufficiency to remain in service. Each bridge is assigned a numerical percentage rating between zero and 100, with 100 being the ideal.

You can compare Virginia’s results with all other states in ARTBA’s Annual Bridge Report available on ARTBA’s website.