Maine Has the Fourth Worst Bridge Problem in the United States

Every year, New Englanders complain about potholes after a brutal winter. This year was no different. This year, however, there has been a new complaint emerging, with voices being louder than the pothole protesters.

2024 and 2025 have been the years of bridges. Most famously, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Although that was caused by a container ship striking a pier, the incident has caused an increase in research on bridges across the country.

Maine's Bridge Conditions

According to a WMTW article, Maine's bridge conditions are not great. In fact, Maine has the fourth-highest rate of poorly-rated bridges in the country. In other words, only three states have bridges worse off than Maine: South Dakota, Iowa, and West Virginia.

"The condition of our bridges is deteriorating. We're working hard to get that trend headed in the right direction," said Wayne Frankhauser Jr., bridge program manager at the Maine Department of Transportation.

Nearly 17% of all bridges in Maine were rated poor. 15 to 16% of Maine's almost 2,500 bridges are 71 years old or older. That is a bit unsettling to know as you cross over bridges in the future...you don't really know if it is one of those 17%. But it is not just Maine.

Bridges across the country, according to the National Bridge Inventory, are all in rough shape. Only two out of every five bridges in the USA are in "good condition."