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

STATE ROUTE 52

Fair

Over: OLIVE LANE

11-SD-052-15.96, San Diego, CA

Built 2011 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 82,000

FAIRMOUNT AVE

Fair

Over: ALDINE DRIVE

1.2 MI S/O RTE I-8, San Diego, CA

Built 1960 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 18,780

FAIRMOUNT AVE

Fair

Over: ALDINE DRIVE

1.2 MI S/O RTE I-8, San Diego, CA

Built 1960 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 18,365

TOWLAND ROAD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 8

11-IMP-008-R48.78, Imperial, CA

Built 1971 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 850

22S82

Fair

Over: 22S82/BONE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Tulare, CA

Built 1958 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 174

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: KLAMATH RIVER

01-DN-101-R4.04, Del Norte, CA

Built 1965 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 3,600

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 97

02-SIS-005-R19.05-WEED, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1973 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 12,300

11TH ST

Fair

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

01-HUM-101-86.33-ARC, Humboldt, CA

Built 1976 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 2,956

FORT SEWARD ROAD

Fair

Over: DOBBYN CREEK

1.5 MI W ALDER POINT RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1960 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 38

MIDDLE BR RD

Fair

Over: BULLHOCK CREEK

LATOUR STATE FOREST, Shasta, CA

Built 1994 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 10

BUCKS LAKE ROAD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

4.3 MI W/O SR 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1969 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 1,700

FT BRAG-SHRWD RD

Fair

Over: SHERWOOD CREEK

2.7 MI S OF US 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1987 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 126

MONTECITO BLVD

Fair

Over: BRUSH CREEK

IN SANTA ROSA, Sonoma, CA

Built 1962 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 14,000

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

Fair

Over: WHITES HILL TRAIL

0.6 MI N/O BAYWOOD CYN RD, Marin, CA

Built 2002 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 3,500

OCEAN AV MUNIRAIL

Fair

Over: 280 280 ON/OFF-RAMP

04-SF-280-R1.77-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 20,495

AVENUE 18.5

Fair

Over: BERENDA SLOUGH

0.6 MI WEST OF ROAD 13, Madera, CA

Built 1965 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 378

STATE ROUTE 168

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

06-FRE-168-R26.30, Fresno, CA

Built 1941 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 4,300

W SIERRA AVE

Fair

Over: OUTSIDE CANAL

0.48 MI NE OF SR 33, Fresno, CA

Built 1987 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 225

BROAD ST

Fair

Over: E FK SAN LUIS OBISPO CRK

SOUTH OF EL CAPITAN WAY, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1978 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 24,700

AIRPORT DR-S99 ON

Fair

Over: SR 99 BUCK OWENS CALLOWY

06-KER-099-26.78, Kern, CA

Built 1963 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 15,800

SINALOA DR

Fair

Over: OAK CREEK

0.1 MI E OF SAN YSIDRO RD, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1973 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 426

STATE ROUTE 118

Fair

Over: ERRINGER RD

07-VEN-118-R24.81-SIMV, Ventura, CA

Built 1970 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 65,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: VINELAND AVE

07-LA-101-11.11-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 175,000

BARRANCA AVENUE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 210

07-LA-210-R41.11-GDR, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1969 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 18,500

LINDLEY AVENUE

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.05 MI S. VICTORY BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 29,423

38TH/41TH ST

Fair

Over: ACTA

E/O ALAMEDA ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2000 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 7,182

CYPRESS PL

Fair

Over: LA DWP AQUADUCT

0.2MI E/O SECO CN ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1993 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 11,119

EB40 TO PARK ROAD

Fair

Over: ROUTE 40

08-SBD-040-R139.12-NED, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 500

SR 73 SB

Fair

Over: WILDLIFE PATHWAY

12-ORA-073-20.86-LGNB, Orange, CA

Built 1996 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 34,500

STATE ROUTE 86 NB

Fair

Over: CORAL WASH

11-IMP-086-59.18, Imperial, CA

Built 1960 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 7,300

MILLER ROAD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 8

11-IMP-008-R52.50, Imperial, CA

Built 1971 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 710

INTERSTATE 10

Fair

Over: RIO HONDO

07-LA-010-28.18-EMTE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 211,600

GENERALS HIGHWAY (

Fair

Over: HALSTEAD MEADOW

3.6 MILES WEST OF LODGEPO, Tulare, CA

Built 2012 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 662

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

02-SIS-005-R9.20, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1964 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 20,000

STATE ROUTE 3

Fair

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

02-SIS-003-9.75, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1958 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 925

CENTERVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: FLEENER CREEK

2.3 MI WEST OF POOLE RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1952 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 444

DEER CR AVE

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

0.2 MI W I-5, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 100

WESTSIDE ROAD

Fair

Over: SQUAW CREEK

5.2 MI W SHASTA DAM, Shasta, CA

Built 1954 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 50

STATE ROUTE 36

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK DEER CREEK

02-TEH-036-R98.92, Tehama, CA

Built 1966 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 1,100

COUNTY ROAD 57

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 5

03-GLE-005-R7.61, Glenn, CA

Built 1966 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 1,000

SANTA ROSA AVE

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

1/4 MI E OLD MONTE RIO RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1990 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 100

FORT ROSS RD.

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

0.65MI W OF KING RIDGE RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1999 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 200

US 50 (I-305) OFF

Fair

Over: WESTACRE RD

03-YOL-050-2.17-WSAC, Yolo, CA

Built 1966 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 5,000

INTERSTATE 80 WB

Fair

Over: ULATIS CREEK

04-SOL-080-R26.61-VAC, Solano, CA

Built 1952 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 70,500

W50-S99 CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: US 50 S51-E50 E50-N51

03-SAC-050-L2.43-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1968 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 30,000

STATE ROUTE 580

Fair

Over: BELLAM BOULEVARD

04-MRN-580-4.50-SRF, Marin, CA

Built 1959 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 33,500

MORAGA BLVD

Fair

Over: LAS TRAMPAS CREEK

WEST OF CAROL LANE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 1,590

PARADISE RD

Fair

Over: ROUTE 205

10-SJ-205-R9.61, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 840

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Fair

Over: BEAVER SLOUGH

10-SJ-005-45.87, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1979 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 25,000

PALM AVE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 680

04-ALA-680-M5.91-FMT, Alameda, CA

Built 1971 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 3,388

Showing 11,301-11,350 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.