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

OLD CASTLE RD

Fair

Over: MOOSA CANYON CREEK

1.2MI E/O OLD 395, San Diego, CA

Built 1972 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 7,868

MCDANIEL RD

Fair

Over: RESERVATION MAIN DRAIN

0.4 MI N/O ROSS RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1985 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 80

S5-N MT SHASTA OFF

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 5

02-SIS-005-R12.06, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 1,700

CR 71

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK

5 MI S/W CENTERVILLE RD, Modoc, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 150

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: TURNER DRAW

01-HUM-101-89.18, Humboldt, CA

Built 1956 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 12,900

ISLAND MOUNTAIN RD

Fair

Over: CHAMISE CREEK

5.7 MI E/O BELLSPRINGS RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 100

NISSEN LANE

Fair

Over: NISSEN SLOUGH

0.7 MI NORTH OF GOBLE LN, Humboldt, CA

Built 1952 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 13

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: LAKEHEAD ROAD

02-SHA-005-R42.32, Shasta, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 8,600

STATE ROUTE 299

Fair

Over: PIT RIVER OVERFLOW

02-LAS-299-12.27, Lassen, CA

Built 1925 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 1,800

GARNIER RD

Fair

Over: LONG VALLEY CREEK

2.0 MI N OF US HWY 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1956 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 500

LIBERAL AVE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 5

02-TEH-005-R5.77, Tehama, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 310

BECKWOURTH GRNVLE

Fair

Over: LIGHTS CRK (DEADFALL BR)

JNCT DIAMOND MTN RD, Plumas, CA

Built 1947 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 345

STATE ROUTE 162

Fair

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

03-GLE-162-60.76, Glenn, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 800

NELSON SHIPPEE RD

Fair

Over: CHEROKEE CANAL

1 MI W OF SH 99, Butte, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 95

MUIR RD

Fair

Over: CHANNEL SLOUGH

0.77 MI N/O SACRAMENTO AV, Butte, CA

Built 1936 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 225

BIG CANYON RD

Fair

Over: BIG CANYON CREEK

8 MI NORTH OF SR 29, Lake, CA

Built 1930 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 208

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

03-COL-005-R7.99, Colusa, CA

Built 1952 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 15,000

DIRKS ROAD

Fair

Over: DIRKS CREEK

1.3 MI S OF GLEN CO LINE, Colusa, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 114

RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SON-101-24.86, Sonoma, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 9,000

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: LYTTON SPRINGS ROAD

04-SON-101-R38.56, Sonoma, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 13,500

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: LYTTON SPRINGS ROAD

04-SON-101-R38.56, Sonoma, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 14,250

KING RIDGE RD

Fair

Over: BEARPEN CREEK

4.1 MI N FORT ROSS RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 200

STWRT PT-SKGG SPRG

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

26.5 MI E OF SR 1, Sonoma, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 300

CALIFORNIA BLVD

Fair

Over: NAPA CREEK

0.2 MI N FIRST ST, Napa, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 13,986

G STREET

Fair

Over: NAPA RIVER

1 MILE WEST OF SR 29, Solano, CA

Built 1934 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 5,743

STATE ROUTE 16

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK OVERFLOW

03-SAC-016-13.92, Sacramento, CA

Built 1948 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 11,050

SUNRISE BLVD

Fair

Over: US HIGHWAY 50

03-SAC-050-12.50-RACO, Sacramento, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 40,000

FRANKLIN BLVD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

0.4 MI N HOOD-FRANKLIN RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1933 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 2,346

65TH ST EXPWY SB

Fair

Over: MORRISON CREEK

0.1 MI S OF LEMON HILL, Sacramento, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 10,478

U.S. HIGHWAY 50 WB

Fair

Over: SHINGLE SPRINGS DR

03-ED-050-R10.30, El Dorado, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 23,750

U.S. HIGHWAY 50 EB

Fair

Over: SHINGLE SPRINGS DR

03-ED-050-R10.30, El Dorado, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 23,750

STATE ROUTE 24

Fair

Over: HAPPY VALLEY ROAD

04-CC-024-R5.97-LFYT, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1957 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 79,500

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: DOWNING AVENUE

10-SJ-005-R23.66, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 43,750

INTERSTATE 680

Fair

Over: ARROYO DE LA LAGUNA

04-ALA-680-R17.19-PLE, Alameda, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 146,000

INTERSTATE 280

Fair

Over: CHINA BASIN VIADUCT

04-SF-280-R6.61-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 68,200

STATE ROUTE 82

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 85

04-SCL-082-18.82-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 40,500

DE LA CRUZ BLVD NB

Fair

Over: DE LA CRUZ BL-COLMAN AV

COLEMAN ST, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 17,350

CENTRAL EXPWY

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK

NEAR SH 85, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 47,000

CENTRAL EXPWY

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK

NEAR SH 85, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 46,000

LAWRENCE EXPWY

Fair

Over: UP RR FRENCH ST SAN ZENO

0.25 MI SOUTH KIFER RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 69,000

CAMDEN AVE

Fair

Over: GUADALUPE CREEK

EAST OF HICKS RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 30,000

K STREET

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99 & RAMP

10-STA-099-R16.03-MOD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 5,450

STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: MITCHELL RD

10-STA-099-R10.16, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 96,000

BRANNON AVE

Fair

Over: COLONY MAIN CANAL

0.55 MI N SHAIN AVE, Merced, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 1,000

STATE ROUTE 140

Fair

Over: MILES CREEK

10-MPA-140-3.50, Mariposa, CA

Built 1928 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 4,650

STATE ROUTE 180

Fair

Over: KINGS SLOUGH OVERFLOW

06-FRE-180-26.71, Fresno, CA

Built 1946 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 5,650

W MT WHITNEY AVE

Fair

Over: CRESCENT DITCH

0.2 MI EAST OF HOWARD AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1955 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 1,900

S FRUIT AVE

Fair

Over: MURPHY SLOUGH

0.7 MI N OF MT WHITNEY AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 500

KANSAS AVE

Fair

Over: CROSS CREEK

0.2 MI W OF 6TH AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 3,300

ORANGE AVE

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH CROSS CREEK

0.5 MI W OF 7 1/2 AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1968 Load: 32.1 t ADT: 1,500

Showing 5,201-5,250 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.