Steel bridges corrode due to environmental exposure. The consequence is a reduction in both the load-carrying capacity and safety of a bridge. Therefore, it is needed to evaluate procedures for an exact prediction of the load-carrying capacity and reliability of bridges, in order to make reasonable decisions about repair, rehabilitation and renewal. The aim of this study is to develop and demonstrate a procedure for the assessment of steel box girder bridge ultimate strength reliability that takes the degradation of plate members due to pit corrosion into account. The present paper treats the effect of pitting corrosion on the load-carrying capacity and reliability of steel box girder bridges and the results are compared with the uniform corrosion effect. The procedure and results of this study can be used for the better prediction of the service life of deteriorating steel box girder bridges and the development of optimal reliability-based maintenance strategies.