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

INTERSTATE 15 SB

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 78

11-SD-015-R31.48-ESD, San Diego, CA

Built 1977 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 64,000

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Fair

Over: DEVILS CANYON

11-IMP-008-R4.94L, Imperial, CA

Built 1963 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 7,105

SALMON CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE SALMON CREEK

S OLD MAN RD SEC 26/28, Monterey, CA

Built 1967 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 1

STATE ROUTE 3

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK SCOTT RIVER

02-SIS-003-8.89, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1958 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 345

GAZELLE-CALLAHAN R

Fair

Over: NOYES VALLEY CREEK

0.1 MI N MASTERSON RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1972 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 287

POWELTON ROAD

Fair

Over: HENDRICKS CANAL

0.3 MI N SKYWAY, Butte, CA

Built 1968 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 100

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: CORTINA CREEK

03-COL-005-R12.55, Colusa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 15,000

INTERSTATE 80 EB

Fair

Over: TRUCKEE RIVER

03-NEV-080-28.00, Nevada, CA

Built 1959 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 13,500

INTERSTATE 80

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 193

03-PLA-080-14.30, Placer, CA

Built 1959 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 77,000

SR 12

Fair

Over: SANTA ROSA CREEK

04-SON-012-21.45, Sonoma, CA

Built 1974 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 41,250

S51-E50 CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: US 50 & N99-W50 CONN

03-SAC-051-0.01-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1968 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 32,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 50

Fair

Over: CLAY STREET

03-ED-050-18.16-PLCR, El Dorado, CA

Built 1955 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 30,500

CHEROKEE RD

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

10-SJ-099-20.88, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1961 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 5,300

AIRPORT WAY

Fair

Over: SAN JOAQUIN RIVER 06

0.5 MI NE OF KASSON RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1965 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 2,042

MONTEREY BL WB ON

Fair

Over: BOSWORTH & SB280 ONRAMP

04-SF-280-R2.87-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 8,133

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: UP RR SPUR

04-SM-101-5.50-RDWC, San Mateo, CA

Built 1958 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 195,000

STATE ROUTE 85

Fair

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

04-SCL-085-R15.40-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1993 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 50,000

STATE ROUTE 85

Fair

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

04-SCL-085-R15.40-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1993 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 50,000

GRAYSTONE LANE

Fair

Over: ALAMITOS CREEK

0.01 MI E CAMDEN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1981 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 2,500

HUDSON AVE

Fair

Over: COLONY MAIN CANAL

0.9 MI SOUTH OF MERRILL, Fresno, CA

Built 1974 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 300

N GLENN AVE

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK CANAL

SOUTH OF OLIVE AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1935 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 923

STATE ROUTE 166

Fair

Over: GIFFORD CREEK

05-SLO-166-40.11, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 2013 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 2,900

UNION AVE-W178 ON

Fair

Over: UP RR & ESPEE STREET

06-KER-178-R2.09-BKD, Kern, CA

Built 1967 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 5,100

WEST FIFTH ST

Fair

Over: EDISON CHANNEL

0.4 MI E HARBOR BLVD, Ventura, CA

Built 1958 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 6,200

STATE ROUTE 134

Fair

Over: FOREST LAWN DRIVE

07-LA-134-3.81-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 217,000

E&W60-N710 CONNCTR

Fair

Over: RTE 60/710 RAMP 3STREETS

07-LA-060-R3.26, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 13,800

STATE ROUTE 57

Fair

Over: GLADSTONE STREET

07-LA-057-R11.35L-SDMS, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 79,000

BARRANCA AVE N

Fair

Over: BIG DALTON WASH

0.1MI N/O GLADESTONE ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 20,785

ELM AND MUSCATEL

Fair

Over: EATON WASH

0.1MI N/O LAS TUNAS DR, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1933 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 7,166

VENICE BLVD

Fair

Over: GRAND CANAL

0.2 KM EAST OF PACIFIC, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1991 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 9,221

NORTH MALL WAY

Fair

Over: LYTLE CREEK-EAST BRANCH

0.1 MI W OF E STREET, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1973 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 5,100

SR 55

Fair

Over: BRISTOL STREET

12-ORA-055-R4.58-CMS, Orange, CA

Built 1973 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 142,000

FRENCH CREEK RD

Fair

Over: FRENCH CREEK

5.2 MI S OF S.H. 3, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1990 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 20

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: SCENIC WAY

01-HUM-101-R53.38-RDEL, Humboldt, CA

Built 1976 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 4,400

BECKWRTH-GEHN RD

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

400 FT S OF INDIAN CR RD, Plumas, CA

Built 1956 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 10

MIDWAY RD

Fair

Over: WESTERN CANAL

0.2 MI N NELSON SHIPPEE R, Butte, CA

Built 1983 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 1,371

ORD FERRY RD

Fair

Over: W BRANCH EDGAR SLOUGH

3.7 MI E/O GLENN CO LINE, Butte, CA

Built 1976 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 3,454

PARK WAY

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 29

01-LAK-029-R45.14, Lake, CA

Built 1972 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 1,615

US 50 EB

Fair

Over: STOCKTON 34TH 35TH & T

03-SAC-050-R0.38-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1971 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 115,500

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Fair

Over: STONE LAKE CREEK

03-SAC-005-8.11, Sacramento, CA

Built 1975 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 27,000

STATE ROUTE 132 W

Fair

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

10-SJ-132-0.81, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 7,750

STATE ROUTE 132 E

Fair

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

10-SJ-132-0.81, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 7,750

STATE ROUTE 99 NB

Fair

Over: G STREET

10-MER-099-14.42-MER, Merced, CA

Built 1962 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 25,500

LONE TREE ROAD

Fair

Over: DEADMAN CREEK

0.7 MI N SANDY MUSH ROAD, Merced, CA

Built 1965 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 175

BUCK MEADOWS ROAD

Fair

Over: JORDAN CREEK

.1 MI N/O GREELEY HILL RD, Mariposa, CA

Built 1961 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 610

AVENUE 18 1/2

Fair

Over: SR 99

06-MAD-099-R16.33, Madera, CA

Built 1974 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 1,310

W SIERRA AVE

Fair

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

0.75 MI NE OF SR 33, Fresno, CA

Built 1987 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 225

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: S405-S101 CONNECTOR RAMP

07-LA-101-17.29R-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 229,750

BLEDSOE ST OC

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 210

07-LA-210-R2.74-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1969 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 3,500

GLADSTONE ST

Fair

Over: SAN DIMAS WASH

1.5MI E/O GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 16,295

Showing 11,551-11,600 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.