Bridges Construction Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented, By Type (Beam Bridge, Truss Bridge, Arch Bridge, Suspension Bridge, Cable-stayed Bridge, and Others), By Material (Steel, Concrete, Composite), By Application (Road & Highway, Railway), By Region & Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 121.88 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	7.32%
Fastest Growing Segment	Truss Bridge
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 186.22 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Bridges Construction Market will grow from USD 121.88 Billion in 2025 to USD 186.22 Billion by 2031 at a 7.32% CAGR. The Global Bridges Construction Market encompasses the engineering, erection, and maintenance of spanning structures designed to cross physical obstacles and facilitate transportation. The sector’s expansion is propelled by the critical necessity to modernize aging infrastructure in developed nations and the acceleration of urbanization in emerging economies, which demands enhanced connectivity. Furthermore, government investments in public works serve as a primary catalyst, ensuring a steady pipeline of capital projects globally.

Despite this robust demand, the industry faces impediments that could restrict growth. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, in 2025, thirty-five percent of all United States bridges require major repair work or replacement. This statistic underscores the immense pressure on existing resources; however, the market is significantly hampered by a persistent shortage of skilled labor. This workforce deficit escalates project costs and delays timelines, presenting a formidable challenge to meeting global infrastructure requirements.

Key Market Drivers

Rising government investments in transport infrastructure serve as the primary engine for the global bridges construction market, directly facilitating the execution of large-scale engineering projects. Public sector funding is essential for developing complex trade corridors and inter-regional links that would be financially unviable for private entities to undertake alone. By allocating substantial budgets to national highway systems, federal and state entities ensure a consistent pipeline of work for engineering, procurement, and construction firms, stabilizing the industry against economic fluctuations. According to the Federal Highway Administration, July 2024, in the 'Large Bridge Project Grants' announcement, the United States government awarded more than $5 billion to support thirteen major bridge projects across the country. This influx of capital allows for the mobilization of massive resources required for mega-projects; for instance, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2024, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program connecting Oregon and Washington alone secured a federal grant of $1.4 billion, underscoring the immense value of individual contracts available in this sector.

The rehabilitation and replacement of aging infrastructure further accelerates market momentum, particularly in mature economies where legacy structures are reaching the end of their design life. As traffic volumes swell and safety standards evolve, the imperative to modernize structurally deficient bridges drives significant demand for specialized maintenance, strengthening, and reconstruction services. This shift from greenfield expansion to brownfield restoration creates a distinct and lucrative market segment focused on extending asset longevity. According to the RAC Foundation, March 2024, in the 'Bridge maintenance backlog' analysis, the estimated one-time cost to bring the backlog of substandard bridges in Great Britain up to an acceptable condition has reached £6.8 billion. This deterioration necessitates extensive structural interventions, ranging from deck replacements to complete rebuilding, thereby generating consistent revenue streams for contractors specializing in complex repair operations.

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Key Market Challenges

The persistent shortage of skilled labor constitutes a critical impediment to the expansion of the Global Bridges Construction Market. This workforce deficit restricts the operational capacity of construction firms, forcing them to turn down new contracts or extend the duration of existing schedules due to insufficient staffing. As bridge projects require highly specialized tradespeople—such as ironworkers, crane operators, and concrete finishers—the scarcity of these specific skills creates a bottleneck that disrupts project continuity. Consequently, competition for the limited pool of available talent intensifies, driving up wage rates and significantly inflating overall project costs, which erodes profit margins and strains public budgets.

The impact of this labor crisis is statistically evident and widespread across the sector. According to the Associated General Contractors of America, in 2025, 45 percent of construction firms reported experiencing project delays specifically resulting from worker shortages. This high frequency of schedule disruptions underscores the severity of the issue, as delays in infrastructure delivery not only escalate financial overheads but also postpone the economic benefits derived from improved connectivity. The inability to deploy adequate work crews effectively neutralizes the positive momentum generated by government investment, leaving critical repair and modernization targets unmet.

Key Market Trends

The Integration of Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) and Digital Twins is fundamentally reshaping asset management by transitioning from static design documents to dynamic, living virtual models. This technology allows engineers to simulate real-world conditions, optimize maintenance schedules, and detect structural anomalies before they escalate into critical failures. By creating a continuous data loop between the physical structure and its digital counterpart, stakeholders can significantly reduce lifecycle costs and improve decision-making accuracy. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, in the 'Digital twins show great promise in civil engineering' article published in 2024, a Caltrans project utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) to create a digital model of a roadway stabilization project successfully saved $520,000 by enabling more efficient design and construction phase management.

Concurrently, the market is experiencing a decisive Shift Toward Carbon-Neutral and Recycled Construction Materials, driven by stringent environmental regulations and the urgent need to decarbonize infrastructure. Market players are increasingly adopting high-performance alternatives such as carbon fiber-reinforced concrete and geopolymer composites to minimize the embodied carbon footprint of large-scale bridge projects while enhancing durability against corrosion. This transition not only addresses sustainability goals but also offers superior strength-to-weight ratios that simplify logistics and installation. According to SGL Carbon, October 2024, in the 'Award for bridge construction with SIGRAFIL fiber' announcement, the innovative use of carbon fiber-reinforced concrete on the BW 399c bridge project saved over 60 tons of CO2 compared to conventional steel composite structures.

Segmental Insights

The Truss Bridge segment is identified as the fastest-growing category in the Global Bridges Construction Market due to its exceptional material efficiency and high strength-to-weight ratio. This design utilizes triangular units to distribute loads effectively, making it highly suitable for railways and highways requiring substantial weight support. Additionally, the increasing need for rapid infrastructure expansion drives the adoption of truss structures, as they frequently facilitate modular fabrication and faster on-site assembly. Consequently, construction entities prioritize this segment to optimize project budgets and meet tight delivery schedules while ensuring long-term durability across transportation networks.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a dominant position in the Global Bridges Construction Market, primarily driven by extensive government commitments aimed at revitalizing aging infrastructure. The United States acts as a major catalyst, where the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) manages critical funding initiatives such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These strategic programs allocate essential capital toward the rehabilitation and replacement of structurally deficient bridges, directly addressing public safety concerns and logistics requirements. Furthermore, the region’s emphasis on integrating resilient materials and smart monitoring systems into urban transportation networks continues to solidify its leadership in the global sector.

Recent Developments

• In July 2024, the European construction group Strabag was awarded a contract to replace the Uttrichshausen viaduct on the A7 motorway in Hessen, Germany. The project involves dismantling two existing structures, which were built in the 1960s, and constructing a new 900-meter-long bridge in their place. The new viaduct will consist of two component structures equipped with five-meter-high noise barriers and a noise-reducing road surface to minimize environmental impact. Work on the project was scheduled to commence in August 2024, with completion targeted for 2029, ensuring the continued viability of one of Germany’s most important north-south transport axes.
• In May 2024, Ferrovial, through its construction subsidiary, was awarded contracts totaling USD 1.2 billion for infrastructure projects across the United States, including significant bridge works in Florida and Texas. One major component involves the realignment and widening of Interstate 10 in Escambia County, Florida, which requires the construction of eight new bridges and the improvement of three others. Additionally, the company secured projects in Texas to reconstruct highway corridors and replace multiple bridge structures to support increased freight traffic and improve safety. These awards marked a continued expansion of the company's civil engineering footprint in North America.
• In April 2024, Skanska signed a contract with the Washington State Department of Transportation to replace the Portage Bay Bridge in Seattle, United States. The agreement, valued at USD 1.4 billion, focuses on replacing the existing structure to meet modern seismic resiliency standards. The project entails constructing two parallel box girder bridges, improving roadways, and creating a landscaped lid over the highway to enhance urban connectivity. The construction, which also supports dedicated carpool and public transit lanes, is a critical component of the SR 520 corridor improvements and is expected to be completed by 2031.
• In February 2024, the transportation infrastructure business of Larsen & Toubro secured a significant contract to construct a cable-stayed bridge across the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. The project, awarded by the state's Public Works Roads Department, involves building a 12.21-kilometer structure to connect the towns of Palashbari and Sualkuchi. The scope of work includes a 3.6-kilometer cable-stayed section featuring a maximum span of 165 meters, along with approach viaducts and wetland approaches. This development is intended to improve connectivity to the local international airport and reduce travel time between the two key towns.

Key Market Players

• ACS Group
• AECOM
• Balfour Beatty Plc
• China Communications Construction Company Limited
• China Railway Group Ltd
• Kiewit Corporation
• Fluor Corporation
• Vinci SA

By Type	By Material	By Application	By Region
Beam Bridge Truss Bridge Arch Bridge Suspension Bridge Cable-stayed Bridge and Others	Steel Concrete Composite	Road & Highway Railway	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Bridges Construction Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Bridges Construction Market, By Type:

• Beam Bridge
• Truss Bridge
• Arch Bridge
• Suspension Bridge
• Cable-stayed Bridge
• and Others

• Bridges Construction Market, By Material:

• Steel
• Concrete
• Composite

• Bridges Construction Market, By Application:

• Road & Highway
• Railway

• Bridges Construction Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE