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

ROUTE 91

Fair

Over: CENTRAL AVENUE

08-RIV-091-18.41-RIV, Riverside, CA

Built 1957 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 192,000

STATE ROUTE 78

Fair

Over: SAN FELIPE CREEK

11-SD-078-72.92, San Diego, CA

Built 1948 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 1,850

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Fair

Over: N5-HARBOR DR OFF-RAMP

11-SD-005-R10.68-NATC, San Diego, CA

Built 1964 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 82,000

STATE ROUTE 67 SB

Fair

Over: CHANNEL RD

11-SD-067-R5.19, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 19,000

AVOCADO BLVD

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 94

11-SD-094-R13.33, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 25,400

INTERSTATE 8 EB

Fair

Over: CENTRAL MAIN CANAL AUSTN

11-IMP-008-R35.47, Imperial, CA

Built 1967 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 8,700

COLE RD

Fair

Over: BRIAR CANAL

40 FT E/O BOWKER RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1971 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 4,900

SCOTT RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: SCOTT RIVER

1.2 MI SOUTH OF SR 96, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 186

BRICELAND THORN RD

Fair

Over: VANARKEN CREEK

1.0 MI S SHELTER COVE RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1961 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 420

STATE ROUTE 44

Fair

Over: STILLWATER CREEK

02-SHA-044-R4.31, Shasta, CA

Built 1964 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 15,550

PLATINA RD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK COTTONWOOD CR

4.5 MI W GAS PT RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1957 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 265

STATE ROUTE 271

Fair

Over: U.S. 101 (@ PM R89.56)

01-MEN-271-5.58, Mendocino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 750

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: MOORE STREET

01-MEN-101-30.43, Mendocino, CA

Built 1962 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 12,300

GARDEN DR

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 70

03-BUT-070-16.63, Butte, CA

Built 1963 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,000

STATE ROUTE 53

Fair

Over: SEIGLER CREEK

01-LAK-053-0.02, Lake, CA

Built 1952 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 16,500

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK DR

03-COL-005-R7.70, Colusa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 15,000

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK DR

03-COL-005-R7.70, Colusa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 15,000

INTERSTATE 80 EB

Fair

Over: BIG BEND ROAD

03-PLA-080-R65.00R, Placer, CA

Built 1964 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 25,500

GEYSERS RD

Fair

Over: BIG SULPHUR CREEK

18.6 MI N OF SH 128, Sonoma, CA

Built 1909 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 140

LAUGHLIN RD

Fair

Over: FIFE CREEK

0.1 MI W ARMSTRONG WDS RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1956 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 602

PLEASANT AVE

Fair

Over: POOL CREEK

0.8 MI E OF OLD REDWOOD H, Sonoma, CA

Built 1925 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,000

FERGUSON RD

Fair

Over: JONIVE CREEK

0.15 MI N BODEGA HWY, Sonoma, CA

Built 1962 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 1,200

HIGHLAND TERRACE

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

AT MESA WY, Sonoma, CA

Built 1983 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 100

NORWOOD AVE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 80

03-SAC-080-M6.12-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1970 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 17,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 50 WB

Fair

Over: HORNET DRIVE

03-SAC-050-R3.47-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1971 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 115,500

FRANKLIN BLVD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK ELDER CREEK

0.5 MI NORTH OF MACK RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1987 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 23,132

VLY FD FRNKLIN SCH

Fair

Over: ESTERO DE SAN ANTONIO

0.2 MI S WHITAKER BLUF RD, Marin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 100

SR 160 NB

Fair

Over: WILBUR AVENUE

04-CC-160-1.50, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 6,800

STATE ROUTE 24

Fair

Over: OAK HILL ROAD

04-CC-024-R6.26-LFYT, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 79,500

CENTER AVENUE

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 4

04-CC-004-R9.18-MTZ, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1975 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 22,000

GIANT HWY

Fair

Over: SAN PABLO CREEK

AT PARR BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1981 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 5,000

INTERSTATE 580 EB

Fair

Over: UP RR & ACE

10-SJ-580-11.51, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 13,300

INTERSTATE 580 WB

Fair

Over: UP RR & ACE

10-SJ-580-11.51, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 13,300

INTERSTATE 580 EB

Fair

Over: VALLEY VIEW RD

10-SJ-580-11.30, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 13,300

ELLIOTT RD

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.5 MI N OF LIBERTY RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 1,120

EAST 12TH STREET

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 77

04-ALA-077-0.37-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1962 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 900

HOPYARD ST

Fair

Over: ARROYO DEL VALLE

SOUTH OF DEL VALLE PKWY, Alameda, CA

Built 1951 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 7,600

WHITMAN ST

Fair

Over: ORCHARD AVE

ORCHARD AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 8,226

S280-CRYSTAL SP OR

Fair

Over: WHITMAN WAY

04-SM-280-R20.22-SBR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 5,600

E380-N101 CONNECTR

Fair

Over: I 380 US 101 RAMPS 7TH

04-SM-380-6.37-SBR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1976 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 19,500

GLEN ARBOR RD

Fair

Over: LOVE CREEK

0.1 MI E OF HWY 9, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1944 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 5,000

EAST MAIN AVENUE

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-R16.78-MGH, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 6,330

FINK ROAD

Fair

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

0.43 MI E OF I-5, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1964 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,134

SOUTHERN PACIFC AV

Fair

Over: BLACK RASCAL CANAL

0.4 MI N/W 16TH ST END, Merced, CA

Built 1964 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 50

BASS AVE

Fair

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

1.9 MI N/E OF SR 33, Fresno, CA

Built 1959 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 500

E FLORAL AVE

Fair

Over: FOWLER SWITCH CANAL

0.7 MI E OF FOWLER AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1964 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,200

5 1/2 AVE

Fair

Over: COLE SLOUGH

0.5 MI S OF BOSTON AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1962 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,587

10TH AVENUE

Fair

Over: TULE RIVER

2.5 MI S OF PUEBLO AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1967 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 713

AVENUE 414

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

0.1 MI E OF SR 63, Tulare, CA

Built 1954 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 350

AVE 272

Fair

Over: CAMERON CREEK

0.6 MI E OF SR 63, Tulare, CA

Built 1953 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 500

Showing 9,801-9,850 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.