ATLANTA — A recent report ranked Georgia the No. 1 state for bridge quality.
ConsumerAffairs stated it determined its rankings after reviewing 2024 data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. It looked at both counties and states for the best and worst bridges.
According to the report, Georgia leads the nation with the highest percentage of bridges in “good” condition, at 75%, and has seen the largest increase in "good" condition bridges - 24 percentage points - since 2009.
Nationwide, the number of bridges in "fair" condition has increased, from 42% in 2009 to 49% in 2024, while the number of bridges in "good" condition fell from 47% in 2009 to 44% in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of bridges in "poor" condition also fell over the same time period from 10% in 2009 to 7% in 2024.
According to the report and the FHA guide, bridges considered "good" have some minor problems, bridges in "fair" condition have minor section loss, cracking and spalling, and "poor" condition is considered advanced section loss and deterioration.
The top five states for bridges of "good" quality are:
- Georgia
- Arizona
- Ohio
- Florida
- Nevada
Georgia's statistics become even more impressive after the report claims that only 18 states surpass the national average of 44% "good" condition bridges. Furthermore, the next best state, Arizona, is 11 percentage points lower for "good" bridges, coming in at 63.5%.
Georgia also dominated on the county level: Grady County has the highest percentage - 93% - of bridges in "good" condition in 2024. It is near the Florida-Georgia borderline. Peach State counties took four of the top five, seven of the top 10 and 17 of the top 25 spots for counties with the highest percentage of "good" condition bridges.
The top five counties are:
- Grady County, Georgia
- Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
- Thomas County, Georgia
- Richmond County, Georgia
- Gwinnett County, Georgia
Georgia's high-quality record can be tied to higher infrastructure spending, the report further stated. Gov. Brian Kemp told the publication that, this year, a "historic investment" of an additional $1.5 billion is going toward state infrastructure.
“From our sprawling freight infrastructure and efficient airports to our growing network of reliable roads, bridges and highways, Georgia’s infrastructure stands second to none in the country,” Gov. Kemp told ConsumerAffairs.
