Highest Traffic Bridges
The 50 busiest bridges in America by Average Daily Traffic from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. The top of the list, I-295 US 130 in New Jersey, carries roughly 882,085 vehicles per day.
How to Read This Ranking
Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is the count of vehicles crossing a bridge on a typical day, averaged across the year, as reported by the owning state DOT to the FHWA. The data lives in the National Bridge Inventory alongside the structural condition ratings shown to the right. Median traffic across the 50 bridges below is roughly 339,000 vehicles per day; the highest entries are typically urban interstate spans that carry well above 100,000 daily vehicles.
| # | Bridge | State | Daily Traffic | Score | Grade | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-295 US 130 | New Jersey | 882,085 | 78 | B | 1993 |
| 2 | IH 35 | Texas | 810,110 | 0 | F | 2007 |
| 3 | IH 35 NB | Texas | 778,093 | 81 | A | 2003 |
| 4 | SR-56 WB | Florida | 761,000 | 81 | A | 2002 |
| 5 | I-78 EB | New Jersey | 661,439 | 70 | B | 1968 |
| 6 | MON CO RT 19/25 | West Virginia | 600,500 | 25 | D | 1930 |
| 7 | INTERSTATE 80 | California | 550,000 | 67 | B | 1955 |
| 8 | INTERSTATE 80 | California | 531,000 | 67 | B | 1954 |
| 9 | INTERSTATE 80 | California | 531,000 | 59 | C | 1954 |
| 10 | IH 35 SB | Texas | 517,256 | 61 | B | 1965 |
| 11 | I-96 EB CD | Michigan | 516,020 | 89 | A | 2016 |
| 12 | ROUTE I-295 SB | New Jersey | 482,142 | 74 | B | 1994 |
| 13 | IH 10 | Texas | 405,615 | 0 | F | 2007 |
| 14 | IH 10 | Texas | 387,238 | 0 | F | 2007 |
| 15 | IH 10 | Texas | 387,238 | 0 | F | 2007 |
| 16 | I-4 WB | Florida | 385,000 | 100 | A | 2023 |
| 17 | NBL ROUTE 0095 | Virginia | 374,491 | 71 | B | 1962 |
| 18 | INTERSTATE 405 | California | 374,000 | 0 | F | 1959 |
| 19 | IH 10/Campbell Rd | Texas | 373,095 | 0 | F | 2005 |
| 20 | I-75 | Georgia | 371,000 | 78 | B | 1988 |
| 21 | I-75 | Georgia | 353,000 | 74 | B | 1986 |
| 22 | I-75 | Georgia | 349,000 | 0 | F | 1964 |
| 23 | I-75 | Georgia | 349,000 | 67 | B | 1954 |
| 24 | I-75 | Georgia | 339,000 | 78 | B | 1987 |
| 25 | I-75 | Georgia | 339,000 | 78 | B | 1988 |
| 26 | STATE ROUTE 60 | California | 339,000 | 82 | A | 1970 |
| 27 | ROUTE 60 | California | 339,000 | 75 | B | 1970 |
| 28 | SR-429 NB | Florida | 334,750 | 85 | A | 2024 |
| 29 | IH 10 | Texas | 333,229 | 0 | F | 2006 |
| 30 | ROUTE 5 | California | 329,500 | 60 | B | 1955 |
| 31 | INTERSTATE 5 | California | 327,000 | 66 | B | 1959 |
| 32 | I-75 (NBL) | Georgia | 325,000 | 72 | B | 1965 |
| 33 | I-75 | Georgia | 325,000 | 0 | F | 1965 |
| 34 | INTERSTATE 5 | California | 324,300 | 70 | B | 1992 |
| 35 | STATE ROUTE 91 | California | 319,000 | 0 | F | 1959 |
| 36 | STATE ROUTE 91 | California | 319,000 | 0 | F | 1959 |
| 37 | STATE ROUTE 91 | California | 319,000 | 0 | F | 1959 |
| 38 | ROUTE 5 | California | 316,400 | 78 | B | 1991 |
| 39 | INTERSTATE 5 | California | 316,400 | 70 | B | 1992 |
| 40 | I- 90 94 DAN RYAN | Illinois | 312,400 | 0 | F | 1961 |
| 41 | IH 635 | Texas | 309,861 | 0 | F | 1967 |
| 42 | IH 635 EB RAMP | Texas | 309,861 | 81 | A | 2013 |
| 43 | IH 635 TEXpress | Texas | 309,861 | 81 | A | 2014 |
| 44 | INTERSTATE 5 | California | 309,000 | 78 | B | 1992 |
| 45 | HOUSE-HAHL ROAD | Texas | 307,170 | 78 | B | 2015 |
| 46 | I-85 | Georgia | 307,000 | 0 | F | 1958 |
| 47 | 95I 95I04011007 | New Jersey | 306,177 | 39 | D | 1931 |
| 48 | I-85 | Georgia | 303,000 | 0 | F | 1959 |
| 49 | IH 410 | Texas | 302,626 | 0 | F | 2008 |
| 50 | IH 10 EBFR | Texas | 301,466 | 78 | B | 2007 |
Why Daily Traffic Matters for Bridge Wear
Heavy traffic is one of the principal drivers of long-term bridge deterioration. Repeated heavy axle loads accelerate cracking and spalling on concrete decks, contribute to fatigue in steel girders, and wear down expansion joints — the rubber and steel assemblies that allow the deck to move with temperature. State DOTs use ADT both to prioritize maintenance and to set inspection intervals: the National Bridge Inspection Standards require at least biennial inspection for every public-road bridge, but more frequent inspection is common for the busiest spans.
The relationship between traffic and condition is not monotonic. Many of the heaviest-traveled bridges in the country are also among the most extensively maintained, so high ADT does not necessarily produce a low Condition Score. The ASCE Infrastructure Report Card notes that federal funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has accelerated work on high-priority urban structures since 2022.
What This Ranking Cannot Tell You
ADT is a vehicle count, not a load measurement. Two bridges with identical ADT figures can experience very different cumulative wear depending on truck percentage, axle weights, and seasonal traffic patterns. The NBI does not publish per-bridge truck counts at the same granularity as total ADT. For load-related context, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics publishes freight movement data at the corridor level.
For full methodology — how the BridgeWatch Condition Score is computed, how ADT is sourced, and how missing values are handled — see the methodology page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is "highest traffic" measured?
Each bridge in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory carries an Average Daily Traffic (ADT) field reported by the owning state DOT during routine inspection. ADT is the count of vehicles crossing the structure on a typical day, averaged across the year. Numbers can be a year or two behind current operational counts because they update on the inspection cycle (typically every 24 months). The list above ranks the 50 highest ADT values in the latest NBI release.
Why do high-traffic bridges sometimes have low Condition Scores?
Heavy daily traffic accelerates wear on the deck (the riding surface) and on expansion joints, and contributes to cumulative fatigue on superstructure elements such as steel girders. State DOTs program rehabilitation work on busy bridges as funding cycles allow, but timing depends on the state's Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and on federal Bridge Investment Program awards. The result is that several of the busiest bridges nationally are also among those with the most pressing rehabilitation needs.
Are these bridges safe to cross?
Bridges remain open to traffic at posted load limits set by the owning state DOT. NBI condition ratings describe observed physical condition, not safety determinations. Posted weight limits, lane closures, and detours are operational decisions made by state DOTs based on inspection findings — not by the inventory itself. If you are concerned about a specific structure, the relevant state DOT and the FHWA bridge program are the authoritative sources.
Where does the underlying data come from?
All figures on this page come from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm. Inspection records originate with each state DOT under the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS). The current ranking reflects the 2025 NBI release, refreshed April 2026.
How often is this ranking updated?
The Federal Highway Administration publishes a complete National Bridge Inventory annually, typically in the spring covering the prior year of inspections. BridgeWatch refreshes this ranking within a few days of each release. Individual ADT values can move significantly when a state DOT updates traffic counts, so year-to-year reordering of the top 50 is normal.