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

A ST - CRYSTAL WAY

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

03-SAC-099-0.88-GAL, Sacramento, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,500

C ST - BOESSOW RD

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

03-SAC-099-0.80-GAL, Sacramento, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,000

US 50-RAMP A6-WB

Fair

Over: Q ST OFFRAMP 3RD ST

03-SAC-050-L0.41-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,600

WILTON RD

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

1.0 MI E GRANT LINE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1957 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,000

MARCONI AVE

Fair

Over: UP BNSF AMTRAK SCRTD LRT

0.2 MI W OF SR 51, Sacramento, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,996

FRANKLIN BLVD

Fair

Over: LAGUNA CREEK

0.1 MI S OF CALVINE ROAD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,445

RIO LINDA BLVD

Fair

Over: ARCADE CREEK

0.1 MI N ARCADE BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,634

W SILVER EAGLE RD

Fair

Over: NATOMAS E MAIN DRN UPRR

BTWN NORTHGATE & NORWOOD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,159

FRANKLIN BLVD

Fair

Over: SHED A CHNNL (EHRHARDT)

0.2 MI S ELK GROVE BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,440

RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA CROSS CHANNEL

N EDGE WALNUT GRVE S LOCK, Sacramento, CA

Built 1951 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,588

WATT AVE

Fair

Over: ARCADE CREEK

0.3 MI N AUBURN BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1945 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80,000

HOOD-FRANKLIN RD

Fair

Over: STONE LAKE CANAL

1.3 MI E OF HOOD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1956 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,761

HAZEL AVENUE

Fair

Over: LINDA CREEK

0.1 MI N OF OAK AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,286

BADER RD

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH LAGUNA CREEK

0.4 MI N SHELDON RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,180

KIEFER BLVD

Fair

Over: LAGUNA CREEK

0.3 MI W GRANT LINE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 806

GRANITE AVE

Fair

Over: LINDA CREEK

.3 MI N GOLDEN GATE AV, Sacramento, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

WINDING WAY

Fair

Over: ARCADE CREEK

0.1 MI E/O COLLEGE OAK DR, Sacramento, CA

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,544

ORANGE AVE

Fair

Over: FLORIN CREEK

0.2 MI W STOCKTON BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,600

EAGLES NEST ROAD

Fair

Over: LAGUNA CREEK

1.1 MI N GRANT LINE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 477

EL CAMINO AVE

Fair

Over: UP BNSF AMTRAK SCRTD LRT

0.4 MI W. OF SR 51, Sacramento, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,019

JESSE AVE

Fair

Over: MAGPIE CREEK

.1 MI E/O NORWOOD AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,725

ARDEN - GARDEN HWY

Fair

Over: NATOMAS E MN DRN CNL RR

0.3 MI E OF NORTHGATE BLV, Sacramento, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,440

N MARKET BLVD WB

Fair

Over: EAST MAIN DRAINAGE CANAL

0.1 MI. E. OF TRUXEL RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,130

N MARKET BLVD EB

Fair

Over: EAST MAIN DRAINAGE CANAL

0.1 MI. E. OF TRUXEL RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,130

PERSIMMON AVE

Fair

Over: FLORIN CREEK

SOUTH OF ORANGE AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,120

FAIR WAY

Fair

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

0.1 MI S TWIN OAKS AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

INDIAN RIVER DRIVE

Fair

Over: ARCADE CREEK

0.17 MI N GREENBACK LN, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 850

BROKEN BOW DRIVE

Fair

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

EAST INDIAN RIVER DR, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 600

CROSSWOODS CIRCLE

Fair

Over: ARCADE CREEK

0.3 MI S CROSSWOODS PKWY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,100

PALM DR

Fair

Over: CARMICHAEL CREEK

100 FT W/O SAN LORENZO WY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,092

FRENCH RD

Fair

Over: ELDER CREEK

0.4 MI S FLORIN RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

DAWES ST

Fair

Over: NATOMAS DITCH

0.44 MI N FOLSOM BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,768

LAKE FRONT DRIVE

Fair

Over: POCKET CANAL

175 N/O W CORE WAY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,074

TRUXEL ROAD SB

Fair

Over: EAST DRAINAGE CANAL

1.2 MI S OF DEL PASO BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,000

TRUXEL ROAD NB

Fair

Over: EAST DRAINAGE CANAL

1.2 MI S OF DEL PASO BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,000

EL VERANO ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST CANAL TRIBUTARY 2

500 N/O ELVERTA ROAD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

9TH STREET

Fair

Over: EAST CANAL TRIBUTARY 2

S/O ELVERTA ROAD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,400

ELVERTA ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST CANAL TRIBUTARY 2

W/O 9TH STREET, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,500

LAMBERT ROAD

Fair

Over: STONE LAKE DRAIN

1.9 MI WEST OF I-5, Sacramento, CA

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,193

REESE ROAD

Fair

Over: ELDER CREEK

100 N/O GERBER RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,570

BRUCEVILLE RD

Fair

Over: NORTH STONE LAKE CREEK

0.6 MI N/O ESCHINGER RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,270

BUTANO DR

Fair

Over: STRONG RANCH SLOUGH

475 N/O COTTAGE WAY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,983

DEL CORONADO WAY

Fair

Over: FLORIN CREEK

155 N/OWOLFGRAM WAY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,335

ELK GROVE FLORIN

Fair

Over: STRAWBERRY CREEK

0.1 MI S OF BROWN RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 28,613

ELK GROVE-FLORIN

Fair

Over: WHITEHOUSE CREEK

0.4 MI S OF SHELDON RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,307

NATIONAL DR

Fair

Over: STEELHEAD CREEK

0.1 MI S/O STRIKER AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,880

PAR PKWY

Fair

Over: ELDER CREEK

210 N/O BIRDIE CT, Sacramento, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,742

SHELDON CREEK DR

Fair

Over: WHITEHOUSE CREEK

100 N OF SPRING AZURE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,180

SHELDON NORTH DR

Fair

Over: STRAWBERRY CREEK

200 N OF ZINNIA WAY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,885

SPRINGHURST DR

Fair

Over: STRAWBERRY CREEK

200 N OF CAMDEN DR, Sacramento, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,516

Showing 6,001-6,050 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.