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)

PEORIA ST

Good

Over: I-290 - IL 110 & CTA

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

Built 2014 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 2,450

I-294 NB

Good

Over: MILWAUKEE AVE ILL 21

.3 M S. OF W LAKE AV, Cook, IL

Built 2009 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 71,350

US 45/IL21

Good

Over: DITCH

300 S OF LAKE COOK, Cook, IL

Built 1993 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 30,200

IL 62 68 DUNDEE R

Good

Over: RR - EJ&E

0.1 M W IL 59, Cook, IL

Built 1997 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 33,400

CERMAK RD (22ND ST

Good

Over: ADDISON CREEK

1.4 M E US 45, Cook, IL

Built 1959 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 15,100

IDA B WB to I90/94

Good

Over: I290 EB to I90/94 NB

I-90/94 & I-290, Cook, IL

Built 2019 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 3,850

SAUK TRAIL

Good

Over: LANSING DRN. DITCH

0.3 M E OF TORRENCE, Cook, IL

Built 1986 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 10,050

DAMEN AVE

Good

Over: BNSF & CN RR & Land

2900 S & 2000 W, Cook, IL

Built 1930 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 21,900

COAST GUARD DRIVE

Good

Over: JACKSON PK LAGOON

6600 S & 2050 E, Cook, IL

Built 1904 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 36,700

I90 WB Jayne Adams

Good

Over: ARLINGTON HTS RD

1.4 M SE ILL 58 P5, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 147,300

WENTWORTH AVE

Good

Over: I- 90 94 RYAN

0.2 M W STATE ST, Cook, IL

Built 1960 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 2,200

IL 390 EB EOH

Good

Over: MITCHELL BLVD

0.6 M W ROSELLE RD, Cook, IL

Built 1992 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 50,500

IL 19

Good

Over: POPLAR CREEK

2.3 M W IL 59, Cook, IL

Built 2000 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 11,000

US 12 45 MANNHEIM

Good

Over: RR - METRA CP RDS

2.0 M S IL 19, Cook, IL

Built 2010 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 46,900

OAKWOOD BLVD

Good

Over: Metra & CN RR

3900 S & 950 E, Cook, IL

Built 2019 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 6,500

I-94 (EB)

Good

Over: W Fk N Br Chicago Rv

2.5 Mi. W. of US 41, Cook, IL

Built 2019 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 23,000

I-94 (WB)

Good

Over: W Fork N Br Chi Rvr

1.6 Mi. E. of I-294, Cook, IL

Built 2019 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 23,000

BARRINGTON RD

Good

Over: I- 90 ADAMS TOLLWAY

6 M W of IL 53, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 32,300

OLD LEMONT ROAD

Good

Over: DESPLAINES RIVER

NORTH LEMONT, Cook, IL

Built 1985 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,800

REIGEL RD

Good

Over: BUTTERFIELD CREEK

0.7 M S 187TH, Cook, IL

Built 2004 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 8,000

BARKER AVE

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

0.4 N 62/.6 E 53 P5, Cook, IL

Built 1970 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 3,550

I-294

Good

Over: CN RR CSS Canal Desp.

1.5 Mi South of I-55, Cook, IL

Built 2022 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 70,400

I-294

Good

Over: CN/CSS Can./DesPl Rv/SF

1.5 M. South of I-55, Cook, IL

Built 2021 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 70,400

GOVERNORS HWY

Good

Over: BUTTERFIELD CREEK

0.3 M NE US 30, Cook, IL

Built 1998 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 7,850

I-294 80 EB

Good

Over: CENTER ST & IC RR

0.5 M W ILL 1 P24, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 69,350

127TH STREET

Good

Over: I 355

1.5M N OF IL171, Cook, IL

Built 2007 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 5,500

ROOSEVELT RD

Good

Over: ADDISON CREEK

0.6 M E US 45, Cook, IL

Built 2003 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 24,000

FULLERTON AVE

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

0.7 M E OF US 45, Cook, IL

Built 2012 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 5,800

Gladstone Street

Good

Over: Addison Creek

0.5 mi. E of US 45, Cook, IL

Built 2022 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 475

I-94 (EB)

Good

Over: Metra & Can Pac RR

0.5 Mi W of Ill 43, Cook, IL

Built 2019 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 23,000

I-294 NB

Good

Over: KEDZIE AVE

0.6 M NE ILL 83 P3, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 66,750

I90 EB (NW TOLL)

Good

Over: ARLINGTON HTS RD

I90 & ARLGTN HTS P5, Cook, IL

Built 1958 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 147,300

NORTHWEST HWY (RAN

Good

Over: CREEK

1 M SE US 45, Cook, IL

Built 1957 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 18,300

IL 171 WB ARCHER A

Good

Over: I-294

0.5 M E of US 12/45, Cook, IL

Built 2021 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 10,750

SOUTHWEST HWY

Good

Over: RR - CSXT CREEK ETC

0.5 M NE I-294, Cook, IL

Built 1999 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 20,900

FORD ACCESS RD

Good

Over: EAST 130TH ST

.15M W of Torrance, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 4,200

I-294 SB

Good

Over: US 20 IL-64 & RAMP

2.3 M N ILL 56 P20, Cook, IL

Built 2022 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 86,550

I-290 EB to I90 94

Good

Over: I- 90 94

0.5 M E of Racine, Cook, IL

Built 2019 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 33,600

US 12 20 45 MANNHE

Good

Over: I-290 IKE - IL 110 CKC

0.5 M N IL 38, Cook, IL

Built 2000 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 37,500

Bartlett Road

Good

Over: I-90

0.7 Mi E of IL59, Cook, IL

Built 2014 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 5,850

Broadway Avenue

Good

Over: Silver Creek

100’ S. of IL 64, Cook, IL

Built 2023 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 6,900

I-90 WB Jayne Adam

Good

Over: Golf Road

1.2 Mi E. Ill Rte 53, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 141,300

I-90 EB

Good

Over: Golf Road

1.2 Mi E. Ill Rte 53, Cook, IL

Built 2015 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 141,300

I- 55 WB STEVENSON

Good

Over: HALSTED ST

0.2 M SW I94, Cook, IL

Built 1964 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 65,800

SHERMER RD

Good

Over: M F N BR CHICAGO RIV

0.1 M SW IL 68, Cook, IL

Built 1959 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 5,700

IL 171 SB

Good

Over: 47TH ST

1.3 M N I-55, Cook, IL

Built 1968 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 40,100

IL 171 NB

Good

Over: 47TH ST

1.3 M N I-55, Cook, IL

Built 1968 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 40,100

I- 57

Good

Over: I-294

0.6 M S OF IL 83, Cook, IL

Built 2011 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 97,800

I- 55 EB STEVENSON

Good

Over: ML KING DR & RAMP

1.3M E of I94, Cook, IL

Built 2017 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 65,500

I- 57 SB RMP T 294

Good

Over: I-294 & I-57

RAMP C, Cook, IL

Built 2021 Load: 41.1 t

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.