Oklahoma’s bridge condition rank was 49th in 2004. Today it’s fourth.

Southwest Ledger By Mikew. Ray August 12, 2025

In two decades, Oklahoma’s bridge condition ranking has climbed out of the cellar and is now one of the best in the nation, Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Tim Gatz informed the state Transportation Commission last week.

The Sooner State has been ranked No. 4 among the states with the lowest percentage of structurally deficient bridges on the highway system, according to the most recent inspection data from the Federal Highway Administration as analyzed by ODOT. “That’s a high achievement,” Gatz said. “We’ve come a long way.”

The ranking applies to nontolled interstates, U.S. highways and state highways under ODOT jurisdiction; they do not include municipal or county bridges, Gatz noted.

The only states whose bridge ranking is better than Oklahoma’s are Arizona, Texas and Georgia.

Today, 35 highway bridges in Oklahoma are rated as poor, meaning fewer than 1% of all highway bridges are structurally deficient, Gatz said.The remaining bridges are programmed to be addressed in the Eight-Year Construction Work Plan or the Asset Preservation Plan.

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