State profile · Above median Poor share

North Dakota bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in North Dakota.

4,255
Public bridges
42.3%
Good condition
11.0%
Poor condition

North Dakota holds 4,255 public highway bridges (#39 of 52 by inventory) with a 10.98% Poor share (#10 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 11.0% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 43 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

4,255

Public highway bridges in North Dakota

Good Condition

42.3%

1,800 bridges rated 7-9

-7.7pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

11.0%

467 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

3.5pp vs national avg 7.5%

North Dakota vs national bridge condition

North Dakota - Good condition share 42.3%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

North Dakota - Poor-condition share 36.6%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

North Dakota in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: North Dakota has 4,255 bridges and a 11.0% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #43 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: North Dakota has 4,255 bridges and a 11.0% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #43 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

North Dakota vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

4,255 39th of 54 higher than 15 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for North Dakota

The highlighted point is North Dakota: 4,255 bridges and 10.98% in Poor condition, rank #43 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below North Dakota on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Illinois: 26,928 bridges · 9.35% Poor
  • New York: 17,642 bridges · 9.43% Poor
  • North Dakota: 4,255 bridges · 10.98% Poor
  • Michigan: 11,371 bridges · 11.27% Poor
  • Louisiana: 12,698 bridges · 11.48% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in North Dakota

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 4,255 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains North Dakota’s inventory

State agency holds 27.1% of the 4,255 public highway bridges filed under North Dakota in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When North Dakota’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 14.8% of the 4,255 bridges with a recorded original year in North Dakota. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

North Dakota42.3%46.7%11%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - North Dakota (FHWA NBI)

Counties (53)

Adams 45 Barnes 79 Benson 40 Billings 60 Bottineau 124 Bowman 69 Burke 29 Burleigh 113 Cass 369 Cavalier 66 Dickey 43 Divide 13 Dunn 74 Eddy 27 Emmons 67 Foster 19 Golden Valley 34 Grand Forks 335 Grant 60 Griggs 22 Hettinger 64 Kidder 10 LaMoure 60 Logan 13 McHenry 112 McIntosh 11 McKenzie 129 McLean 57 Mercer 72 Morton 272 Mountrail 27 Nelson 23 Oliver 24 Pembina 204 Pierce 5 Ramsey 48 Ransom 35 Renville 24 Richland 197 Rolette 18 Sargent 30 Sheridan 8 Sioux 22 Slope 43 Stark 157 Steele 94 Stutsman 78 Towner 58 Traill 151 Walsh 257 Ward 123 Wells 41 Williams 100

North Dakota vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below North Dakota on the same metric.

IL

Illinois

9.35% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$26,928

NY

New York

9.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$17,642
Selected

ND

North Dakota

10.98% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,255

MI

Michigan

11.27% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$11,371

LA

Louisiana

11.48% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,698

Bridges Needing Most Attention in North Dakota

Six lowest-condition bridges in North Dakota, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

14TH ST SW

Poor

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

7 SOUTH 2 EAST REEDER, Adams, ND

Built 1919 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

17TH AVE NW

Poor

Over: CEDAR CREEK

4 WEST 15 NORTH HETTINGER, Adams, ND

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SHEYENNE RIVER

8 WEST 3 SOUTH OBERON, Benson, ND

Built 1907 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 5

COUNTY TRAIL

Poor

Over: COULEE

6 E 1 N MINNEWAUKAN, Benson, ND

Built 1942 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1

COUNTY TRAIL

Poor

Over: CREEK

2 EAST 5 SOUTH OF LOMA, Cavalier, ND

Built 1949 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2

COUNTY TRAIL

Poor

Over: CREEK

9 EAST 2 SOUTH OF HANNAH, Cavalier, ND

Built 1959 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

All Bridges in North Dakota

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: NORTH BRANCH ELM RIVER

5 EAST 8 SOUTH HILLSBORO, Traill, ND

Built 1997 Load: 27.4 t ADT: 20

38TH ST SW

Good

Over: 40TH AVE SW

40TH AVE-38TH ST SW-FARGO, Cass, ND

Built 2000 Load: 27.4 t ADT: 650

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: I-29/CHRISTINE INT

4 SOUTH OF ND 46, Richland, ND

Built 1973 Load: 27.4 t ADT: 300

COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: JAMES RIVER

12 E 7 N CARRINGTON, Foster, ND

Built 1987 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: ELM RIVER

5 WEST 1 SOUTH OF KELSO, Traill, ND

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 50

ND HIGHWAY 18

Good

Over: GOOSE RIVER

1 SOUTH OF MAYVILLE, Traill, ND

Built 2020 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 900

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: I-29/MILE 41 SEPARATION

7 SOUTH OF ND 46, Richland, ND

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 20

US HIGHWAY 52

Good

Over: FLATEN COULEE

SOUTHEAST OF ND 28, Ward, ND

Built 2003 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,900

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BENNIE PEER CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, McKenzie, ND

Built 2013 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

3 SOUTH 2 WEST MADDOCK, Benson, ND

Built 1982 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CHENEY CREEK

11 S 4 W CARTWRIGHT, McKenzie, ND

Built 1988 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 51

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

6 EAST OF FINLEY, Steele, ND

Built 1994 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 24

COUNTY ROAD 39

Good

Over: JAMES RIVER

SOUTH OF I-94 ON CORP LIM, Stutsman, ND

Built 1968 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 890

3RD ST SW

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

EAST OF KILLDEER, Dunn, ND

Built 1989 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 60

74th St SE

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

2 WEST 10 SOUTH HAZELTON, Emmons, ND

Built 1995 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 24

CR140

Good

Over: DRAINAGE AREA

3 NORTH 3 EAST OF HEBRON, Morton, ND

Built 1980 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 190

County Road 86

Good

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK

CITY OF ALMONT, Morton, ND

Built 2019 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 350

Lyons Road

Good

Over: SWEET BRIAR CREEK

8 WEST 2 SOUTH OF MANDAN, Morton, ND

Built 2003 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: TONGUE RIVER

5 EAST OF BATHGATE, Pembina, ND

Built 1993 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 176

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: MOUSE RIVER

1 EAST BURLINGTON, Ward, ND

Built 2019 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 1,650

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: LITTLE MUDDY RIVER

3 WEST 3 SOUTH APPAM, Williams, ND

Built 1980 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 40

ND HIGHWAY

Good

Over: E BR CHANTA PETA CREEK

4 WEST ND 6, Morton, ND

Built 1987 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 750

ND HIGHWAY

Good

Over: E BR CHANTA PETA CREEK

3 WEST OF ND 6, Morton, ND

Built 1987 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 750

ND HIGHWAY 1804

Good

Over: CREEK

28 EAST OF WILLISTON, Williams, ND

Built 2012 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 400

119th St NE

Good

Over: MCCLUSKY CANAL R3-0

11 NORTH 3 WEST OF REGAN, Burleigh, ND

Built 1973 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 20

47TH AVENUE SW

Good

Over: CREEK

7 EAST 1 NORTH OF CARSON, Grant, ND

Built 1960 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIWAY

Good

Over: BNSF RAILROAD

1 N OF HWY 200, McKenzie, ND

Built 2016 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 20

66th Street SE

Good

Over: APPLE CREEK

3 EAST OF BISMARCK, Burleigh, ND

Built 1987 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 850

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: RUSH RIVER

6 WEST OF HARWOOD, Cass, ND

Built 2002 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRAIN DITCH

2 WEST KEMPTON, Grand Forks, ND

Built 1989 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: JAMES RIVER

7 EAST 4 SOUTH OF HARVEY, Wells, ND

Built 1993 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: WILD RICE RIVER

3 EAST 2 NORTH COLFAX, Richland, ND

Built 2000 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: N ROCKFORD CANAL NR1-6A

6 NORTH 5 WEST FESSENDEN, Wells, ND

Built 1983 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 10

STATE HOSPITAL RD.

Good

Over: JAMES RIVER

12TH AVE. SE-JAMESTOWN, Stutsman, ND

Built 1965 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 1,825

COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: ELM RIVER

1 SOUTH 7 WEST ELLENDALE, Dickey, ND

Built 1999 Load: 28.3 t ADT: 24

COUNTY HWY

Good

Over: MAPLE RIVER

2 WEST 6 NORTH OF ALICE, Cass, ND

Built 2006 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 75

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: ENGLISH COULEE DRAIN #11

4 WEST OF GRAND FORKS, Grand Forks, ND

Built 2011 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 180

33RD AVE SE

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

6 WEST 4 SOUTH WISHEK, McIntosh, ND

Built 2018 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 24

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CART CREEK

4 WEST 2 NORTH CRYSTAL, Pembina, ND

Built 1979 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK

1 NORTH OF DUNSEITH, Rolette, ND

Built 1930 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HWY.

Good

Over: FIRST LARSON COULEE

3 WEST 3 NORTH LOGAN, Ward, ND

Built 2015 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 950

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: I-29/STATE LINE INT

SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER, Richland, ND

Built 1974 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 750

US HIGHWAY 83

Good

Over: LITTLE DEEP CREEK

18 SOUTH N.D. HWY 5, Renville, ND

Built 1966 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 2,050

US HIGHWAY 281

Good

Over: ROCKY RUN CREEK

3 SOUTH ND 15, Eddy, ND

Built 1975 Load: 28.4 t ADT: 1,350

52ND ST. NE

Good

Over: CREEK

3 EAST 9 NORTH BISMARCK, Burleigh, ND

Built 1980 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 25

150TH AVE NW

Good

Over: CHARBONNEAU CREEK

8 S 2 W OF CHARBONNEAU, McKenzie, ND

Built 2022 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 72

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: SHEYENNE RIVER

2 WEST 3 SOUTH OF KINDRED, Richland, ND

Built 1976 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 217

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: WILD RICE RIVER

3 NORTH OF DWIGHT, Richland, ND

Built 1997 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 20

ND HIGHWAY 10

Good

Over: LEGAL DRAIN 14

8 WEST OF I-29, Cass, ND

Built 1970 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 140

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: I-29/PARK LAKE SEP

4 SOUTH OF ND 11, Richland, ND

Built 1974 Load: 28.6 t ADT: 20

Showing 2,401-2,450 of 4,255 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

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

What to do with this

Use North Dakota's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in North Dakota and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. North Dakota Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.