Of the 14,116 bridges in Kentucky, 1,234 (9%) are structurally deficient and 3,202 (23%) are functionally obsolete. Between 2003-2012, $637.6 million in federal funding supported bridge construction and rehabilitation projects on 1,176 bridges. The state estimates it would cost $2.4 billion to repair 3,026 bridges. The top 10 most traveled structurally deficient bridges are located in Jefferson County and carry between 91,500-149,000 vehicles daily.

1. © 2014 The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of
ARTBA.
Highlights from FHWA’s 2013 National Bridge Inventory Data:
 Of the 14,116 bridges in the state, 1,234 bridges, or 9% are classified as structurally deficient.
This means one or more of the key bridge elements, such as the deck, superstructure or
substructure, is considered to be in “poor” or worse condition.1
 There are 3,202 bridges, or 23% of all state bridges, classified as functionally obsolete. This
means the bridge does not meet design standards that are in line with current practice.
 Federal-aid investment in Kentucky has supported $637.6 million in bridge construction
spending on 1,176 bridges between 2003 and 2012, according to FHWA data.2
 Since 2004, 1,084 new bridges have been constructed in the state and 86 bridges have
undergone major reconstruction.
 The state estimates that it would cost approximately $2.4 billion to fix a total of 3,026 bridges in
the state.3
Bridge Inventory:
All Bridges Structurally deficient Bridges
Type of Bridge Total
Number
Area (sq.
meters)
Daily
Crossings
Total
Number
Area (sq.
meters)
Daily
Crossings
Rural Bridges
Interstate 374 447,559 7,560,200 22 23,157 408,850
Other principal arterial 916 1,008,430 6,286,420 16 35,923 126,420
Minor arterial 722 504,833 3,540,317 39 35,682 162,648
Major collector 1,957 707,404 4,613,757 147 46,067 335,469
Minor collector 2,472 550,076 1,924,002 199 37,723 167,611
Local 5,811 800,483 1,488,673 697 72,855 198,151
Urban Bridges
Interstate 416 803,927 28,760,918 26 106,029 2,187,400
Other freeway 133 90,048 2,959,345 0 0 0
Principal arterial 218 367,596 3,762,590 5 7,830 57,420
Minor arterial 419 391,618 4,850,980 21 21,869 275,691
Collector 271 111,777 1,223,255 23 7,153 89,302
Local 407 96,346 943,227 39 5,218 75,965
Not classified 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 14,116 5,880,096 67,913,684 1,234 399,504 4,084,927
1
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a bridge is classified as structurally deficient if the condition rating for the deck,
superstructure, substructure or culvert and retaining walls is rated 4 or below or if the bridge receives an appraisal rating of 2 or less for
structural condition or waterway adequacy. During inspections, the condition of a variety of bridge elements are rated on a scale of 0 (failed
condition) to 9 (excellent condition). A rating of 4 is considered “poor” condition and the individual element displays signs of advanced section
loss, deterioration, spalling or scour.
2
ARTBA analysis of FHWA data, includes all bridge construction related spending on projects approved by FHWA between 2003 and 2012.
3
This data is provided by bridge owners as part of the FHWA data and is required for any bridge eligible for the Highway Bridge Replacement
and Rehabilitation Program. However, for some states this amount is very low and likely not an accurate reflection of current costs.
State Bridge Profile
Kentucky

2. © 2014 The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of
ARTBA.
Proposed bridge work:
Type of Work Number Cost (millions) Daily Crossings Area (sq. meters)
Bridge replacement 670 $479.7 1,101,256 270,102
Widening & rehabilitation 2,218 $1,507.8 23,201,709 1,153,827
Rehabilitation 3 $12.7 3,630 14,465
Deck rehabilitation/replacement 1 $0.0 1,510 1,792
Other work 134 $383.2 1,075,288 156,282
Top 10 Most Traveled Structurally Deficient Bridges in the State
County Year
Built
Daily
Crossings
Type of Bridge Location
(route/water under the bridge, traffic on the bridge and location)
Jefferson 1965 149,000 Urban Interstate ML WB I64 & RIVER ROAD, I-64 RAMP, NB ENT RMP TO
KENNEDY BR
Jefferson 1965 149,000 Urban Interstate I64 WB&RAMP & RIVER RD, I-64 RAMP, SB XT RMP FROM
KENNEDY BR
Jefferson 1965 149,000 Urban Interstate I-64 EB & WITHERSPOON ST, I-64 RAMP, NB XT RMP TO I-64
EB&WB
Jefferson 1965 149,000 Urban Interstate EB I64 ENT RMP TO I65 NB, I-64 RAMP, SB EXT RMP OVR NB
ENT RMP
Jefferson 1963 149,000 Urban Interstate I-64 EB & WITHERSPOON ST, I-64 RAMP, SB ENT RMP TO I-65
Jefferson 1964 137,000 Urban Interstate I-64 EB&WB & RAMPS&RVR R, I-65, MAINLINE APRCH-KENNEDY
BR
Jefferson 1957 130,000 Urban Interstate EASTERN PARKWAY, I-65, 2.1 MI N. JCT I-264
Jefferson 1972 101,000 Urban Interstate 3RD 5TH RVR RD BELVEDERE, I-64, 2ND ST WEST TO 7TH ST
Jefferson 1965 101,000 Urban Interstate CSX-1ST-FLYD-PRESTN-RVR, I-64, 2ND ST EAST TO PRESTON ST
Jefferson 1963 91,500 Urban Interstate RELOCATED LIBERTY STREET, I-65, .85 MI S OF KENNEDY BRIDG
Sources: All data is from the 2013 National Bridge Inventory, released by the Federal Highway Administration in March 2014.
Note that specific conditions on bridge may have changed as a result of recent work. Cost estimates of bridge work provided as
part of the data and have been adjusted to 2013$ for inflation and estimated project costs. Contract awards data is for state
and local government awards and comes from McGraw Hill. Note that additional bridge investment may be a part of other
contract awards if a smaller bridge project is included with a highway project, and that would not be accounted for in the total
in this profile.