County profile · official public datasets

Cook County, IL

1,721 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 28.8% rated Good, 57.5% Fair, 13.8% Poor.

1,721
Public bridges
28.8%
Good condition
13.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Cook County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

88th
of 102 on Poor share
13.8%
Poor-condition share
1,721
public highway bridges
1969
avg year built

Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.

Cook County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Cook County ranks #88 of 102 Illinois counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 13.8%). Cook County, Illinois contains 1,721 public highway bridges. Roughly 28.8% are rated “Good,” 57.5% “Fair,” and 13.8% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.

Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.

Total bridges

1,721

Public highway bridges in Cook County

Good condition

28.8%

495 of 1,721 rated 7-9

Fair condition

57.5%

989 of 1,721 rated 5-6

Poor condition

13.8%

237 of 1,721 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#88 of 102

Among Illinois counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 1,721 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
28.8% (495)
Fair
57.5% (989)
Poor
13.8% (237)

Cook County's Poor-condition bridges carry 5,864,125 vehicle crossings a day

That is 10% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 13.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 24,743 crossings a day against 30,089 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.

Computed over the 1,714 of 1,721 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

65.7% of Cook County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

1,130 of the 1,721 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 28.8% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.

Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

One structure carries 4.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

I- 90 94 RYAN ELEV over CANAL TO STEWART STS, built 1962, carries 256,900 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 237-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 5,864,125 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Cook County's bridges were built

1,721 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 446 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 25.9% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1969, 10 years older than the Illinois average of 1979.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Cook County compares with Illinois's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Illinois counties nearest Cook County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 13.8% Poor share is the 5th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1969 against a peer-group mean of 1981 is 12 years older.

Showing the 5 closest of 101 Illinois counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Cook County and the 5 Illinois counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Cook County (this page) 1,721 13.8%
Champaign County 727 8.7%
Will County 649 10.5%
McLean County 624 2.9%
Livingston County 579 8.3%
Iroquois County 570 14.4%

Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Cook County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year

Two NBI-derived peer sets for Cook County, both outside Illinois so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside IL (1,721 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside IL (1969 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 1,721 Good 495 Fair 989 Poor 237

Good-condition bridges (495)

SOUTH WATER ST

Good

Over: E SO WATER ST LOW

BEAUBIEN TO STETSON, Cook, IL

Built 2022 ADT: 2,150

Cornell Drive

Good

Over: Pedestrian Underpass

0.3 MI N 65TH ST, Cook, IL

Built 2023 ADT: 19,300

Hayes Drive

Good

Over: Pedestrian Underpass

.05 MI W LSD (US 41), Cook, IL

Built 2023 ADT: 14,200

Hayes Drive

Good

Over: Pedestrian Underpass

0.5 MI W LSD (US 41), Cook, IL

Built 2023 ADT: 14,200

PARKVIEW DR

Good

Over: ADDISON CR

0.08 M N NORTH P9, Cook, IL

Built 1965 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 125

TR-1302 Sunset Dr

Good

Over: N Br Chic Rv

0.2 E SUNSET RGE P14, Cook, IL

Built 1979 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 450

FAU 1033 (HIRSCH S

Good

Over: ADDISON CR

0.3 M S NORTH P20, Cook, IL

Built 1960 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 1,000

CENTRAL AV

Good

Over: MIDLOTHIAN CREEK

0.2 MI S 167TH ST, Cook, IL

Built 1952 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 4,150

BURNHAM AVE

Good

Over: NORTH CREEK

1.0 Miles N of IL 83, Cook, IL

Built 1935 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 5,700

PINE ST

Good

Over: UNION PACIFIC RR

0.6 M S OF TOWER RD, Cook, IL

Built 1940 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,400

PALMER AV

Good

Over: ADDISON CREEK

0.1 MI W WOLF RD, Cook, IL

Built 1961 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,250

IL 72 (LEE ST)

Good

Over: I- 90 ADAMS TOLLWAY

0.5 M W of US 45, Cook, IL

Built 2014 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 29,700

E SOUTH WATER ST

Good

Over: GARLAND COURT

350 N & 50 E, Cook, IL

Built 1926 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,150

W. IMPERIAL CT.

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

420 W OF BOTHWELL, Cook, IL

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

KENILWORTH AVE

Good

Over: SALT CR E BR

0.2 M S PALTN RD P18, Cook, IL

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 175

INDIANA AVENUE

Good

Over: CAL.UNION DRAIN DTCH

0.1 MI.N.OF US 6, Cook, IL

Built 1985 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,100

ILLINOIS ST

Good

Over: N. ST. CLAIR STREET

500N-300E TO 200E, Cook, IL

Built 2005 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 4,250

I90 WB (NW TOLL)

Good

Over: DES PLAINES RIV

0.7 M E I294 P9, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 45,750

CERMAK RD (22ND ST

Good

Over: 25TH AVE

1 M E US 45, Cook, IL

Built 1961 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 15,100

PFINGSTEN RD

Good

Over: I- 94 EDENS SPUR

1.1 M W IL 43, Cook, IL

Built 2020 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 12,700

GENTRY LANE

Good

Over: MIDLOTHIAN CREEK

.12MI S OF 167TH ST, Cook, IL

Built 1972 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 500

LAKEWOOD DRIVE

Good

Over: MIDLOTHIAN CREEK

.17MI S OF 167TH ST, Cook, IL

Built 1972 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 1,350

I355 SB

Good

Over: LONG RUN CREEK

.4M N OF 135TH, Cook, IL

Built 2007 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 41,150

FLY-OVER RAMP

Good

Over: SB I-294

.1M SO 127TH, Cook, IL

Built 2000 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 12,100

127TH ST

Good

Over: I-294 TOLL RAMP

0.1 M W IL 50, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 20,100

I355 NB

Good

Over: LONG RUN CREEK

.4M N OF 135TH, Cook, IL

Built 2007 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 41,150

ELDORADO ST

Good

Over: UP RR

0.2 M S OF TOWER RD, Cook, IL

Built 1940 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 400

MAPLE ST

Good

Over: MCDONALD CREEK

0.1 MI S PALATINE RD, Cook, IL

Built 1984 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 125

ENT RAMP MDWY TERM

Good

Over: LOWER LEVEL TERM

MIDWAY AIRPORT, Cook, IL

Built 1998 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 8,400

LACROSSE AV

Good

Over: NATALIE CR

0.1 M S 151ST, Cook, IL

Built 1967 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 175

JFK BLVD

Good

Over: SALT CR

0.5 M E ARL HTS P5, Cook, IL

Built 1961 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 6,200

SHERMER RD

Good

Over: W F N BR CHICAGO RIV

0.3 M SW ILL 43 P14, Cook, IL

Built 1923 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 4,675

ELMHURST SB

Good

Over: I- 90 ADAMS TOLLWAY

.3M S of Oakton, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 29,700

MDWY RECIR RAMP

Good

Over: LOWER LEVEL TERM RD

ELVT RD FROM LL GAR, Cook, IL

Built 1998 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 750

CHICAGO AVE-CLARK

Good

Over: CTA SKOKIE SWIFT

0.18 M N HOWARD P6, Cook, IL

Built 1924 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 12,400

HARBOR DRIVE

Good

Over: PARKING GARAGE

200N & 430E, Cook, IL

Built 2006 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 2,850

LAPORTE AV

Good

Over: NATALIE CR

0.1 M S 151ST, Cook, IL

Built 1967 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 125

I-294 SB

Good

Over: CAL SAG CANAL

1 M SE ILL 50 P26, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 66,750

RIDGE AVENUE

Good

Over: CTA SKOKIE SWIFT

0.18 M N HOWARD, Cook, IL

Built 1995 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 14,100

I294 RAMP

Good

Over: IL19

294SB TO IL19EB, Cook, IL

Built 2006 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 4,000

95th Avenue

Good

Over: Marley Creek

0.5 MI N US RTE 6, Cook, IL

Built 2010 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 2,000

COUNTY LINE RD

Good

Over: I- 55 STEVENSON

2.6 M W US 45, Cook, IL

Built 1959 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 18,200

CENTRAL AVE & RAMP

Good

Over: I- 55 STEVENSON

1.1 M SW IL 50, Cook, IL

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,000

WACKER DR SB UPPER

Good

Over: WACKER DR SB LOWER

.1 MI S OF JACKSON, Cook, IL

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,750

I- 80 EB TO I-294

Good

Over: DITCH

NO OF I80 ADJ 2752, Cook, IL

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

US 30

Good

Over: BIKE PATH & PIPELINE

US30 1200 N of Sauk, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,600

HICKS RD

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

1.1 M S IL 68, Cook, IL

Built 1900 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,400

RIVER RD

Good

Over: WILLOW CR

0.1 M S ILL 72 P9, Cook, IL

Built 1929 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,300

WOLF ROAD

Good

Over: Buffalo Creek

1.2M S IL-68, Cook, IL

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,200

MCFETRIDGE DRIVE

Good

Over: LAKE SHORE DRIVE

1326S 400E, Cook, IL

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,500

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.