2015 Bridge Conditions

Minnesota

The Fix We’re In For 2015: The State of Minnesota’s Bridges

Every day, millions of people from all walks of life in Minnesota cities, towns and rural areas travel over one of the state’s 12,961 bridges that carry vehicle traffic. These bridges carry commuters through and within our cities, move people from town to town, help farmers bring their goods to market, and get freight from A to B each and every day. But today, far too many of these bridges are rated structurally deficient — bridges in urgent need of repair or replacement. Minnesota today has 830 structurally deficient bridges, representing 6.4 percent of the state’s 12,961 bridges. Those 830 bridges represent a looming crisis for the state.

The average age of these sub-par bridges is 66 years — well over the typical design life of 50 years and nearly double the average age of all Minnesota bridges (35 years old). More than one in ten Minnesota bridges were built before 1948 — which means more than 1,300 bridges are older than the Korean War and creation of Medicare.

Minnesota drivers collectively took close to 628 million trips over deficient bridges in 2014. That’s more than 1.7 million trips per day or almost 1,200 trips every minute taken over deficient Minnesota bridges in 2014.

Minnesotans and Minnesota businesses rely on bridges each day that are subject to closure or weight restriction if increased maintenance and reconstruction are not undertaken — a potentially crippling impact on personal travel and freight movement. And as the location of the most deadly bridge collapse in recent American history, Minnesotans know the impacts better than most.

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Minnesota counties bridge summary data

County Percent structurally deficient Total bridges Number deficient Avg. age of deficient bridges Percent of deficient bridges locally-owned Total built before 1948
Lincoln County 23.0% 100 23 66 100.0% 31
Pipestone County 19.0% 168 32 58 100.0% 35
Redwood County 16.0% 188 30 62 96.7% 25
Mower County 15.9% 328 52 78 96.2% 66
Carver County 15.8% 114 18 65 100.0% 14
St. Louis County 15.7% 648 102 67 94.1% 112
Renville County 15.4% 130 20 61 100.0% 8
Mahnomen County 14.6% 41 6 62 100.0% 2
Chippewa County 13.6% 118 16 57 81.3% 9
Cook County 11.3% 53 6 47 50.0% 7
Fillmore County 11.2% 329 37 72 100.0% 74
Sherburne County 11.1% 45 5 68 80.0% 5
Sibley County 10.0% 100 10 52 100.0% 5
Martin County 9.3% 162 15 85 100.0% 24
Carlton County 8.5% 129 11 68 72.7% 17
Waseca County 8.3% 84 7 71 100.0% 10
Rock County 8.0% 249 20 68 95.0% 22
Houston County 7.9% 164 13 82 100.0% 21
Swift County 7.9% 89 7 66 71.4% 3
Douglas County 7.7% 39 3 49 0.0% 0
Wilkin County 7.6% 197 15 68 86.7% 17
Jackson County 7.4% 189 14 67 100.0% 18
Chisago County 7.3% 55 4 50 100.0% 5
Aitkin County 7.1% 99 7 53 57.1% 9
Lake County 7.0% 86 6 61 33.3% 6
Hubbard County 6.8% 44 3 50 100.0% 4
Otter Tail County 6.8% 147 10 54 100.0% 9
Itasca County 6.7% 163 11 63 63.6% 16
Faribault County 6.6% 213 14 55 100.0% 11
Cass County 6.4% 78 5 60 100.0% 7
Nicollet County 6.3% 48 3 61 0.0% 3
Todd County 6.1% 131 8 72 100.0% 14
Norman County 6.0% 149 9 64 100.0% 13
Clay County 6.0% 217 13 73 84.6% 17
Becker County 5.9% 51 3 55 100.0% 4
Ramsey County 5.8% 311 18 60 55.6% 23
Roseau County 5.7% 141 8 65 100.0% 8
Hennepin County 5.5% 858 47 72 80.9% 93
Winona County 5.4% 223 12 65 83.3% 23
Dodge County 5.3% 169 9 70 100.0% 26
Murray County 4.7% 129 6 54 100.0% 14
Steele County 4.5% 132 6 48 66.7% 7
Kandiyohi County 4.5% 88 4 56 100.0% 10
Le Sueur County 4.5% 67 3 65 100.0% 15
Kittson County 4.5% 157 7 56 71.4% 11
Traverse County 4.3% 116 5 55 100.0% 7
Freeborn County 4.3% 140 6 60 83.3% 10
Lyon County 4.3% 234 10 60 100.0% 25
Morrison County 4.3% 164 7 63 100.0% 17
Lac qui Parle County 4.2% 167 7 62 100.0% 13
Yellow Medicine County 4.1% 222 9 78 100.0% 25
Washington County 4.0% 101 4 80 50.0% 6
Marshall County 3.8% 213 8 65 100.0% 16
Blue Earth County 3.6% 192 7 65 85.7% 20
Goodhue County 3.5% 314 11 86 90.9% 70
Wabasha County 3.5% 144 5 72 80.0% 24
Red Lake County 3.4% 59 2 61 50.0% 5
Grant County 3.3% 30 1 62 100.0% 3
Meeker County 3.3% 61 2 88 100.0% 3
Beltrami County 3.3% 92 3 61 33.3% 3
Koochiching County 3.3% 92 3 43 100.0% 4
Pine County 3.1% 163 5 61 60.0% 11
Mille Lacs County 2.9% 105 3 45 100.0% 0
Wadena County 2.7% 73 2 52 100.0% 0
Brown County 2.7% 110 3 71 66.7% 10
Cottonwood County 2.7% 147 4 74 100.0% 25
Polk County 2.7% 258 7 73 71.4% 12
McLeod County 2.7% 75 2 48 100.0% 1
Benton County 2.6% 115 3 57 100.0% 11
Olmsted County 2.6% 346 9 61 100.0% 37
Stearns County 2.2% 223 5 57 100.0% 26
Stevens County 2.2% 45 1 61 100.0% 6
Rice County 2.2% 135 3 55 100.0% 8
Pope County 2.2% 45 1 15 100.0% 3
Anoka County 2.1% 140 3 53 100.0% 3
Clearwater County 2.1% 48 1 86 100.0% 6
Pennington County 2.1% 48 1 88 100.0% 3
Watonwan County 1.8% 163 3 49 100.0% 25
Crow Wing County 1.5% 67 1 105 100.0% 6
Kanabec County 1.3% 79 1 47 100.0% 4
Scott County 1.0% 102 1 38 100.0% 4
Nobles County 0.7% 296 2 94 100.0% 31
Dakota County 0.4% 235 1 104 100.0% 16
Isanti County 0.0% 36 0 N/A N/A 0
Wright County 0.0% 70 0 N/A N/A 5
Big Stone County 0.0% 15 0 N/A N/A 5
Lake of the Woods County 0.0% 61 0 N/A N/A 3