Closed and load-posted bridges
Every state's closed and posted bridges from NBI item 41, 2025 National Bridge Inventory
United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled
- 3,584 of the 624,169 bridges in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory are coded closed to all traffic, and 64,550 are posted with load restrictions (NBI item 41, as of ).
- 1,858 more are open only on temporary shoring, on a temporary structure, or with a load posting recommended but not yet in place.
- Iowa has the most closed bridges (330); Kansas has the most load-posted bridges (7,461).
- 977 bridges are coded closed in 2025 that were open in the 2024 inventory.
- A load posting is a legal weight limit: it is how owners keep a weakened bridge in service safely. The inventory is annual; current closures come from each state DOT.
Every status code, nationwide
| Code | Meaning (FHWA coding guide) | Bridges | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Open, no restriction | 553,824 | 88.7% |
| P | Posted for load | 62,438 | 10.0% |
| R | Posted for another load-capacity restriction (speed, number of vehicles on the bridge, etc.) | 2,112 | 0.3% |
| K | Closed to all traffic | 3,584 | 0.6% |
| B | Open, posting recommended but not legally implemented | 603 | 0.1% |
| D | Open, would be posted or closed except for temporary shoring or other temporary measures | 791 | 0.1% |
| E | Open, temporary structure in place to carry legal loads while the original structure is closed awaiting replacement or rehabilitation | 464 | 0.1% |
| G | New structure not yet open to traffic | 352 | 0.1% |
Closed and posted bridges by state
Sorted by closed bridges. Click a state for its county table, then a county for every closed and posted bridge in it.
| State | Bridges | Closed | Posted | Posted % | Scour critical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 23,716 | 330 | 4,378 | 18.5% | 395 |
| Pennsylvania | 23,314 | 293 | 1,681 | 7.2% | 2,249 |
| Missouri | 24,647 | 211 | 3,198 | 13.0% | 315 |
| Mississippi | 16,711 | 203 | 1,921 | 11.5% | 297 |
| Alabama | 16,181 | 190 | 2,144 | 13.3% | 424 |
| Nebraska | 15,412 | 169 | 3,179 | 20.6% | 986 |
| North Carolina | 19,343 | 143 | 1,841 | 9.5% | 118 |
| Oklahoma | 22,926 | 131 | 3,769 | 16.4% | 316 |
| South Carolina | 9,504 | 122 | 1,022 | 10.8% | 1,217 |
| Indiana | 19,542 | 117 | 1,776 | 9.1% | 765 |
| Ohio | 26,713 | 112 | 1,789 | 6.7% | 9 |
| North Dakota | 4,250 | 110 | 714 | 16.8% | 108 |
| Illinois | 26,927 | 109 | 828 | 3.1% | 88 |
| Louisiana | 12,684 | 101 | 1,820 | 14.3% | 1,302 |
| New York | 17,666 | 98 | 842 | 4.8% | 796 |
| Texas | 56,951 | 92 | 2,213 | 3.9% | 592 |
| California | 25,975 | 91 | 396 | 1.5% | 599 |
| Michigan | 11,397 | 80 | 1,073 | 9.4% | 1,077 |
| South Dakota | 5,883 | 77 | 867 | 14.7% | 206 |
| Tennessee | 20,374 | 70 | 2,074 | 10.2% | 593 |
| Kentucky | 14,590 | 65 | 4,443 | 30.5% | 57 |
| Georgia | 15,090 | 59 | 1,899 | 12.6% | 82 |
| Minnesota | 13,551 | 50 | 1,085 | 8.0% | 240 |
| Virginia | 14,143 | 50 | 1,125 | 8.0% | 7 |
| Massachusetts | 5,311 | 44 | 459 | 8.6% | 121 |
| Florida | 13,070 | 37 | 820 | 6.3% | 343 |
| Wisconsin | 14,498 | 32 | 810 | 5.6% | 749 |
| Alaska | 1,660 | 31 | 106 | 6.4% | 149 |
| Arkansas | 12,978 | 31 | 1,419 | 10.9% | 135 |
| Montana | 5,235 | 31 | 500 | 9.6% | 154 |
| Oregon | 8,329 | 26 | 1,071 | 12.9% | 1,225 |
| Maryland | 5,500 | 25 | 393 | 7.1% | 52 |
| Vermont | 2,866 | 24 | 458 | 16.0% | 240 |
| Puerto Rico | 2,434 | 24 | 577 | 23.7% | 506 |
| Maine | 2,542 | 22 | 128 | 5.0% | 141 |
| New Jersey | 6,825 | 21 | 223 | 3.3% | 362 |
| Washington | 8,520 | 19 | 818 | 9.6% | 501 |
| West Virginia | 7,345 | 19 | 909 | 12.4% | 100 |
| Connecticut | 4,363 | 17 | 158 | 3.6% | 276 |
| Colorado | 8,990 | 15 | 373 | 4.1% | 241 |
| New Hampshire | 2,549 | 15 | 105 | 4.1% | 81 |
| Idaho | 4,646 | 14 | 365 | 7.9% | 205 |
| New Mexico | 4,033 | 12 | 132 | 3.3% | 118 |
| Kansas | 24,891 | 11 | 7,461 | 30.0% | 635 |
| Wyoming | 3,138 | 10 | 395 | 12.6% | 49 |
| Arizona | 8,587 | 8 | 204 | 2.4% | 162 |
| Rhode Island | 787 | 7 | 87 | 11.1% | 93 |
| Utah | 3,144 | 7 | 255 | 8.1% | 88 |
| Hawaii | 1,180 | 5 | 201 | 17.0% | 82 |
| Delaware | 874 | 2 | 22 | 2.5% | 39 |
| Nevada | 2,123 | 2 | 18 | 0.8% | 85 |
| District of Columbia | 261 | 0 | 6 | 2.3% | 4 |
The 100 busiest closed bridges
Ranked by the average daily traffic the inventory last recorded for the bridge; a closed bridge's traffic now uses a detour.
Newly closed since the 2024 inventory
The busiest of the 977 bridges that were open in 2024 and are coded closed in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
How many bridges are closed in the United States?
3,584 bridges are coded closed to all traffic in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory, and 64,550 more are open with posted load limits. The inventory is compiled annually from state DOT reports, so a closure made since then will not be counted.
What does it mean when a bridge is posted?
A posted bridge has a legal load limit signed at the bridge, usually a maximum weight, because its load capacity is below the standard legal loads. Owners post a bridge to keep it open safely for lighter traffic until it is repaired or replaced.
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025, item 41 (structure open, posted, or closed to traffic). Every closed and posted bridge as CSV.
Related: bridges that got worse since the last inventory · the busiest poor-rated bridges · states ranked.
Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.