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

S CHORRO ST

Fair

Over: STENNER CREEK

SLO CTY, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 7,735

POND RD

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.3 MI EAST OF ZACHARY AV, Kern, CA

Built 1950 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 660

STATE ROUTE 150

Fair

Over: RINCON CREEK

05-SB-150-2.19, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1927 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 3,100

ALONDRA BLVD

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES RIV

0.1MI E/O I-710 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 27,756

UNION AVE

Fair

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

0.1 MI E/O HARBOR BLVD, Orange, CA

Built 1939 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 2,000

UNIVERSITY AVE

Fair

Over: WASHINGTON STREET

0.7 MI N/O RTE 5, San Diego, CA

Built 1945 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 5,500

41N11

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Modoc, CA

Built 1972 Load: 15.2 t

ROUTE 20

Fair

Over: LOWER CLEAR CREEK

1.5 miles SW of Hwy 299 (, Shasta, CA

Built 1955 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 20

BAILEY HILL RD

Fair

Over: HUTTON CREEK

0.75 MI S/O RTE 5, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1915 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 25

COFFEE CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: PERRY SLOUGH

0.2 MI SOUTH OF RTE 211, Humboldt, CA

Built 1931 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 254

POWERHOUSE ROAD

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK

0.7 MI NORTH OF SR 299, Trinity, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 49

JACK RABIT FLAT RD

Fair

Over: BURNEY CREEK

0.1 MI S SH 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1989 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 23

MANTON RD

Fair

Over: DIGGER CREEK

TEHAMA/SHASTA CO LINE, Tehama, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 492

REEDS CREEK RD

Fair

Over: E FK OF N FK REEDS CREEK

AT JOHNSON ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1934 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 227

JOHNSON ROAD

Fair

Over: REEDS CREEK

1.5 MI W REEDS CREEK RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 80

FOREWARD ROAD

Fair

Over: LOVE BRANCH CREEK

7.6 MI E MANTON RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1971 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 162

MT SHASTA AVE

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK HALL CREEK

0.5 MI S/O CHITTENDEN RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1958 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 50

HOLLANDS LANE

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF HAEHL CREEK

0.2 MI W US 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 62

STATE ROUTE 162

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER OVFL

03-GLE-162-80.03, Glenn, CA

Built 1919 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 2,400

ROAD 66B

Fair

Over: COLUSA DRAIN

2 MI W OF SH 45, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 64

ROAD 69

Fair

Over: DRUMHELLER CANAL

0.9 MI E ROAD XX, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 130

CO RD D

Fair

Over: NO NAME DRAIN

0.7 MI S STATE HWY 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 397

ROAD E

Fair

Over: HAMBRIGHT CREEK

1.0 MI N RD 200, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 373

MONTGOMERY AVE

Fair

Over: CENTRAL IRRIGATION CANAL

JUST E OF CUTLER AVE, Glenn, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 398

COUNTY ROAD 303

Fair

Over: CLARKS VALLEY CREEK

1.5 MI N RD 400, Glenn, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 27

NORD GIANELLA RD

Fair

Over: SERENITY DITCH

1.6 MI W FOLSOM STREET, Butte, CA

Built 1941 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 100

STIMPSON RD

Fair

Over: WYMAN RAVINE

0.2 MI E OF SH70, Butte, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 500

MYERS STREET

Fair

Over: OSTAP ARCH

BTW MITCHELL AV & ORO BLV, Butte, CA

Built 1915 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 5,462

BANGOR HWY

Fair

Over: N FK HONCUT CREEK

5.3 MI N/O LA PORTE RD, Butte, CA

Built 1920 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,279

POMONA ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

0.4 MI SE/O MILLER AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1917 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,100

LONE PINE AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

0.1 MI N CHICO AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 513

PENNINGTON RD

Fair

Over: UNKNOWN DRAIN

0.2 MI N/O SUTTER CO LINE, Butte, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 190

MOUNTIAN HOUSE RD

Fair

Over: WOODRUFF/ROCK CREEK

0.5 MI S OF S.H 49, Sierra, CA

Built 1950 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 75

SCOTTS VALLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: HENDRICKS CREEK

0.14 W/O EICKHOFF RD, Lake, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 594

DONNER PASS RD

Fair

Over: SODA SPRINGS CREEK

0.5 MI E SODA SPRINGS RD, Nevada, CA

Built 1924 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 552

AUBURN FOLSOM RD

Fair

Over: MINERS RAVINE

1.1 MI N DOUGLAS BLVD, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 17,248

NEW AIRPORT RD

Fair

Over: WISE CANAL

NE HWY 49, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 6,098

ROCK SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: SECRET RAVINE

N OF PORT KENYON RD, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,725

NADER RD

Fair

Over: YANKEE SLOUGH

1.0 MI N OF S.H. 65, Placer, CA

Built 1935 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 100

MANZANITA RD

Fair

Over: DOTY RAVINE

0.9 MI N OF WISE RD, Placer, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 112

CROTHER RD

Fair

Over: BEAR RIVER CANAL

0.5 MI E PLACER HILLS RD, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 350

HORSESHOE BAR RD

Fair

Over: SECRET RAVINE

0.3 MI SOUTH EAST I-80, Placer, CA

Built 1929 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 6,490

ALEXANDER VALLEY R

Fair

Over: RUSSIAN RIVER - JIMTOWN

NORTH OF HEALDSBURG, Sonoma, CA

Built 1949 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 3,300

WATMAUGH ROAD

Fair

Over: NATHANSON CREEK

0.5 MI E SR 12, Sonoma, CA

Built 1920 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,000

NEELEY ROAD

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

1.1 MI W S.H. 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 3,000

FRANCE ST

Fair

Over: NATHANSON CREEK

0.1 MI E SR 12 SONOMA, Sonoma, CA

Built 1918 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 750

OLD SONOMA RD

Fair

Over: CARNEROS CREEK

0.2 MI NE/O SH 121/12, Napa, CA

Built 1896 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,959

CONN VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: CONN CREEK

4.1 MI E SILVERADO TRAIL, Napa, CA

Built 1920 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 740

COUNTY ROAD 99W

Fair

Over: OAT CREEK

0.29 MI NW OF CR 91B, Yolo, CA

Built 1919 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,460

C.R. #25

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD SLOUGH

0.14 MI W OF C.R. #86A, Yolo, CA

Built 1917 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 90

Showing 551-600 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.