State profile · Below national median SD

California bridge safety

Condition ratings, load ratings, and structural-deficiency data for every public highway bridge in California — drawn straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory.

27,040
Public bridges
32.5%
Good condition
4.6%
Poor condition
4.6%
Structurally deficient

Total Bridges

27,040

Public highway bridges in California

Good Condition

32.5%

8,777 bridges rated 7-9

-17.5pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

4.6%

1,244 bridges rated 0-4

Structurally Deficient

4.6%

1,244 bridges flagged for repair priority

-2.4pp vs national avg 7.0%

California vs national bridge condition

California — Good condition share 32.5%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

California — Structurally deficient share 15.3%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.0%.

Condition Distribution

Bridge inventory deck-condition mix — California (FHWA NBI)

California32.45931952662722%34.67455621301775%GoodFairPoorStructurally Deficient
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix — California (FHWA NBI)

Counties (58)

Alameda 800 Alpine 32 Amador 62 Butte 441 Calaveras 106 Colusa 211 Contra Costa 686 Del Norte 96 El Dorado 196 Fresno 929 Glenn 242 Humboldt 398 Imperial 448 Inyo 67 Kern 686 Kings 168 Lake 129 Lassen 108 Los Angeles 3937 Madera 250 Marin 217 Mariposa 109 Mendocino 357 Merced 532 Modoc 87 Mono 49 Monterey 390 Napa 160 Nevada 135 Orange 1224 Placer 347 Plumas 170 Riverside 1142 Sacramento 775 San Benito 76 San Bernardino 1465 San Diego 1707 San Francisco 170 San Joaquin 666 San Luis Obispo 408 San Mateo 393 Santa Barbara 429 Santa Clara 1041 Santa Cruz 203 Shasta 500 Sierra 65 Siskiyou 423 Solano 383 Sonoma 613 Stanislaus 390 Sutter 120 Tehama 452 Trinity 194 Tulare 599 Tuolumne 128 Ventura 511 Yolo 282 Yuba 136

California vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states on the structurally deficient leaderboard (lower share = better)

States are ranked by share of bridges flagged structurally deficient — the FHWA classification for any span where deck, superstructure, or substructure carries a condition rating of 4 or below. Lower percentages indicate stronger maintenance funding and inspection follow-through. States here sit immediately above and below California on the same metric.

39

Ohio

4.54% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$26,753

34

New Jersey

4.59% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$6,796
Selected

06

California

4.60% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$27,040

05

Arkansas

4.71% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,544

53

Washington

4.81% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,808

Bridges Needing Most Attention in California

Six lowest-condition bridges in California, ranked by composite NBI rating. Each is inspected at least every 24 months.

SPRING CREEK RD

Poor

Over: FALL RIVER

0.5 MI N OF MCARTHUR RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 50

ORESTIMBA ROAD

Poor

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

0.1 MI E DRAPER RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1919 Load: 2.9 t ADT: 684

CLARK STREET

Poor

Over: M.I.D. CANAL

0.1 MI WEST OF ROAD 26.0, Madera, CA

Built 1955 Load: 3.2 t ADT: 200

GULLING STREET

Structurally Deficient

Over: MIDDLE FORK FEATHER RIV

0.2 MI S SH 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1954 Load: 3.2 t ADT: 10,046

AVENUE 10

Poor

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

JUST E/O ROAD 23, Madera, CA

Built 1950 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 50

S BISHOP AVE

Poor

Over: CRESCENT DITCH

0.64 MI S/O MT WHITNEY AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1950 Load: 3.9 t ADT: 125

All Bridges in California

STATE ROUTE 87

Unknown

Over: INTERSTATE 880

04-SCL-087-7.51-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2003 ADT: 154,000

RTE 85-101 HOV CON

Unknown

Over: U.S. HWY 101 SB & RAMP

04-SCL-085-R23.83-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2006 ADT: 87,500

N85-N101 CONNECTOR

Unknown

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101, SB RMP

04-SCL-085-R23.81-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2005 ADT: 175,000

237-880 HOV LANES

Unknown

Over: WB 237, SB 880 & RAMPS

04-SCL-237-R9.12L-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2005 ADT: 58,500

E&W237-S880 RAMP

Unknown

Over: S880-TASMAN DR OFF RAMP

04-SCL-237-9.50-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 ADT: 4,700

101-85 HOV LANES

Unknown

Over: SB US HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-R26.70-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 ADT: 50,500

S85-N87 CONNECTOR

Unknown

Over: SR 85, LTR, SANTA TERESA

04-SCL-085-5.20-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2003 ADT: 11,100

S101-N85 CONNECTOR

Unknown

Over: 2 CITY STREETS & UPRR

04-SCL-101-R26.90-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 ADT: 1,160

COLEMAN AVENUE

Unknown

Over: INTERSTATE 880

04-SCL-880-2.67-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2005 ADT: 165,000

STATE ROUTE 152 EB

Unknown

Over: STATE ROUTE 156

04-SCL-152-R22.10, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2008 ADT: 12,650

MARY AV PEDESTRIAN

Unknown

Over: INTERSTATE 280

04-SCL-280-10.30-CPO, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2009 ADT: 121,000

PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY

Unknown

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-45.00, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2009 ADT: 134,000

PEDESTRIAN-BICYCLE

Unknown

Over: STATE ROUTE 237

04-SCL-237-R3.40, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2009 ADT: 68,000

PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY

Unknown

Over: N85 OFF RAMP, MOFFETT BL

04-SCL-085-R23.40-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2009 ADT: 32,000

TULLY ROAD

Unknown

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-33.03-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2012 ADT: 185,000

PERMANENTE TRAIL

Unknown

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-49.20-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2012 ADT: 155,000

PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY

Unknown

Over: STATE ROUTE 85

04-SCL-085-R21.10-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2012 ADT: 115,000

NB 280 TO NB 880

Unknown

Over: NB I-280 & I-880 OFFRAMP

04-SCL-280-5.34, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2015 ADT: 6,000

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

Unknown

Over: U.S HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-50.70-PA, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2021 ADT: 187,000

ALMA ST

Unknown

Over: EMBARCADERO ROAD

ALMA ST, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1936 ADT: 23,000

ALMA ST

Unknown

Over: UNIVERSITY AVE

AT UNIVERSITY AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1940 ADT: 32,000

ALMADEN EXPWY

Unknown

Over: CURTNER AVE

AT CURTNER AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1960 ADT: 22,874

BELLA VISTA AVE

Unknown

Over: SARATOGA LOS GATOS RD

AT SARATOGA AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1957 ADT: 30,000

UP RR

Unknown

Over: MERIDIAN AVENUE

AT I-280, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 ADT: 33,500

SOUTHWEST EXPWY

Unknown

Over: MERIDIAN AVENUE

S/O I-280 INTCHNG, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 ADT: 33,500

SOUTHWEST EXPWY

Unknown

Over: MERIDIAN AVENUE

S/O I-280 INTCHNG, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 ADT: 33,500

MATHILDA AVE

Unknown

Over: CALTRAIN,UP RR,EVELYN AV

AT EVELYN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 ADT: 20,000

CALTRAIN,UP,AMTRAK

Unknown

Over: BOWERS AVE

AT UP TRACKS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1974 ADT: 28,000

PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY

Unknown

Over: BOWERS AVE

AT BOWERS AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 ADT: 28,000

ALMADEN EXPRESSWAY

Unknown

Over: CAPITOL EXPRESSWAY

AT CAPITOL EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1974 ADT: 33,192

CALTRAIN,UP,AMTRAK

Unknown

Over: LAFAYETTE STREET

AT UP TRACKS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 ADT: 25,000

CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY

Unknown

Over: SAN TOMAS EXPRESSWAY

AT SAN TOMAS EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1977 ADT: 45,266

SAN TOMAS EXPWY

Unknown

Over: WINCHESTER BLVD & UP RR

AT WINCHESTER BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1968 ADT: 10,000

ALMADEN NB-LINCOLN

Unknown

Over: ALMADEN EXPWY SB

AT ALMADEN EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 ADT: 27,658

SAN ANTONIO ROAD

Unknown

Over: CALTRAIN, UP RR, CENTRAL

AT ALMA STREET, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 ADT: 60,000

SHORELINE BLVD

Unknown

Over: UP RR,CENTRAL EXP,EVELYN

AT CENTRAL EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1971 ADT: 40,000

S WHISMAN ROAD

Unknown

Over: UP RR,CENTRAL EXP,EVELYN

AT CENTRAL EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1967 ADT: 2,500

E MIDDLEFIELD ROAD

Unknown

Over: CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY

AT CENTRAL EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1971 ADT: 40,000

MATHILDA AVE

Unknown

Over: CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY

AT CENTRAL EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 ADT: 46,000

SUNNYVALE AVE

Unknown

Over: CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY

CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 ADT: 52,000

MORSE AVE

Unknown

Over: CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY

CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 ADT: 49,785

CALTRAIN,UP,AMTRAK

Unknown

Over: LAFAYETTE STREET

AT SP RR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1936 ADT: 25,000

CALTRAIN & UP RR

Unknown

Over: WILLOW STREET

0.05 MI NE OF SR 87, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1967 ADT: 6,868

COLEMAN OFF RAMP

Unknown

Over: DE LA CRUZ BLVD NB

NEAR DE LA CRUZ, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1969 ADT: 10,000

DE LA CRUZ BLVD NB

Unknown

Over: DE LA CRUZ BL-COLMAN AV

COLEMAN ST, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1969 ADT: 8,498

PARK BLVD

Unknown

Over: OREGON PAGE MILL EXPWY

SHERIDAN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 ADT: 43,000

PARKING LOT ACCESS

Unknown

Over: OREGON PAGE MILL EXPWY

NEAR ALMA STREET, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 ADT: 43,000

UP RR

Unknown

Over: OREGON EXPRESSWAY

NEAR ALMA ST, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 ADT: 35

LAWRENCE EXPWY

Unknown

Over: STEVENS CREEK BLVD

STEVENS CRK BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 ADT: 45,990

ALMA STREET

Unknown

Over: OREGON EXPRESSWAY

0.41 MI NE OF SR 82, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 ADT: 41,940

Showing 6,851-6,900 of 27,040 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | SD bridges explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges Editorial.

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). A "structurally deficient" rating is a repair-priority signal, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult a qualified civil engineer before making decisions based on this data.

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.