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Happily, there are 560 fewer bridges in poor condition than last year. Over the past five years, the share of bridges in fair condition has continued to grow as the percentage of spans in poor or good condition declined.\u00a0Thanks to increased federal investment, there is more money available to address these gaps \u2014 but many states are not taking full advantage, ARTBA\u2019s analysis showed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n States currently have access to $10.6 billion in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>IIJA Bridge Formula Program funds<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> to help make needed repairs, and another $15.9 billion will be available in the next three years. These funds have helped support over 2,060 bridge projects in the construction and repair pipeline, according to the ARTBA report. Another new IIJA bridge program, the Bridge Investment Program, has an additional $12.5 billion for projects that will be awarded through 2026.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n However, as the end of fiscal year 2023 approaches on Sept. 30, states have committed $3.2 billion \u2014 just 30% \u2014 of available bridge formula funds to 2,060 projects, with $7.4 billion still coming, according to ARTBA. Only eight states have committed more than two-thirds of their bridge formula funding to specific projects, while 31 states have committed less than a third of available money as of June 30.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In 2023, nearly half of all U.S. bridges \u2014 48.9% \u2014 were in fair condition, while bridges in poor condition make up 6.8% of the overall inventory.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Other bridges newly rated in poor condition this year include:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In an interview with Scripps News, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg\u00a0<\/span>said there has not been sufficient funding for bridge repairs<\/a> for many administrations, which has created a massive backlog.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe’re taking historically large steps, but the work of reversing probably 40, 50 years of degradation or underinvestment is going to be more than a couple of years’ work,\u201d\u00a0said Buttigieg<\/span>.\u00a0\u201cThe important thing is right now we are moving it in the right direction so that instead of getting worse, it’s getting better.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A 2022 Congressional Research Service report<\/a> said it would take 20 years to eliminate the backlog of ailing bridges \u2014 but only if Congress maintained high funding levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n