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)

I-294 SB

Good

Over: DES PLAINES RIV RD

1.2 M N ILL 72 P11, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 88,500

FAU-2682 WHEELING

Good

Over: MCDONALD CR

0.2 PALATINE P25, Cook, IL

Built 1960 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,400

Lake Shore Dr SB

Good

Over: 47TH ST

4700 S & 1600E, Cook, IL

Built 1937 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 109,600

LAKE STREET

Good

Over: UNION STATION RR TRK

200N & 360W TO 500W, Cook, IL

Built 1916 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 7,600

MDWY DN CRC RAMP

Good

Over: PARK GAR EXIT RD

TERMINAL TO NO ENT, Cook, IL

Built 1998 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,000

I-294 NB

Good

Over: TOUHY AVE

1 M S ILL 62 P11, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 82,250

I-290 EB IKE (CONG

Good

Over: I- 90 94 DAN RYAN

.5M W of Chgo River, Cook, IL

Built 2018 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 73,200

US 12 (RAND RD)

Good

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

0.2 MI. NW OF IL 68, Cook, IL

Built 1984 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 26,800

CHERRY LANE

Good

Over: N BR CHICAGO RIV

CHERRY & CHI RV P14, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 1,750

MEADOW RD

Good

Over: N BR CHICAGO RIV

MEADOW & CHI RV P14, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 3,050

I-294 RAMPS I-55

Good

Over: I- 55 STEVENSON

1.8 M W US 45 P10, Cook, IL

Built 2002 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 13,000

IL 58

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

1 M E IL 53, Cook, IL

Built 1928 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 32,800

US 41 NB to I-55 W

Good

Over: US 41 LSD

1.6 M E of I-94, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 19,800

IL 59 (SUTTON RD)

Good

Over: POPLAR CREEK

0.4 M N IL 19, Cook, IL

Built 1997 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 36,200

DIVISION ST

Good

Over: CAL SAG CHANNEL

0.2M.S.VERMONT ST P4, Cook, IL

Built 1964 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 2,600

EUCLID AVE.

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

0.4M.W.OF PLUM GR.RD, Cook, IL

Built 1973 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 18,000

ELMHURST NB

Good

Over: I- 90 ADAMS TOLLWAY

0.3 M S of Oakton, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 29,700

JACKSON BLVD

Good

Over: I- 90 94 JFK

0.1 M N of I-290, Cook, IL

Built 2021 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 4,550

MDWY UPPER LEVEL R

Good

Over: LOWER LEVEL ROAD

5600 S & 9800 W, Cook, IL

Built 1998 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 8,400

I-80 EB

Good

Over: GRAND TRUNK RR

0.2 M W OF IL-394, Cook, IL

Built 2006 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 73,500

HALSTED ST

Good

Over: I-290 - IL 110 & CTA

0.1 M W of I-90 94, Cook, IL

Built 2014 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 21,600

IL 390 WB EOH

Good

Over: MITCHELL BLVD

0.6 M W ROSELLE RD, Cook, IL

Built 1992 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 50,500

US 12 20 45 LAGRAN

Good

Over: I- 55 STEVENSON

5 M SW IL 43, Cook, IL

Built 1995 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 64,200

DAMEN AVE

Good

Over: LAND-32ND TO I55 RPS

3200 S & 2000 W, Cook, IL

Built 1930 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 21,900

WOLF RD

Good

Over: WELLERS DITCH

0.1 M S IL 58, Cook, IL

Built 1960 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 11,000

CRAWFORD AVE

Good

Over: BUTTERFIELD CREEK

0.3 M N OF US 30, Cook, IL

Built 1986 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 12,400

IL 171 (ARCHER AVE

Good

Over: RR - CSXT SPUR ARGO

0.1 M S OF 63RD ST, Cook, IL

Built 1987 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 28,400

NORTH WATER ST

Good

Over: L.L.NORTH WATER ST

COLUMBUS TO ST.CLAIR, Cook, IL

Built 1992 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 2,800

MDWY UPPER LEV RD

Good

Over: ARRIVAL EXIT ROAD

ELE RAMP TO NB CICER, Cook, IL

Built 1998 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 4,450

I-294 80 EB

Good

Over: THORN CR

0.6 M W I94 P24, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 73,500

LAKE SHORE DR

Good

Over: MICHIGAN AVE NB

1100 N. & 100 E., Cook, IL

Built 1964 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 123,200

STEPHEN ST

Good

Over: I&M CANAL

3 M S I55 P8, Cook, IL

Built 1925 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,900

I-294 SB

Good

Over: UP RR

2.5 M SW ILL 19 P9, Cook, IL

Built 2022 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 86,550

I-294 NB

Good

Over: 131ST ST

0.5 M S 127TH P26, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 66,750

I90 EB (NW TOLL)

Good

Over: RIV RD

0.7 M E I294 P9, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 91,500

IL 171 (1ST AVE)

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

0.2 M N US 34, Cook, IL

Built 1931 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 36,500

I- 57 NB

Good

Over: IL 83 147thST

0.6 M N of I-294, Cook, IL

Built 2021 Load: 37.6 t

I- 57 SB

Good

Over: IL 83 147TH ST

0.6 M N of I-294, Cook, IL

Built 2021 Load: 37.6 t

76TH ST

Good

Over: I- 94 DAN RYAN

2.4 M N US 12, Cook, IL

Built 2005 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 11,500

TO I-90 SKYWAY WB

Good

Over: STATE ST

AT 66TH P7C, Cook, IL

Built 1961 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 18,350

WILLOW RD

Good

Over: SKOKIE RIVER

0.4 M E I-94, Cook, IL

Built 1935 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 17,300

VAN BUREN ST

Good

Over: I- 90 94 JFK

0.1 M N of I-290, Cook, IL

Built 2018 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 6,200

CERMAK RD (22ND ST

Good

Over: I-294 TRI STATE

2 M N OF US 34, Cook, IL

Built 2005 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 22,100

ED BOSSERT DR

Good

Over: I&M CANAL

.16 MI. N. OF MAIN, Cook, IL

Built 1991 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 600

WINNETKA RD

Good

Over: SKOKIE RIVER

0.3 M E I-94, Cook, IL

Built 1935 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 6,700

US 41 SB TO I-55 W

Good

Over: RR -IC METRA&PARKING

1.6M E of I94, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 62,950

I- 55 EB TO I-94 N

Good

Over: HALSTED ST

SOUTH SIDE OF I-55, Cook, IL

Built 1997 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 17,300

I-80

Good

Over: CANADIAN NATIONAL RR

0.2 M W OF IL-394, Cook, IL

Built 2007 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 11,300

GLENVIEW RD

Good

Over: W F N BR CHI RIV

0.1 MI W IL-43 P14, Cook, IL

Built 2001 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 10,300

IL 1 (HALSTED ST

Good

Over: ABANDONED RR

1.3 M S of I-80 294, Cook, IL

Built 2013 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 34,900

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.