National Bridge Inventory: Washington



  • Of the 8,388 bridges in the state, 423, or 5.0 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. This means one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition.
  • This is up from 382 bridges classified as structurally deficient in 2018.
  • The deck area of structurally deficient bridges accounts for 7.7 percent of total deck area on all structures.
  • 52 of the structurally deficient bridges are on the Interstate Highway System. A total of 66.7 percent of the structurally deficient bridges are not on the National Highway System, which includes the Interstate and other key roads linking major airports, ports, rail and truck terminals.
  • 776 bridges are posted for load, which may restrict the size and weight of vehicles crossing the structure.
  • The state has identified needed repairs on 7,030 bridges at an estimated cost of $15.7 billion.
  • This compares to 6,080 bridges that needed work in 2018.

County Year Built Daily Crossings Type of Bridge Location
King 1983 108,179 Urban freeway/expressway Sw Spokane St over Duwamish River W Waterwy
King 1970 83,051 Urban Interstate I-90 over Mercer Sl
King 1940 83,051 Urban Interstate I-90 over Mercer Slough
King 1989 73,775 Urban Interstate Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge
King 1967 60,643 Urban freeway/expressway SR 167 over Cmstpp RR
King 1996 49,293 Urban freeway/expressway SR 99 over Duwamish River
Spokane 1958 45,696 Urban other principal arterial Maple Street over Spokane River
Spokane 1963 43,937 Urban Interstate I-90 over Hangman Creek
Spokane 1963 43,937 Urban Interstate I-90 over Hangman Creek
Lewis 1953 43,712 Rural Interstate I-5 over Lacamas Cr, Drews Pr Rd
Clark 1940 41,714 Rural Interstate I-5 over Lewis River
Clark 1939 41,714 Rural Interstate I-5 over E Fork Lewis River
King 1952 40,000 Urban other principal arterial S Boeing Access Rd over Airport Way Bar Ramp
King 1976 37,550 Urban Interstate I-90 over E Fk Issaquah Cr
King 1976 37,550 Urban Interstate I-90 over E Fk Issaquah Creek
King 1930 36,000 Urban other principal arterial Eastlake Ave NE over NE 40th St, Burke Gilman
King 1915 35,000 Urban other principal arterial Eastlake Ave NE over Portage Bay
King 1969 33,645 Rural Interstate I-90 over SR 906 W-W Ramp
Kittitas 1969 33,544 Rural Interstate I-90 over SR 906
Cowlitz 1972 33,399 Urban Interstate I-5 over Log Dump Rd & Bn Ry
Kittitas 1969 32,881 Rural Interstate I-90 over Yellowstone Rd
King 1976 32,472 Rural Interstate I-90 over Game Crossing
Pierce 1934 29,531 Urban other principal arterial SR 167 over BNSF RR
King 1933 28,000 Urban other principal arterial 4th Ave S over Argo RR Yard
Grays Harbor 1955 27,906 Urban other principal arterial US 101 over Chehalis River
Type of Bridge Number of Bridges Area of All Bridges
(sq. meters)
Daily Crossings on All Bridges Number of Structurally Deficient Bridges Area of Structurally Deficient Bridges
(sq. meters)
Daily Crossings on Structurally Deficient Bridges
Rural Interstate 284 347,771 5,273,117 36 47,489 603,656
Rural arterial 536 498,306 3,403,990 39 59,355 209,694
Rural minor arterial 330 225,923 1,386,673 28 22,862 98,042
Rural major collector 1,324 534,539 2,277,033 81 30,617 110,343
Rural minor collector 766 200,220 457,389 24 4,940 16,509
Rural local road 2,334 421,209 499,258 101 15,125 15,429
Urban Interstate 664 1,774,016 29,402,589 16 117,198 516,268
Urban freeway/expressway 506 1,305,970 14,230,157 15 73,195 416,260
Urban other principal arterial 502 892,866 9,543,975 30 130,626 529,471
Urban minor arterial 555 624,879 5,440,133 27 35,145 199,618
Urban collector 294 212,122 1,412,316 14 10,393 61,500
Urban local road 293 121,212 450,862 12 2,730 11,682
Total 8,388 7,159,033 73,777,492 423 549,675 2,788,472
Type of Work Number of Bridges Cost to Repair
(in millions)
Daily Crossings Area of Bridges
(sq. meters)
Bridge replacement 2,358 $2,981 6,342,957 979,825
Widening & rehabilitation 190 $289 947,522 136,412
Rehabilitation 3,540 $11,502 63,329,688 5,289,104
Deck rehabilitation/replacement 253 $348 898,350 169,640
Other structural work 689 $540 1,226,992 263,533
Total 7,030 $15,659 72,745,509 6,838,513

About the data:

Data and cost estimates are from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) National Bridge Inventory (NBI), downloaded on February 1, 2023. Note that specific conditions on bridges may have changed as a result of recent work or updated inspections.

Effective January 1, 2018, FHWA changed the definition of structurally deficient as part of the final rule on highway and bridge performance measures, published May 20, 2017 pursuant to the 2012 federal aid highway bill Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). Two measures that were previously used to classify bridges as structurally deficient are no longer used. This includes bridges where the overall structural evaluation was rated in poor or worse condition, or where the adequacy of waterway openings was insufficient.

The new definition limits the classification to bridges where one of the key structural elements—the deck, superstructure, substructure or culverts, are rated in poor or worse condition. During inspection, the conditions of a variety of bridge elements are rated on a scale of 0 (failed condition) to 9 (excellent condition). A rating of 4 is considered “poor” condition.

Cost estimates have been derived by ARTBA, based on 2021 average bridge replacement costs for structures on and off the National Highway System, published by FHWA. Bridge rehabilitation costs are estimated to be 68 percent of replacement costs. A bridge is considered to need repair if the structure has identified repairs as part of the NBI, a repair cost estimate is supplied by the bridge owner or the bridge is classified as structurally deficient. Please note that for a few states, the number of bridges needing to be repaired can vary significantly from year to year, and reflects the data entered by the state.

Bridges are classified by FHWA into types based on the functional classification of the roadway on the bridge. Interstates comprise routes officially designated by the Secretary of Transportation. Other principal arterials serve major centers of urban areas or provide mobility through rural areas. Freeways and expressways have directional lanes generally separated by a physical barrier, and access/egress points generally limited to on- and off-ramps. Minor arterials serve smaller areas and are used for trips of moderate length. Collectors funnel traffic from local roads to the arterial network; major collectors have higher speed limits and traffic volumes and are longer in length and spaced at greater intervals, while minor collectors are shorter and provide service to smaller communities. Local roads do not carry through traffic and are intended for short distance travel.

35
Compared to 37 in 2021

in the nation in % of structurally deficient bridges

1. West Virginia 20.0%
34. South Carolina 5.0%
35. Washington 5.0%
36. New Mexico 5.0%

32
Compared to 32 in 2021

in the nation in # of structurally deficient bridges

1. Iowa 4,604
31. Massachusetts 444
32. Washington 423
33. Oregon 396

12
Compared to 20 in 2021

in the nation in % of structurally deficient bridge deck area

1. Rhode Island 17.0%
11. Michigan 8.0%
12. Washington 8.0%
13. Louisiana 8.0%
Full State Ranking

Advertisement


  • Source: Data is from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) National Bridge Inventory (NBI), downloaded on February 1, 2023. Note that specific conditions on bridges may have changed as a result of recent work or updated inspections.

    ARTBA is a non-partisan federation whose primary goal is to aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel.

  • Privacy & Cookies Policy
Connect With Us

Copyright © 2023 American Road & Transportation Builders Association