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

CAYUCOS CR RD

Fair

Over: CAYUCOS CREEK

THUNDER CANYON RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1928 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 276

THOMPSON RD

Fair

Over: DELEISSIGUES CREEK

0.75 MI NW TEFFT ST, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1916 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 5,834

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK

05-SB-101-67.09, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1916 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 14,500

LAS CANOAS RD

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CANYON

1.2 MI N/E MISSION CYN RD, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1919 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 220

4 TH ST

Fair

Over: CARPINTERIA CREEK

IN CARP. ST. PARK, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1967 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 200

RAMONA AVE

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK CHAN

0.3 MI N CHINO HILLS PKWY, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1958 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 19,370

FOOTHILL BLVD

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO OVERFLOW

0.15 MI E MONTE VISTA AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1914 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 21,500

GLASSELL STREET

Fair

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER CHANNEL

0.3 MI S/O ROUTE 91 FWY, Orange, CA

Built 1963 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 22,000

CULVER DRIVE

Fair

Over: SAN DIEGO CREEK CHANNEL

0.2 MI S BARRANCA PKY, Orange, CA

Built 1971 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 47,700

EL CAMINO REAL

Fair

Over: SAN DIEGUITO RIVER

0.3MI S/O VIA DE LA VALLE, San Diego, CA

Built 1940 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 14,500

OCEAN VIEW DRIVE

Fair

Over: GILBERT CREEK

0.8 MI S OF RT 101, Del Norte, CA

Built 1947 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 670

BUTTERFLY AVE

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

W OF RIO BLANCO RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1915 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 320

PETERSBURG ROAD

Fair

Over: CECIL CREEK

.3 MI S/O CECILVILLE ROAD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 29

CECILVILLE RD

Fair

Over: SHADOW CREEK

2 MI N/O EDDY GULCH ROAD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 49

S FORK ROAD

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

AT INDIAN CRK RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 58

CO RD 198

Fair

Over: RUSH CREEK

0.25 MI S/O SR 299, Modoc, CA

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 75

FULMOR ROAD

Fair

Over: SALT RIVER

NORTH OF KENYON ROAD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 246

REDWOOD DR

Fair

Over: DEAN CREEK

N/O REDWAY ADJ TO US 101, Humboldt, CA

Built 1933 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,978

SHOWER PASS RD

Fair

Over: OLSEN CREEK

6.1 MI NE/O KNEELAND RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1966 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 7

OAK RUN ROAD

Fair

Over: OAK RUN CREEK

6.6 MI S OF SR 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1912 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 530

SODA CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: S FORK SODA CREEK

2 MI E OF I-5, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 80

PONDEROSA RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK BEAR CREEK

2.0 MI N OF S.R. 44, Shasta, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 90

SHERWOOD BLVD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.1 MI SOUTH OF TAFT STR, Tehama, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 200

PASKENTA RD

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

AT GYLE RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 660

RED BANK RD

Fair

Over: VALLE GULCH

0.5 MI E LOWERY RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1954 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 440

DIAMOND MTN RD

Fair

Over: COOKS CREEK

3.6 MI NE BCKWTH GRNVLE R, Plumas, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 240

SCHNEIDER CR RD

Fair

Over: MEADOW VALLEY CREEK

0.3 MI S OF BUCKS LAKE RD, Plumas, CA

Built 1968 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 120

REEVES CANYON ROAD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

5.6 MI W SR 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1980 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 105

ORR SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK BIG RIVER

14.5 MI W US 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1959 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,002

ROAD 48

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

0.65 MI E HWY 99W, Glenn, CA

Built 1945 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 647

ROAD 9

Fair

Over: CENTRAL IRRIGATION CANAL

JUST W OF ROAD 203, Glenn, CA

Built 1941 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,553

ROAD 60

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK LOGAN CREEK

0.4 MI W OF I-5, Glenn, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 40

NEVADA STREET

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK YUBA RIVER

SOUTH OF SR 49, Sierra, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 500

HALE RD

Fair

Over: REEDS CREEK

0.6 MI E BERNICE AVE, Yuba, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 80

DONNER PASS RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH YUBA RIVER

.5 MI W/O SODA SPRINGS RD, Nevada, CA

Built 1924 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,020

SUBACO RD

Fair

Over: ROBBINS (DRAINAGE) CANAL

@ RECLAMATION RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1935 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 23

WISE RD

Fair

Over: AUBURN RAVINE

JUNCT WITH OPHIR RD, Placer, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,611

POWERHOUSE RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH CANAL

0.45 MI W AUBURN-FOLSOM R, Placer, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 262

CROCKER RD

Fair

Over: RUSSIAN RIVER

0.6 MI N/E OF S.R. 101, Sonoma, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,200

VALLEY FORD RD

Fair

Over: GOSSAGE CREEK

6.6 MI INTERSECTION SR 1, Sonoma, CA

Built 1926 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,100

CALISTOGA RD

Fair

Over: HUMBUG CREEK

4.9 MI N/O SR 12, Sonoma, CA

Built 1935 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 5,800

BODEGA HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: ATASCADERO CREEK

9.3 MI E/O SR 1, Sonoma, CA

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 10,304

ANNAPOLIS RD

Fair

Over: GUALALA RIV (CLARK XING)

INTRX STWRT PT-SKGSSP RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1920 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 800

BOHEMIAN HWY

Fair

Over: DUTCH BILL CREEK

5.4 MI FROM SR 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1935 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,100

SAN LUIS ROAD

Fair

Over: SCHELL CREEK

JUST EAST OF SR 12, Sonoma, CA

Built 1970 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

DUNBAR RD

Fair

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

0.1 MI N SYLVIA DRIVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1915 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 800

KING RIDGE RD

Fair

Over: WARD CREEK

0.2 MI N FORT ROSS RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1973 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 200

HARDIN RD

Fair

Over: MAXWELL CREEK

1.6 MI SE POPE CYN ROAD, Napa, CA

Built 1909 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 140

MT VEEDER RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.1 MI S DRY CREEK RD, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 173

SODA CYN RD

Fair

Over: SODA CREEK

3.1 MI N SILVERADO TRAIL, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 787

Showing 1,201-1,250 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.