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

VISTA VILLAGE DR

Fair

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK CHAN

AT LADO DE LOMA DRIVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,000

HACIENDA DRIVE

Fair

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK CHAN

0.4 MI E/O EMERALD DRIVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,250

SAN VICENTE ROAD

Fair

Over: SANTA MARIA CREEK FORK

0.12 M N/O HANSON LANE, San Diego, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,597

HOLLISTER STREET

Fair

Over: TIJUANA RIVER OVERFLOW

1.7M S/O I-5, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,279

S.DIEGO MISSION RD

Fair

Over: SAN DIEGO RIVER

0.17MI W/O FAIRMOUNT AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,880

COLLIER WAY

Fair

Over: HARBISON CANYON CREEK

25 FT S/O HARBISON CYN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 117

VALLEY CENTER ROAD

Fair

Over: SAN LUIS REY RIVER

1.8M S/O SR 76, San Diego, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,822

VIEJAS BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER

100 FT S/O RIVER DRIVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 400

DAIRY MART ROAD

Fair

Over: TIJUANA RIVER

0.7MI S/O ROUTE I-5, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,130

RANCHO MISSION RD

Fair

Over: MURPHY CANYON CREEK

0.2MI W/O WARD RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

N. TORREY PINES RD

Fair

Over: LOS PENASQUITOS CREEK

0.4 MI S/O CARMEL VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,151

MARSHALL AVE

Fair

Over: FORESTER CREEK

185FT E/O CUYAMACA ST, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,400

HIGHLAND VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: SANTA MARIA CREEK

3.1 MI N/W OF SR-67, San Diego, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,869

ARCHIE MOORE ROAD

Fair

Over: SANTA MARIA CREEK

0.15 MI S/O HIGHLAND VLY, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,300

HIGHLAND VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: SANTA MARIA CRK S BRNCH

0.24 MI NW/O SR 67, San Diego, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,900

JAMUL DRIVE

Fair

Over: MEXICAN CANYON CREEK

1.4MI E/O STEELE CYN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,917

TROY STREET

Fair

Over: SPRING VALLEY CREEK

0.3MI E/O SWEETWATER RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,846

SWEETWATER ROAD

Fair

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER TRIB.

20FT E/O BRIARWOOD RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,050

CANNON ROAD

Fair

Over: AGUA HEDIONDA CHANNEL

100 FT S/O EL CAMINO REAL, San Diego, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,075

CANNON ROAD W/B

Fair

Over: MACARIO CANYON

1.25 M E/O I-5, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,354

CANNON ROAD E/B

Fair

Over: MACARIO CANYON

1.25 M E/O I-5, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,497

CALLE BARCELONA

Fair

Over: ENCINITAS CREEK

275 FT W/O EL CAMINO REAL, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,616

AVENIDA ENCINAS

Fair

Over: NCTD BNSF RY & AMTRAK

0.1 M E/O CARLSBAD BLVD, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,429

RANCHO SANTA FE SB

Fair

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK

0.2 M S/O MELROSE DR, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,738

RANCHO SANTA FE NB

Fair

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK

0.2 M S/O MELROSE DR, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,101

VALLEY CENTER ROAD

Fair

Over: KEYS CANYON CREEK

0.45MI N/O LILAC RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

CENTRAL AVENUE

Fair

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER TRIB

0.5MI E/O BONITA ROAD, San Diego, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,407

LAS POSAS RD.

Fair

Over: LAS POSAS CREEK

275 FT N/O VIA ARTISTA, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,200

N. BROADWAY

Fair

Over: REIDY CREEK

INT. OF JESMOND DENE RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,500

PACIFIC ST

Fair

Over: SAN LUIS REY RIVER

AT HARBOR DRIVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

RUXTON AVENUE

Fair

Over: SWEETWATER RIV TRIBUTARY

20FT S/O JAMACHA BLVD, San Diego, CA

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 996

RUDNICK DRIVE

Fair

Over: LAWSON CREEK EAST FORK

650 FT S/O LAWSON VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 330

BRABHAM ST

Fair

Over: SWEET WATER TRIBUTARY

AT JAMACHA ROAD, San Diego, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,215

OLIVE LANE

Fair

Over: FORESTER CREEK

40FT N/O PROSPECT AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,400

KITCHEN CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: KITCHEN CREEK

2.9 MI N/O OLD HWY 80, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23

LEUCADIA BLVD

Fair

Over: ENCINITAS CREEK SOUTH BR

50FT W/O EL CAMINO REAL, San Diego, CA

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,640

SAN DIEGUITO RD

Fair

Over: ENCENDIDO

230FT NW/O CAMINO DEL SUR, San Diego, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,397

LAJOLLA VILLAGE DR

Fair

Over: JUDICIAL DRIVE

0.3 MI W/O I-805, San Diego, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 68,000

CARMEL MOUNTAIN RD

Fair

Over: UNKNOWN WATER WAY

1 MI E/O EL CAMINO REAL, San Diego, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,500

CAMINO DEL SUR

Fair

Over: WILDLIFE CROSSING

0.5MI NW/O CARMEL VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,672

CARMEL VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: LUSARDI CREEK TRIBUTARY

.6 MI E BLACK MOUNTAIN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,200

CARMEL VALLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: VALLEY

0.4 MI W/O CAMINO DEL SUR, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,100

CAMINO DEL SUR

Fair

Over: LAZANJA PASS

0.9M NW/O CARMEL VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,750

CAMINO DEL SUR

Fair

Over: LAZANJA PASS

0.9M NW/O (CARMEL VLY RD), San Diego, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,750

CAMINO DEL SUR

Fair

Over: NORTHERN LIGHTS

170FT S/O SAN DIEGUITO RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,200

BORDEN RD

Fair

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK

230FT E/O TWIN OAK VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,500

ZENITH ST.

Fair

Over: OTAY RIVER TRIBUTARY

20 FT W/O FRESNO ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,800

RAMBLING VISTA RD

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

260FT W/O OLD JANA RNCH R, San Diego, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,800

MELROSE DRIVE

Fair

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK

0.2 MI N/O SAN ELIJO RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,000

CARMEL MOUNTAIN RO

Fair

Over: SHAW VALLEY TRAIL

0.5 MI E/O CARMEL CNTY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,500

Showing 9,051-9,100 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.