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

STATE ROUTE 18

Fair

Over: UP RR

07-LA-018-0.19, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 6,800

DELL AVE

Fair

Over: CARROLL CANAL

200FT S/O VENICE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1907 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,582

DELL AVENUE

Fair

Over: LINNIE CANAL

480FT S/O VENICE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1907 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,582

DELL AVENUE

Fair

Over: HOWLAND CANAL

1.5MI S/O VENICE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1907 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,582

DELL AVENUE

Fair

Over: SHERMAN CANAL

0.2MI S/O VENICE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1907 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 1,582

BASQUE AVE

Fair

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

100 S/O MALVERN AVE, Orange, CA

Built 1940 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 8,000

BROADWAY

Fair

Over: SUNSET CHANNEL

100 NE/O PACIFIC CST HWY, Orange, CA

Built 1959 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,500

WARLAND DRIVE

Fair

Over: BOLSA CHICA CHANNEL

0.2 MI. W/O VALLEY VIEW, Orange, CA

Built 1991 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 2,000

ARLINGTON AVENUE

Fair

Over: FRANCIS CREEK

JUST W SR 211 IN FERNDALE, Humboldt, CA

Built 2001 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 500

BLANCHARD FLAT RD

Fair

Over: REDDING CREEK

3.9 MI S/O SR 3, Trinity, CA

Built 1969 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 25

BROWNS MOUNTAIN RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE BROWNS CREEK

0.1 MI E LITLE BRWN CK RD, Trinity, CA

Built 1997 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 202

CHURN CREEK RD

Fair

Over: CHURN CREEK

0.75 MI W AIRPORT RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1952 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 2,000

ASH CR RD

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIV OVERFLOW

1.0 MI E BALLS FERRY RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1927 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 850

SOUTH AVE

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIV OVRFLO #4

2.6 MI W OF SH 99, Tehama, CA

Built 1941 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 6,472

PASKENTA RD

Fair

Over: MCCLURE CREEK NORTH

5.0 MI SOUTH OF DUSTY RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 600

CAMP LAYMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK FEATHER RIV

0.2 MI SOUTH OF SR 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1938 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 35

ORR SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK BIG RIVER

13.5 MI W US 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1971 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 134

MILL ST

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

0.1 MI N OF 12TH ST, Butte, CA

Built 1950 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 2,500

WARDLAW ST

Fair

Over: SAINT HELENA CREEK

0.15 MI E SR 29 IN MIDLTN, Lake, CA

Built 1908 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 114

PETERSON LANE

Fair

Over: ADOBE CREEK

0.5 MI W ADOBE CREEK RD, Lake, CA

Built 1950 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 23

WITTER SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: COOPER CREEK

0.6 MI N OF SR 20, Lake, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 212

NICOLAUS AVE

Fair

Over: COON CREEK OVERFLOW

1 MI W/O PLEASANT GRV RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 405

EAST BUTTE RD

Fair

Over: SNAKE RIVER

1.8 MI N/O SANDERS RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 768

SOUTH YUBA DR

Fair

Over: SOUTH YUBA RIVER

N OF GRAHAM HILL RD, Placer, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 50

4TH ST EAST

Fair

Over: NATHANSON CREEK

0.1 MI N OF E NAPA ST, Sonoma, CA

Built 1914 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 2,100

GRANT ST

Fair

Over: GARNETT CREEK

0.2 MI SE GREENWOOD AVE, Napa, CA

Built 1918 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,000

COUNTY ROAD 96

Fair

Over: UNION SCHOOL SLOUGH

1.38 MI S OF C.R. #27, Yolo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 200

C.R. #96

Fair

Over: DRY SLOUGH

0.45 MI N OF C.R. #31, Yolo, CA

Built 1929 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 216

PLEASANTS VALLEY R

Fair

Over: MILLER CANYON CREEK

7.0 MI N FOOTHILL DR, Solano, CA

Built 1907 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 817

STATE ROUTE 160

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

03-SAC-160-5.86-IST, Sacramento, CA

Built 1923 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 2,150

FIGUEROA STREET

Fair

Over: RILEY RAVINE

WEST OF RILEY STREET, Sacramento, CA

Built 1916 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,000

BROADWAY

Fair

Over: JACKSON CREEK

0.03 MI NW OF SR 88, Amador, CA

Built 1913 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 3,000

SAN ANTONIO RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH SAN ANTONIO CREEK

0.6 MI N OF US 101, Marin, CA

Built 1917 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 200

BARBER AVE

Fair

Over: CORTE MADERA CREEK

0.1 MI E OF FRANCIS DRAKE, Marin, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,500

CENTER BLVD

Fair

Over: SAN ANSELMO CREEK

AT SYCAMORE AVE, Marin, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 14,000

BRIDGE AVE

Fair

Over: SAN ANSELMO CREEK

80M SW OF SIR FRANCIS DRK, Marin, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 9,000

ALEXANDER AVE

Fair

Over: ABANDONED NWP RR ROW

0.1 MI E OF MAGNOLIA AVE, Marin, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,570

OAKLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 160

04-CC-160-0.48, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,700

HARVARD MINE RD

Fair

Over: WOODS CREEK

0.6 MI N/E SR 108, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1915 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 130

CRYSTAL SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: SAN MATEO CREEK

0.4 MI N TARTAN TRAILS RD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1904 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 10,000

FARRELL AVE

Fair

Over: WEST BRANCH LLAGAS CREEK

0.2 MI W MONTEREY RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1989 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 3,184

LAKE ROAD

Fair

Over: PEASLEE CREEK

2.6 MI W JCT YOSEMITE BLV, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 288

JOHNSON STREET

Fair

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #4

AT LUCERN AVENUE, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1939 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 3,091

N RIVERBEND AVE

Fair

Over: ENTERPRISE CANAL

1 MI NORTH OF BELMONT AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1952 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 850

LOS GATOS ROAD

Fair

Over: LOS GATOS CREEK

14.9 MI W OF DERRICK BL, Fresno, CA

Built 1948 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 100

ROBINSON CYN RD

Fair

Over: LAS GAZAS CREEK

6.5 MI S CARMEL VALLEY RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1947 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 3,600

ROAD 128

Fair

Over: NORTH BRANCH TULERIVER

0.25 MI N OF AVE 180, Tulare, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 250

AVENUE 376

Fair

Over: TRAVER CANAL

0.25 MI E OF ROAD 40, Tulare, CA

Built 1923 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 125

NACIMIENTO LAKE DR

Fair

Over: LAKE NACIMIENTO DAM SPWY

15 MI NW OF SR 101, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1956 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,772

CALIFORNIA BLVD

Fair

Over: SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK

W SAN LUIS BAY DR, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 16,437

Showing 501-550 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.