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

MISSION DR

Fair

Over: RUBIO WASH

1.0MI W/O ROSEMEAD BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1927 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,380

VALYERMO RD

Fair

Over: BIG ROCK CRK

100FT W/O BOBS GAP RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1927 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,530

ROSECRANS AVE

Fair

Over: DOMINGUEZ CHANNEL

100FT E/O CRENSHAW BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,460

BIG TUJUNGA CYN RD

Fair

Over: BIG TUJUNGA CYN-E XING

10MI N/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 510

LOS ANGELES ST

Fair

Over: BIG DALTON WASH

300FT W/O AZUSA CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,826

CRENSHAW BLVD

Fair

Over: DOMINGUEZ CHAN

0.1MI S/O ROSECRANS AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 28,968

HOLT AVE

Fair

Over: WALNUT CRK

0.3MI W/O GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,119

LEADORA AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE DALTON WASH

1.3MI E/O GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,849

NORMANDIE AVE

Fair

Over: 212TH ST DRAIN

BT 212TH ST-213TH ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,000

WOODRUFF AVE

Fair

Over: LOS CERRITOS DRN CHANN

0.4MI N/O I-405 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,755

HARBOR SCENIC DR S

Fair

Over: HARBOR SCENIC DR NB RAMP

1.0MI S/O OCEAN BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,420

20TH ST W

Fair

Over: AMARGOSA DRN

200FT E/O SR-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,800

BENNETT AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE DALTON WASH

0.2MI E/O GLENDORA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,818

SAWTELLE BLVD

Fair

Over: BALLONA CREEK

0.44MI W/O SEPULVEDA BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,890

CHARLOTTE STREET

Fair

Over: CHARLOTTE ST OH (SPTCO)

BTW SOTO ST/CORNWELL ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,889

VALLEY CIRCLE BLVD

Fair

Over: SANTA SUSANA CREEK

0.3 MI NE LASSEN STREET, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,000

ANAHEIM ST

Fair

Over: DOMINGUEZ CHANNEL RR

0.25 M E/O HENRY FORD AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,000

BARHAM BLVD

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.1 MI N FOREST LAWN DR, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1935 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 35,000

CHATSWORTH ST

Fair

Over: SANTA SUSANA CREEK

0.2 MI W TOPANGA CYN BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,200

CORBIN AVE

Fair

Over: LIMKILN CHANNEL

0.05 M S/O LASSEN ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30,060

DENKER AVE

Fair

Over: 212TH STREET DRAIN

212TH STREET, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,851

FALLBROOK AVE

Fair

Over: CALABASAS CREEK

0.35 M N/O BURBANK BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,633

4TH ST RAMP C

Fair

Over: FLOWER STREET

AT FLOWER STREET, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,680

GRAND AVE

Fair

Over: 4TH ST KOSCIUSZKO WAY

AT 4TH ST. KOSCIUSZKO WA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,492

HUBBARD ST

Fair

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

EL DORADO AV/ENVOY ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,299

LAUREL CANYON BLVD

Fair

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

BTW HUBBARD ST/RINCON AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30,155

MACLAY ST

Fair

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

TERMINUS & SHARP AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

PENROSE ST.

Fair

Over: HANSEN HEIGHTS CCHANNELL

0.17 MI E OF SUNLAND AVE., Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

SAN FRNDO MISON BL

Fair

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

GLDN ST FWY & SHARP AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,215

SHOUP AVE

Fair

Over: SANTA SUSANA CREEK

0.3 M S. VALLEY CIRCLE BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

SUNLAND BLVD

Fair

Over: HANSEN HEIGHTS CHANNEL

AT SUNLAND PARK DR., Los Angeles, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,284

VAN NUYS BLVD

Fair

Over: PACOIMA WASH

BTW COVELLO ST/VALERIO ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1948 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 67,300

VANOWEN STREET

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.1 MI E MASON AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,741

WESTERN AVENUE

Fair

Over: 212TH STREET DRAIN

212TH STREET, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,320

LA MIRADA BLVD

Fair

Over: LA MIRADA CHAN

0.8MI N/O ROSECRANS AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 31,405

BARTON LN

Fair

Over: HALLS CYN CHAN

0.2MI S/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1936 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 384

PEYTON RD

Fair

Over: EMERALD WASH

0.6MI S/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 667

HARVEST AVE

Fair

Over: GRIDLEY DRN

0.2MI E/O STUDEBAKER RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 28,629

PUDDINGSTONE DR

Fair

Over: LIVE OAK WASH

0.4MI E/O SAN DMAS CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,818

PASEO AVE

Fair

Over: MARSHALL CYN WASH

0.1MI E/O WHEELER AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,141

THE OLD RD

Fair

Over: WILEY CYN CRK

0.3MI W/O I-5 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,841

QUAIL LAKE RD

Fair

Over: GORMAN CRK

0.3MI N/O LANCASTER RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 243

SYCAMORE AVE

Fair

Over: SANTA ANITA WASH

0.2MI E/O SANTA ANITA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,040

14TH ST

Fair

Over: NEWHALL CRK

0.5MI W/O SAN FERNANDO RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,428

DELWOOD ST

Fair

Over: SAN MARTINEZ CHIQUITO CR

250FT E/O SAN MARTINEZ RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 81

HARPERS WAY

Fair

Over: STORM DRN #587

0.5MI N/O TORRANCE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,333

ROSE AVE

Fair

Over: RUBIO WASH

0.1MI E/O DEL MAR AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,080

CLYBOURN AVE

Fair

Over: HANSON HEIGHTS CHANNEL

2.4 KM NORTH OF I-5, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

RINALDI STREET

Fair

Over: BROWNS CANYON CREEK

DE SOTO AVE & VARIEL AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,359

RINALDI ST

Fair

Over: BULL CREEK

AT WOODLEY AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,440

Showing 7,801-7,850 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.