Alaska bridge conditions
1,660 inventoried bridges · 124 rated poor · county by county
United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled
- 124 of Alaska's 1,660 inventoried bridges are rated in poor condition (7.5%) in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory, as of .
- 766 bridges (46.1%) are rated good and 770 (46.4%) fair.
- The national poor rate is about 6.7%; Alaska is above it (see all states ranked).
- The busiest poor-rated bridge in the state is South Tongass Hwy over Water St Viaduct in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, carrying about 14,046 vehicles a day.
By the measure that matters most - the most traffic on a poor rating - it is South Tongass Hwy over Water St Viaduct in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, built 1955, carrying about 14,046 vehicles a day. That is a repair-priority flag, not a collapse warning: what a poor rating does and does not mean. See the worst bridge in every state.
Good 46.1% · Fair 46.4% · Poor 7.5% of 1,660 bridges
Bridge conditions by county
Sorted by the number of poor-rated bridges. Click any county for its full bridge list.
| County | Bridges | Rated poor | Poor % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 226 | 16 | 7.1% |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 102 | 13 | 12.7% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 107 | 12 | 11.2% |
| Petersburg Borough | 137 | 11 | 8.0% |
| Chugach Census Area | 65 | 8 | 12.3% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 94 | 8 | 8.5% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 121 | 8 | 6.6% |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 64 | 7 | 10.9% |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 112 | 6 | 5.4% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 103 | 5 | 4.9% |
| Nome Census Area | 30 | 4 | 13.3% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 25 | 3 | 12.0% |
| Copper River Census Area | 53 | 3 | 5.7% |
| Wrangell City and Borough | 58 | 3 | 5.2% |
| Yakutat City and Borough | 16 | 3 | 18.8% |
| Aleutians East Borough | 16 | 3 | 18.8% |
| Dillingham Census Area | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| Juneau City and Borough | 47 | 1 | 2.1% |
| Denali Borough | 27 | 1 | 3.7% |
| Sitka City and Borough | 36 | 1 | 2.8% |
| Bethel Census Area | 13 | 1 | 7.7% |
| Skagway Municipality | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Haines Borough | 20 | 1 | 5.0% |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | 10 | 1 | 10.0% |
| North Slope Borough | 16 | 1 | 6.2% |
| Anchorage Municipality | 134 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bristol Bay Borough | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kusilvak Census Area | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| County | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
The 25 busiest poor-rated bridges in Alaska
Frequently asked questions
How many bridges in Alaska are in poor condition?
124 of Alaska's 1,660 inventoried highway bridges are rated in poor condition (7.5%) in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory. 'Poor' is FHWA's classification for a bridge whose deck, superstructure, or substructure is rated 4 or lower on the 0-9 scale; it was formerly called 'structurally deficient'.
Are the poor-rated bridges in Alaska safe to drive on?
A poor rating flags advanced deterioration that needs repair or close monitoring; it does not by itself mean a bridge is unsafe. Bridges judged unsafe are closed or restricted to lighter loads by the owner. Inspections continue on all open bridges, generally at least every 24 months under the National Bridge Inspection Standards.
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 vintage, reported by the Alaska DOT.
Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.