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

ROSS AVENUE

Fair

Over: ROSS CREEK

200 M N/O BRANHAM LANE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,400

JACKSON AVE

Fair

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

200 FT NO MOSSDALE WAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

RAINBOW DRIVE

Fair

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

100 M E/O S BLANEY AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

BLANEY AVE

Fair

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

500 M N RAINBOW DR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,600

WOZ WAY

Fair

Over: GUADALUPE RIVER

120 M W/O ALMADEN BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,400

EDUCATIONAL PK DR

Fair

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

300 FT SE MABURY RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 750

SILICON VALLEY BLV

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.3 MI N/O HWY 101, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,900

SILICON VALLEY BLV

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.3 MI N/O SR 101, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,900

SHORELINE BLVD

Fair

Over: PERMANENTE CREEK

IN SHORELINE PARK, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

N. MCCARTHY BLVD

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.4 MILES EAST OF I-880, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,000

MILLER AVENUE

Fair

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

0.2 M S. OF STEVENS CREEK, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,000

NORTH ABBOTT AVE

Fair

Over: PENETENCIA CREEK

JWO HERMINA STREET, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 480

ESCUELA PARKWAY

Fair

Over: CALERA CREEK

AT RUSSELL LANE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

MACHADO AVENUE

Fair

Over: PENETENCIA CREEK

JWO S ABEL STREET, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,200

WATSONVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: W. LITTLE LLAGAS CREEK

JWO MONTEREY ROAD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,200

CAPITOL AVE

Fair

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

BTWN BERYSA RD-MABURY RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,000

CHURCH AVE

Fair

Over: LLAGAS CREEK

0.3 MI W SH 101, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,290

MABURY ROAD

Fair

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

0.5 MI E 680, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,600

MONTAGUE EXPWY

Fair

Over: BERRYESSA CREEK

0.3 MI W OF I-680, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 46,150

COLEMAN AVE

Fair

Over: ALAMITOS CREEK

EAST OF ALMADEN EXPY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,360

SKYPORT DRIVE

Fair

Over: GUADALUPE RIVER

0.5 MI S OF RTE 101, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 34,700

N. MCCARTHY BLVD

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.1 KM S. OF DIXON LANDIN, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,261

MONTGOM CAHILL ST

Fair

Over: VTA VASONA LRT

200 FT W/SO.AUTUMN, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,900

ROSS RD

Fair

Over: MATADERO CREEK

COLO AVE & VERDE AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

GREER RD

Fair

Over: MATADERO CREEK

COLO AVE & LOMA VERDE AV, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

TRAMWAY DR

Fair

Over: TULARCITOS CREEK

NEAR I-680, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,014

HILLVIEW DR

Fair

Over: TULARCITOS CREEK

NEAR I-680, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,246

WOLFE ROAD

Fair

Over: UP RR & CALTRAIN

.3 MI S/O CENTRAL EXPRSWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 29,424

ALMADEN ROAD

Fair

Over: ALAMITOS CREEK

0.2 MI N HARRY RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,840

SR 108 (MCHENRY)

Fair

Over: M.I.D. CANAL LATERAL 4

10-STA-108-23.57-MOD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 29,300

STATE ROUTE 132

Fair

Over: SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

10-STA-132-R2.43, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,950

HATCH ROAD

Fair

Over: 9TH-S99 7TH ST & UP RR

10-STA-099-R13.28, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,800

H STREET

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

10-STA-099-R15.75-MOD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

SIERRA DR

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99 & RAMP

10-STA-099-R15.37-MOD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,300

STATE ROUTE 132

Fair

Over: TUOLUMNE RIVER

10-STA-132-R43.77, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,550

KEYES RD

Fair

Over: UP RR

10-STA-000-0.00, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,500

PELANDALE AVE

Fair

Over: ROUTE 99 ONRAMP OFFRAMPS

10-STA-099-R21.69-MOD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40,000

ROUTE 219

Fair

Over: ROUTE 99

10-STA-219-0.30, Stanislaus, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,500

CLARIBEL ROAD

Fair

Over: CASHMAN CREEK

3.55 MI E OF ELLENWOOD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 351

CLAUS ROAD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

SOUTH OF SCENIC DR, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,789

CHURCH STREET

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

2.2 MI N OF SR 132, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,561

WHITMORE AVENUE

Fair

Over: T.I.D. CERES MAIN CANAL

0.15 MI E/O MITCHELL RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,900

ORANGEBURG AVENUE

Fair

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #4

0.1 MI WEST OF COFFEE RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,467

ROSE AVENUE

Fair

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #3

AT BRIGGSMORE AVE, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,650

FAITH HOME ROAD

Fair

Over: T.I.D. CERES MAIN CANAL

S/O HATCH RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,800

7TH STREET

Fair

Over: T.I.D. CERES MAIN CANAL

JUST S/O HATCH ROAD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,500

DUNTON ROAD

Fair

Over: HOODS CREEK

0.5 MI S OF SR 4, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37

DODDS ROAD

Fair

Over: S SAN JOAQUIN MAIN CANAL

1.0 MI W TWENTY SIX MI RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,122

REINWAY AVENUE

Fair

Over: M.I.D. MAIN CANAL

0.5 MI N OF S.R. 132, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 731

SONORA ROAD

Fair

Over: STANISLAUS RIVER

KNIGHTS FERRY, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 598

Showing 6,901-6,950 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.