Total bridges
1,721
Public highway bridges in Cook County
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.
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
- pre-1900 2
Built before 1900
2 bridges
- 1900s 28
1900–1909
28 bridges
- 1910s 20
1910–1919
20 bridges
- 1920s 99
1920–1929
99 bridges
- 1930s 107
1930–1939
107 bridges
- 1940s 66
1940–1949
66 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
446 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
315 bridges
- 1970s 71
1970–1979
71 bridges
- 1980s 90
1980–1989
90 bridges
- 1990s 150
1990–1999
150 bridges
- 2000s 145
2000–2009
145 bridges
- 2010s 144
2010–2019
144 bridges
- 2020s 38
2020–2029
38 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.
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.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County (this page) | 1,721 | 28.8% | 57.5% | 13.8% | 1969 |
| Champaign County | 727 | 58.9% | 32.5% | 8.7% | 1982 |
| Will County | 649 | 43.1% | 46.4% | 10.5% | 1983 |
| McLean County | 624 | 60.9% | 36.2% | 2.9% | 1981 |
| Livingston County | 579 | 51.8% | 39.9% | 8.3% | 1978 |
| Iroquois County | 570 | 46.5% | 39.1% | 14.4% | 1980 |
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).
- San Diego County, CA · 1,632 bridges
- Travis County, TX · 1,544 bridges
- San Bernardino County, CA · 1,422 bridges
- Sedgwick County, KS · 1,333 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside IL (1969 here).
- Fresno County, CA · avg 1969 · 916 bridges
- Cuyahoga County, OH · avg 1969 · 871 bridges
- Ventura County, CA · avg 1969 · 501 bridges
- Somerset County, PA · avg 1969 · 454 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Poor-condition bridges (237)
SB 41 TO RANDOLPH
PoorOver: LAND
500E & 150N., Cook, IL
Built 1986 Load: 29.2 t ADT: 1,200
IL 53 NB
PoorOver: US 14 NW HWY & UP RR
1 M S PALATINE RD, Cook, IL
Built 1964 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 109,900
STATE ST
PoorOver: MAIN BR CHICAGO RIV
309 N STATE, Cook, IL
Built 1949 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 6,900
ROHRSSEN RD
PoorOver: POPLAR CREEK
0.3 M N ILL 19 P7, Cook, IL
Built 1958 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 3,200
CANAL STREET
PoorOver: UNION STATION TRACKS
500 W & 0 N/S - 130S, Cook, IL
Built 1926 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 5,100
IL 53 NB
PoorOver: PALATINE RD
1.9 S IL 68, Cook, IL
Built 1964 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 99,200
25TH AVE
PoorOver: I-290 IKE - IL 110 CKC
3 M W IL 43, Cook, IL
Built 1951 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 17,000
IL 68 (DUNDEE RD)
PoorOver: SKOKIE RIVER
0.2 M E I-94, Cook, IL
Built 1935 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 12,600
IL 53 SB
PoorOver: PALATINE RD
1.5 M S US 12, Cook, IL
Built 1964 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 100,600
I- 90 94 RYAN ELEV
PoorOver: CANAL TO STEWART STS
0.4 M S I-55, Cook, IL
Built 1962 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 256,900
ELM ST
PoorOver: UNION PACIFIC RR
ELM OV UNION P.RR, Cook, IL
Built 1940 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 1,800
OHIO ST JFK FEEDER
PoorOver: N BR CHICAGO RIVER
0.5 M E HALSTEDST, Cook, IL
Built 1961 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 80,400
17TH AVE
PoorOver: I-290 IKE - IL 110 CKC
2.5 M W IL 43, Cook, IL
Built 1951 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 8,550
TOUHY AVE
PoorOver: I- 94 EDENS
1.5 M N US 14, Cook, IL
Built 1950 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 30,000
EUCLID AVE
PoorOver: IL 53
3.5 M S US 12, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 18,000
IL 53 SB
PoorOver: INDUSTRIAL AVE
3 M S US 12, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 109,900
CENTRAL RD
PoorOver: W BR SALT CREEK
0.15 E ILL 53 P5 18, Cook, IL
Built 1960 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 2,350
INDIANA AVE
PoorOver: LITTLE CALUMET RIVER
13500 S. INDIANA AVE, Cook, IL
Built 1915 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 8,050
LAKE SHORE DR
PoorOver: BELMONT AV
3200 N.& 400 W., Cook, IL
Built 1941 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 103,700
IL 53 NB
PoorOver: INDUSTRIAL AVE
0.5 M N EUCLID, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 109,900
WINNETKA RD
PoorOver: I- 94 US41 EDENS
3.8 M N IL 58, Cook, IL
Built 1948 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 6,750
IL 43 (HARLEM AVE
PoorOver: I- 80
0.5 M S 183RD ST, Cook, IL
Built 1967 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 34,200
IL 171 SB FIRST AV
PoorOver: S&S CANAL
0.2 M SE I-55, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 39,600
FLOSSMOOR RD
PoorOver: I- 57
2.5 M N US 30, Cook, IL
Built 1966 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 3,550
18TH STREET
PoorOver: RR. LUMBER ST & LOT
1800S 300W TO 500W, Cook, IL
Built 1967 Load: 31.1 t ADT: 5,650
I- 55 WB STEVENSON
PoorOver: SANTA FE DR
0.4 M E US 45, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 61,500
IL 43 (HARLEM AVE
PoorOver: US 12 20 (95TH ST)
0.6 M N I-294, Cook, IL
Built 1961 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 41,100
IL 53 NB
PoorOver: IL 62 ALGONQUIN RD
0.3 M N I-90 NW TOLL, Cook, IL
Built 1962 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 66,400
5TH AVE
PoorOver: I-290 IKE - IL 110 CKC
1.7 M W IL 43, Cook, IL
Built 1951 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 8,000
LEMONT RD
PoorOver: DES P RIV CANAL RR
0.30 M S DUPAGE CO, Cook, IL
Built 1983 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 24,300
IL 1 (HALSTED ST
PoorOver: CAL UNION DITCH
@ 161ST .25 M S US6, Cook, IL
Built 1984 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 19,200
LASALLE STREET
PoorOver: TROLLEY CAR TUNNEL
S. OF CHICAGO RIVER, Cook, IL
Built 1911 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 4,750
COLUMBUS DRIVE
PoorOver: LOWER LEVEL COLUMBUS
300E.& 150N.TO 340N., Cook, IL
Built 1980 Load: 31.4 t ADT: 12,900
IL 171 (1ST AVE)
PoorOver: I-290 IKE - IL 110 CKC
1.5 M W IL 43, Cook, IL
Built 1951 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 24,300
IL 53 SB
PoorOver: US 14&UPRR FAU3512
2.5 M S US 12, Cook, IL
Built 1964 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 109,900
HUMBOLDT DR
PoorOver: HUMBOLDT PK LAGOON
1400 N. & 3000 W., Cook, IL
Built 1953 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 13,700
US 6 (159TH ST)
PoorOver: I- 57
1.6 M SW I-294, Cook, IL
Built 1968 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 25,100
I-294 NB
PoorOver: 135TH ST
1.3 M SE ILL 50 P26, Cook, IL
Built 1958 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 66,750
IL 43 SB HARLEM A
PoorOver: SAN & SHIP CANAL
0.1 M N I-55, Cook, IL
Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 35,500
PARNELL AVE
PoorOver: I- 57
0.3M E IL 1, Cook, IL
Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500
LARAMIE AVE
PoorOver: I-290 - IL 110 & CTA
0.5 M W IL 50, Cook, IL
Built 1954 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,100
WABASH AVE
PoorOver: MAIN BR CHICAGO RIV
44 E & 326 N, Cook, IL
Built 1930 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,350
LaSalle St.
PoorOver: Parking Area
140 W. and 330 N., Cook, IL
Built 1928 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,600
RANDOLPH STREET
PoorOver: LOWER LEV. RANDOLPH
150N 399E TO 440E, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,200
103RD ST
PoorOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR
10300S&1800E_2000E, Cook, IL
Built 1938 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 19,800
BALMORAL AVENUE
PoorOver: CANADIAN CENTRAL RAILROA
0.25 MI W OF I-294, Cook, IL
Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,000
FRANKLIN-ORLEANS S
PoorOver: MAIN BR CHICAGO RIV
302 N. FRANKLIN ST., Cook, IL
Built 1920 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 16,550
OAK PARK AVE
PoorOver: I- 80
2.5 M W I-57, Cook, IL
Built 1967 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,700
9TH AVE
PoorOver: I-290 IKE
2.0 M W IL 43, Cook, IL
Built 1951 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 9,300
DEARBORN ST
PoorOver: MAIN BR CHICAGO RIV
100 W & 307 N, Cook, IL
Built 1963 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 5,600
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
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.