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

FIVE CANYONS PKWY

Fair

Over: SAN LORENZO CREEK

0.2 M S E CASTRO VALLEY B, Alameda, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,800

STONE CLIFF VISTA

Fair

Over: SYCAMORE CREEK

500 FT W OF CASE AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,700

BUSCH TO EL CHARRO

Fair

Over: ARROYO MOCHO

2000 FT S OF 580, Alameda, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,545

WEST LAS POSITAS

Fair

Over: CHABOT CANAL

2500 FT W OF INGLEWOOD, Alameda, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,545

GIBRALTAR DRIVE

Fair

Over: CHABOT CANAL

1500 FT S OF OWENS, Alameda, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,545

INGLEWOOD DRIVE

Fair

Over: CHABOT CANAL

1000 FT S OF STONERIDGE, Alameda, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,545

E 14TH STREET

Fair

Over: LAKE MERRITT CHANNEL

JUST W LAKESHORE AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,754

E 14TH STREET

Fair

Over: LAKE MERRITT CHANNEL

JUST W LAKESHORE AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,754

ALVARADO STREET

Fair

Over: SAN LEANDRO CREEK

100 FT S OF PERALTA AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,000

MORRISON CANYON RD

Fair

Over: MORRISON CANYON

0.8 MILES EAST OF RTE 238, Alameda, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150

CONCANNON BLVD

Fair

Over: ARROYO MOCHO

0.2 MI S/O S LIVERMORE AV, Alameda, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,041

WALLIS RANCH DRIVE

Fair

Over: TASSAJARA CREEK

NW OF TASSAJARA RD, Alameda, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,000

WILLOW CREEK DRIVE

Fair

Over: ALAMO CREEK

W OF DOUGHTERTY RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: 3RD STREET

04-SF-101-0.77-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1954 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 189,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: PAUL AVE

04-SF-101-1.11-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1954 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 196,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: BACON STREET

04-SF-101-1.41-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1954 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 98,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: BACON STREET

04-SF-101-1.41-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 98,000

RTE 280 NB ON-RAMP

Fair

Over: CHINA BASIN BERRY 6 ST

04-SF-280-T7.18-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,000

RTE 280 NB OFFRAMP

Fair

Over: CHINA BASIN BERRY 6 ST

04-SF-280-T7.18-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,500

I 280N (RE AL)

Fair

Over: 280/101 INTERCHANGE

04-SF-280-R4.07R-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 170,000

I 280N-101N (RE)

Fair

Over: 280/101 INTERCHANGE

04-SF-280-R4.16R-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80,000

US101N-I 280S (WL)

Fair

Over: 280/101 INTERCHANGE

04-SF-101-1.79-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80,000

280N - 101S (WU)

Fair

Over: 280/101 INTERCHANGE

04-SF-101-1.79-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80,000

80 EB ONRAMP

Fair

Over: 4TH STREET

04-SF-080-4.97-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,250

ROUTE 1

Fair

Over: RUCKMAN AVE SCHOFIELD RD

04-SF-001-6.93-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 64,000

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: RTE 1 RMPS CRISSY COWLES

04-SF-101-R9.35-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,500

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: RTE 1N LINCOLN MCDOWELL

04-SF-101-R9.18-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,500

101N -1S CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 1

04-SF-101-R9.40-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

1NB-101S CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: LINCOLN BLVD

04-SF-001-7.00-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,400

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: TENNESSEE HOLLOW

04-SF-101-R8.35-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,000

GORGAS OFFRMP 101S

Fair

Over: TENNESSEE HOLLOW

04-SF-101-R8.47-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

POTRERO AVE

Fair

Over: CESAR CHAVEZ ST

OVER CESAR CHAVEZ ST, San Francisco, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 32,280

FOURTH ST

Fair

Over: CHINA BASIN

S OF BERRY ST, San Francisco, CA

Built 1917 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

TERMINAL BUS RAMP

Fair

Over: HOWARD STREET

JSO TERMINAL BUILDING, San Francisco, CA

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

SAND HILL ROAD (S)

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 280

04-SM-280-R1.56, San Mateo, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,000

SAND HILL ROAD (N)

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 280

04-SM-280-R1.61, San Mateo, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,000

STATE ROUTE 1 SB

Fair

Over: CLARENDON ROAD

04-SM-001-R43.74-PFA, San Mateo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,250

STATE ROUTE 1 NB

Fair

Over: CLARENDON ROAD

04-SM-001-R43.74-PFA, San Mateo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,250

STATE ROUTE 1

Fair

Over: PESCADERO CREEK

04-SM-001-14.00, San Mateo, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,100

BUNKER HILL DRIVE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 280

04-SM-280-R12.32, San Mateo, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,300

N280-E380 CONNECTR

Fair

Over: SAN BRUNO AV-N280 ON-RMP

04-SM-280-R20.90-SBR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,500

W380-N280 CONNECTR

Fair

Over: N280 ON-RAMP COLLECTOR

04-SM-380-T4.71, San Mateo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 47,500

STATE ROUTE 82

Fair

Over: LAUREL CREEK

04-SM-082-9.24-SM, San Mateo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 34,750

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: AIRPORT BOULEVARD

04-SM-101-21.69-SSF, San Mateo, CA

Built 1947 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 188,000

US 101 MCDONNELL

Fair

Over: MILLBRAE SLOUGH

04-SM-101-18.09-MLBR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1947 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 226,000

SAN BRUNO AVENUE

Fair

Over: SAN BRUNO CANAL

04-SM-101-R20.39, San Mateo, CA

Built 1947 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,100

N101-SIERRA PT OFF

Fair

Over: CALTRAIN & UP RR

04-SM-101-23.66-BSBN, San Mateo, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: BOREL CREEK

04-SM-101-11.67-SM, San Mateo, CA

Built 1954 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 195,000

STATE ROUTE 92

Fair

Over: FOSTER CITY LAGOON

04-SM-092-R13.83-FSTC, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 86,000

N280-N35 CNNTR RMP

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 280

04-SM-035-L23.00-SBR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,600

Showing 6,551-6,600 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.