A new data project from the Hearst Television Data Team is taking a closer look at the condition of America's infrastructure, with the data giving a deeper look at what bridge conditions are like in our region.Bridges in Vermont are in better condition on average than most of the bridges in the United States, according to data gathered by Hearst Television's Data Team. Meanwhile, bridges in New York are in slightly worse condition on average than the United States average.The team analyzed more than 30 years of National Bridge Inventory data going back to 1992 —the earliest year for which the inventory has data. The National Bridge Inventory, or NBI, is an annually-published snapshot of the latest inspection reports for bridges in all 50 states plus D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Vermont currently has 2,634 bridges, according to the latest data, with nearly half, or 49.8%, in good condition.Only 80 bridges, or 3%, are considered to be in poor condition, according to NBI data.For comparison, only two out of every five bridges in the U.S. are in good condition, according to the 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Here is the breakdown for bridge conditions in Vermont: 80 bridges, or 3.0%, are in Poor condition 1,242 bridges, or 47.2%, are in Fair condition1,312 bridges, or 49.8%, are in Good conditionIn Vermont, nine out of the top 10 busiest bridges are considered to be in good or very good condition, according to that data. Only one bridge, located on Interstate 89 over Vermont Route 15, is considered to be in Fair condition. All of those bridges were either built in 1962 or 1963.New York's Bridge ConditionsMeanwhile, in New York, the breakdown looks a bit different.The Empire State boasts 15,537 bridges, with 34.3% of those considered to be in Good condition. The vast majority are either considered to be in fair or poor condition.Here is the breakdown for bridge conditions in New York:1,557 bridges, or 10%, are in Poor condition8,655 bridges, or 55.7%, are in Fair condition5,325 bridges, or 34.3%, are in Good conditionThe ten busiest bridges in New York are also generally in worse condition than those in Vermont. Only two of the top 10 bridges are considered to be in Good condition, with six listed in Fair condition. Two of those bridges are listed in Poor condition.About the dataThe database of more than 623,000 bridges and culverts is a compilation of bridge records reported by each state following National Bridge Inspection Standards, which are federal regulations that apply to all bridges on public roads. It includes the latest condition ratings for highway bridges that have a length of more than 20 feet plus various characteristics of bridges, like location, type and traffic.Data in the NBI is used by the Federal Highway Administration to submit reports to Congress on the status of bridges as well as for owners to use to determine project funding. Most bridges are inspected every two years, so data for a bridge may not be new each time the database is published.The Hearst Television Data Team's analysis excluded culverts, which differ structurally from bridges. National statistics also exclude data from U.S. territories. This brings the total bridges analyzed to 473,440.A growing number of fair bridgesThe number of bridges in fair condition has grown over the past 30 years, surpassing the number of good bridges in 1999. Ever since, fair bridges have continued to increase and now make up more than 51% of the nation's inventory.It's a change that has coincided with a slight decline in good bridges over the past 10 years as well as a decline in poor bridges, according to the Hearst Television Data Team's analysis.Ratings are calculated in three categories: good, fair and poor. The NBI inspection ratings use the lowest score out of three main components of a bridge for the overall rating: the deck, the substructure and the superstructure. If a bridge's lowest score is between 0 and 4 in at least one category, it is considered poor condition. If its lowest is between 5 and 6, it's in fair condition and if it's 7 through 9, it's in good condition.More than 8% of bridges in the U.S. are in poor conditionWhile the overall number and share of bridges in poor condition has been declining nationwide, almost one out of 10 bridges in the U.S. was in poor condition, according to the inventory's 2024 inspection reports for bridges.The states with the highest share were Iowa and South Dakota, where one out of five bridges in each state were in poor condition, according to the NBI data.States with colder climates may have more deteriorated bridges due to the effects of salt and de-icing chemicals.Only six states have more than half of bridges in good conditionAround 41% of the bridge inventory— or 193,000 — bridges were in good condition, according to the data.Only six states had more than half of their bridge inventory in good condition, according to the NBI. Georgia had the highest share of bridges in good condition at 70% as of last year, a number that grew steeply between 2019 and 2021 as bridges in fair condition declined in the state.Florida and Ohio had the second-highest shares of bridges at 62% and 61%, respectively. Then behind them were Nevada, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.Utah has the lowest share of bridges in good condition at 20%, but also has the highest share of bridges in fair condition at more than 76%.Editor's note: This story is part of a larger project this year across all our Hearst Television stations and national units.We’re taking a deeper look at the condition of infrastructure -- including bridges and roads -- in our region and across the country to Get the Facts on problem areas and trends, get answers and track the actions being taken to ensure these critical structures remain operational and safe.