State profile · Below median Poor share

California bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in California.

25,848
Public bridges
45.6%
Good condition
5.9%
Poor condition

California holds 25,848 public highway bridges (#4 of 52 by inventory) with a 5.91% Poor share (#28 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 5.9% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 25 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

25,848

Public highway bridges in California

Good Condition

45.6%

11,798 bridges rated 7-9

-4.4pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

5.9%

1,527 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-1.6pp vs national avg 7.5%

California vs national bridge condition

California - Good condition share 45.6%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

California - Poor-condition share 19.7%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

California in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: California has 25,848 bridges and a 5.9% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #25 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: California has 25,848 bridges and a 5.9% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #25 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

California vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

25,848 4th of 54 higher than 50 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for California

The highlighted point is California: 25,848 bridges and 5.91% in Poor condition, rank #25 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below California on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Arkansas: 12,974 bridges · 5.43% Poor
  • Washington: 8,474 bridges · 5.45% Poor
  • California: 25,848 bridges · 5.91% Poor
  • New Jersey: 6,827 bridges · 6.01% Poor
  • Mississippi: 16,739 bridges · 6.03% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in California

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 25,848 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains California’s inventory

State agency holds 48.8% of the 25,848 public highway bridges filed under California in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When California’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 15.5% of the 25,848 bridges with a recorded original year in California. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

California45.6%48.4%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - California (FHWA NBI)

Counties (58)

Alameda 658 Alpine 32 Amador 61 Butte 437 Calaveras 105 Colusa 211 Contra Costa 618 Del Norte 96 El Dorado 192 Fresno 916 Glenn 242 Humboldt 396 Imperial 444 Inyo 66 Kern 668 Kings 168 Lake 129 Lassen 108 Los Angeles 3547 Madera 247 Marin 207 Mariposa 109 Mendocino 357 Merced 528 Modoc 87 Mono 49 Monterey 377 Napa 158 Nevada 135 Orange 1164 Placer 337 Plumas 165 Riverside 1117 Sacramento 740 San Benito 76 San Bernardino 1422 San Diego 1632 San Francisco 143 San Joaquin 644 San Luis Obispo 401 San Mateo 361 Santa Barbara 418 Santa Clara 964 Santa Cruz 192 Shasta 492 Sierra 65 Siskiyou 421 Solano 373 Sonoma 609 Stanislaus 386 Sutter 121 Tehama 450 Trinity 194 Tulare 589 Tuolumne 125 Ventura 501 Yolo 271 Yuba 127

California vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below California on the same metric.

AR

Arkansas

5.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,974

WA

Washington

5.45% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,474
Selected

CA

California

5.91% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$25,848

NJ

New Jersey

6.01% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$6,827

MS

Mississippi

6.03% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,739

Bridges Needing Most Attention in California

Six lowest-condition bridges in California, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

OLD COTTONWOOD CR

Poor

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.2 MI E/O COTTONWOOD CK, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1957 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

STATE ROUTE 211

Poor

Over: EEL RIVER

01-HUM-211-78.10, Humboldt, CA

Built 1911 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 5,300

CR 305 (MAPES RD)

Poor

Over: HARTSON SLOUGH

0.4 MI E/O RD 303, Lassen, CA

Built 1978 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

CR 111 (PITTVILLE)

Poor

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1.0 MI S OF CR 404, Lassen, CA

Built 1975 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

RD 424 (BASSETT)

Poor

Over: WILLOW CREEK

1.5 MI N OF RD A-2, Lassen, CA

Built 1960 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 120

CR417 (PUNKIN CTR)

Poor

Over: MUDDY SLOUGH NO 1

2.8 MI S OF CR A2, Lassen, CA

Built 1955 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 200

All Bridges in California

REQUA ROAD

Fair

Over: HUNTER CREEK

0.1 MI WEST OF RT101, Del Norte, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,110

OHIO AVE

Fair

Over: JEWETT CREEK

1.2 MI E WISCONSIN AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1925 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 150

BOWMAN RD

Fair

Over: MITCHELL GULCH

6.5 MI WEST OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 1967 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,205

N STATE ST

Fair

Over: ORRS CREEK

24.9 MI N SON CO LINE, Mendocino, CA

Built 1926 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 18,278

ROAD 16

Fair

Over: CENTRAL IRRIGATION CANAL

0.02 MI W HWY 45, Glenn, CA

Built 1930 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 249

CANYON HIGHLAND DR

Fair

Over: OROVILLE DAM BLVD

9.25 MI E FROM SH 99, Butte, CA

Built 1930 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 500

RIVER RD

Fair

Over: SHADY OAKS SLOUGH

3.66 MI N ORD FERRY RD, Butte, CA

Built 1931 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,256

GARMIRE RD

Fair

Over: MCCLATCHY SLOUGH

MCCLATCHY RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1923 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 381

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: GILSIZER SLOUGH

0.6 MI S OF OBANION RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1923 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 200

4TH ST

Fair

Over: AUBURN RAVINE

400 FEET E OF EAST AVE, Placer, CA

Built 1923 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 12,500

SOUTH E ST

Fair

Over: MATANZAS CREEK

BETWN TUPPER & SONOMA AVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1935 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 11,100

STATE ROUTE 29

Fair

Over: SULPHUR CREEK

04-NAP-029-28.43-SHLA, Napa, CA

Built 1910 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 24,000

MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: NAPA CREEK

SOUTHEAST PEARL ST, Napa, CA

Built 1860 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 5,972

AETNA SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: SWARTZ CREEK

0.8 MI W POPE VALLEY RD, Napa, CA

Built 1912 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 346

TRANCAS ST

Fair

Over: MILLIKEN CREEK

JUST WEST OF SR 121, Napa, CA

Built 1908 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,000

PEARL ST

Fair

Over: NAPA CREEK

BTWN MAIN AND COOMBS STS, Napa, CA

Built 1920 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,400

SIR-FRANCIS DRAKE

Fair

Over: CORTE MADERA CR(DRAKE)

3.5 MI W SR 101 SN ANSLM, Marin, CA

Built 1929 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 34,000

WINSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CORTE MADERA CREEK

0.03 MI E/O SIR FRAN DRK, Marin, CA

Built 1909 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,000

OLD WARDS FERRY RD

Fair

Over: CURTIS CREEK

3.3 MI S SANGUINETTI RD, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1914 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 502

CLARK FORK ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FK STANISLAUS RIV

0.7 MI NE OF SR 108, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1940 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 99

OLD CANYON RD

Fair

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

0.08 MI EAST OF ST RTE 84, Alameda, CA

Built 1948 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,700

CRYSTAL SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: SAN MATEO CREEK

0.24 MI W OF SH 82, San Mateo, CA

Built 1901 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,630

MADERA LANE

Fair

Over: EL CORTE DE MADERA CRK

0.1 MI N OF SH 84, San Mateo, CA

Built 1920 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 16

SB 85-WB 237 RAMP

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK & TRAIL

04-SCL-085-R22.20-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,600

VIRGINIA STREET

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 87

04-SCL-087-4.86-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,000

NEWELL RD

Fair

Over: SAN FRANCISQUITO CREEK

NEAR WOODLAND AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1911 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,000

CROY RD

Fair

Over: CROY CREEK

3.0 MI W UVAS RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1924 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 300

HELLYER AVE

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.01 MI E PALISADE DR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1930 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 9,275

EASTIN ROAD

Fair

Over: NEWMAN WASTEWAY

0.7 MI S/O SHIELLS RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1930 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 244

DAVIS ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

0.6 MI NORTH OF FINK RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1944 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 58

WELTY ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

1.3 MI S OF GAFFERY ROAD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 124

HAMMETT ROAD

Fair

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #6

0.05 MI N COVERT RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1925 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,284

BUNKER ROAD

Fair

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

1.3 MI EAST OF SR 33, Merced, CA

Built 1923 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 100

BULL CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: BULL CREEK

4.5 MI SE OLD YOSEMITE RD, Mariposa, CA

Built 1950 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 100

N. BLACKSTONE AVE

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK CANAL

NEAR E. OLIVE AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1941 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 4,000

S COVE AVE

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.85 MI N/O AMERICAN AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1947 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,000

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: JOLON ROAD

05-MON-101-R9.67, Monterey, CA

Built 1936 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 7,150

LARKIN ST

Fair

Over: HARTNELL GULCH

0.05 MI S MADISON ST, Monterey, CA

Built 1914 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 3,000

RD 224 (WESTWOOD)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.4 MI SOUTH OF AVE 170, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 965

AVE 336 (10TH AVE)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.1 MI WEST OF ROAD 200, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 590

AVENUE 300

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.25 MI EAST OF ROAD 200, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 100

AVENUE 280

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.3 MI EAST OF ROAD 204, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 300

AVE 204 (6TH AVE)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.25 MI EAST OF ROAD 228, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 100

AVENUE 32

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.02 MI WEST OF ROAD 184, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 150

AVENUE 48

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.1 MI EAST OF ROAD 184, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 275

AVENUE 120

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

AT ROAD 208, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 50

MOONEY GROVE PARK

Fair

Over: CAMERON CREEK

0.5 MI EAST OF 63, Tulare, CA

Built 1915 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 70

BEACHCOMBER DR

Fair

Over: BEACH CREEK

0.3 MI SE OF RTE 1, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1925 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 339

NIPOMO ST

Fair

Over: STENNER CREEK

WEST OF PEACH ST, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1922 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,549

HOSPITAL DRIVE

Fair

Over: ATASCADERO CREEK

0.1MI SW INTXCAPISTRANO, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1921 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,700

Showing 451-500 of 25,848 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What to do with this

Use California's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in California and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. California Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.