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: DRAIN DITCH

4 WEST 3 NORTH OF DRAYTON, Pembina, ND

Built 2014 Load: 64.8 t ADT: 24

150TH AVE NE

Good

Over: MILLER DRAIN 29

1 W 4 S OF MAYVILLE, Traill, ND

Built 2023 Load: 64.8 t ADT: 31

62ND ST NE

Good

Over: CREEK

1 EAST 1 NORTH OF WARSAW, Walsh, ND

Built 2023 Load: 64.8 t ADT: 8

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

10 WEST 4 SOUTH OF CANDO, Towner, ND

Built 2005 Load: 65.0 t ADT: 10

40TH AVE.SOUTH

Good

Over: COUNTY DRAIN 27

1 WEST OF I-29, Cass, ND

Built 2006 Load: 65.0 t ADT: 2,100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: COUNTY DRAIN 14

5 EAST 2 NORTH MAPLETON, Cass, ND

Built 2021 Load: 65.3 t ADT: 20

ND HIGHWAY 5

Good

Over: CREEK

5 EAST OF CROSBY, Divide, ND

Built 1976 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 750

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRAIN

3 EAST OF HUNTER, Cass, ND

Built 2003 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 20

US HIGHWAY 81

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

5 SOUTH OF ND 17, Walsh, ND

Built 1966 Load: 66.3 t ADT: 2,230

Camp Crook Rd.

Good

Over: BIG BUMBO CREEK

15 SOUTH OF MARMARTH, Bowman, ND

Built 1999 Load: 66.6 t ADT: 90

DIAL HOUSE ROAD

Good

Over: TRIB. N.FORK GRAND RIVER

13 SOUTH 4 WEST BOWMAN, Bowman, ND

Built 2007 Load: 66.6 t ADT: 60

COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: THIRTY MILE CREEK

8 NORTH 2 EAST OF MOTT, Hettinger, ND

Built 2011 Load: 67.4 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: CUT BANK CREEK

4 EAST 2 NORTH OF MOHALL, Bottineau, ND

Built 2009 Load: 67.6 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIWAY

Good

Over: LITTLE KNIFE RIVER

3 NORTH 6 WEST MANNING, Dunn, ND

Built 2008 Load: 67.6 t ADT: 24

COUNTY HIWAY

Good

Over: LITTLE KNIFE RIVER

3 NORTH 6 WEST MANNING, Dunn, ND

Built 2008 Load: 67.6 t ADT: 25

US HIGHWAY 81

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

3 SOUTH OF ND 17, Walsh, ND

Built 1966 Load: 68.1 t ADT: 2,370

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CHARBONNEAU CREEK

1 EAST CARTWRIGHT, McKenzie, ND

Built 1997 Load: 68.5 t ADT: 20

ND HIGHWAY 1804

Good

Over: LITTLE BEAVER CREEK

14 WEST 5 SOUTH LINTON, Emmons, ND

Built 1988 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 220

US 52/281 BYPASS

Good

Over: BN-SANTA FE RAILWAY

WEST JAMESTOWN BYPASS, Stutsman, ND

Built 2003 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 4,200

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CHARBONNEAU CREEK

1 WEST OF CARTWRIGHT, McKenzie, ND

Built 2014 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 180

ND HIGHWAY 32

Good

Over: WILD RICE RIVER

4 SOUTH OF ND 11 EAST, Sargent, ND

Built 2016 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 770

26th St SW

Good

Over: CREEK

8 SOUTH 10 WEST MARSHALL, Dunn, ND

Built 2004 Load: 69.2 t ADT: 24

147TH AVENUE

Good

Over: NORTH FORK GRAND RIVER

14 SOUTH 1 WEST BOWMAN, Bowman, ND

Built 1996 Load: 69.5 t ADT: 5

ND HIGHWAY 13

Good

Over: ELK CREEK

2 WEST OF ND HIGHWAY 18, Richland, ND

Built 2013 Load: 69.5 t ADT: 1,500

ND HIGHWAY 22

Good

Over: KNIFE RIVER

NORTH OF MANNING, Dunn, ND

Built 1983 Load: 69.5 t ADT: 1,410

US HIGHWAY 281

Good

Over: MAPLE CREEK

3 NORTH OF ND 13, LaMoure, ND

Built 2006 Load: 69.6 t ADT: 1,625

ND HIGHWAY 11

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

5 WEST OF FAIRMOUNT, Richland, ND

Built 2002 Load: 69.9 t ADT: 1,080

PARK APPROACH RD.

Good

Over: CREEK

3 SOUTH OF I-94, Morton, ND

Built 1997 Load: 69.9 t ADT: 2,630

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

5 EAST 3 NORTH OF GRAFTON, Walsh, ND

Built 2013 Load: 70.3 t ADT: 152

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BLANCHARD DRAIN NO. 23

3 WEST 3 NORTH BLANCHARD, Traill, ND

Built 1988 Load: 70.9 t ADT: 20

INTERSTATE 94

Good

Over: HEART RIVER

1 WEST OF JCT. US 85, Stark, ND

Built 1964 Load: 71.1 t ADT: 3,550

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: ONE-O-ONE CREEK

3 W 3 N HOMESTEADERS GAP, McKenzie, ND

Built 2020 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 50

US HIGHWAY 2

Good

Over: CREEK

2 EAST OF US 85 SOUTH, Williams, ND

Built 2017 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 21,780

249th ST NE

Good

Over: APPLE CREEK

1 EAST 6 NORTH MCKENZIE, Burleigh, ND

Built 2008 Load: 71.5 t ADT: 60

ND HIGHWAY 27

Good

Over: SHEYENNE RIVER

1 BLK W OF MAIN, Ransom, ND

Built 1953 Load: 72.1 t ADT: 2,380

BIASR COUNTY HIWAY

Good

Over: BATTLE CREEK

10 NORTH OF FORT YATES, Sioux, ND

Built 2002 Load: 72.8 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

2 EAST OF REGENT, Hettinger, ND

Built 2002 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 75

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

2 NORTH 3 EAST ST ANTHONY, Morton, ND

Built 2008 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DITCH

3 EAST OF ND 18, Cass, ND

Built 2022 Load: 75.2 t ADT: 240

ND HIGHWAY 32

Good

Over: CREEK

2 NORTH OF ND 26, Barnes, ND

Built 2011 Load: 75.5 t ADT: 470

US HIGHWAY 5

Good

Over: OAK CREEK

4 EAST OF N.D.HWY 14, Bottineau, ND

Built 2006 Load: 75.7 t ADT: 5,900

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

5 WEST 4 NORTH STIRUM, Sargent, ND

Built 2004 Load: 75.9 t ADT: 40

COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: GREEN RIVER

6 EAST 10 SOUTH FAIRFIELD, Billings, ND

Built 2016 Load: 76.8 t ADT: 26

Schley Ave

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

IN LINTON, Emmons, ND

Built 1940 Load: 76.9 t ADT: 25

ND HIGHWAY 3

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

2 NORTH OF ND 66, Rolette, ND

Built 1992 Load: 77.8 t ADT: 940

CO.HWY 64th AVE

Good

Over: SHEYENNE RIVER

2 NORTH OF HORACE, Cass, ND

Built 2005 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 100

57TH AVE

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

8 EAST 1 NORTH GLEN ULLIN, Morton, ND

Built 2009 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

2 SOUTH OF BISBEE, Towner, ND

Built 1993 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 85

COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: COUNTY DRAIN 87

2 EAST OF GRAFTON, Walsh, ND

Built 2018 Load: 79.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

5 E 1 N OF COOPERSTOWN, Griggs, ND

Built 2018 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 60

Showing 3,651-3,700 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.