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 580

Fair

Over: TELEGRAPH AVE

04-ALA-580-45.03-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1961 Load: 76.5 t ADT: 201,000

SLOUGH RD

Fair

Over: LOWER PARKS CREEK

4.1 MI S OF LOUIE RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 Load: 76.8 t ADT: 7

STATE ROUTE 3

Fair

Over: GRAVES CREEK

02-TRI-003-77.17, Trinity, CA

Built 1971 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 200

SR 4 EB

Fair

Over: E4-N5 W4-S5 CONN RAMPS

10-SJ-004-R16.01-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 7,900

CECILVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK SALMON RIVER

0.1 MI S/O SALMON RIVER R, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1986 Load: 78.1 t ADT: 116

CAMP SACRAMENTO RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FK AMERICAN RIVER

0.1 MI S/O U.S. 50, El Dorado, CA

Built 1988 Load: 78.1 t ADT: 80

STATE ROUTE 71 WB

Fair

Over: I 10 & CONN

07-LA-071-R0.52-POM, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 78.1 t ADT: 31,550

OCEAN AVE

Fair

Over: TERMINAL ISLAND FWY

AT SR-47 HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2005 Load: 78.1 t ADT: 47,900

ROUTE I 280

Fair

Over: SAN JOSE AVE MUNIRAIL

04-SF-280-R2.70-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 85,000

UPPER BEAR RIV RD

Fair

Over: BEAR RIVER

6.4 MI S OF MATTOLE ROAD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1960 Load: 78.7 t ADT: 27

OAK ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.05 MI SW OF SR 140, Mariposa, CA

Built 1985 Load: 78.7 t ADT: 130

STATE ROUTE 62

Fair

Over: COLORADO RIVER

08-SBD-062-142.30, San Bernardino, CA

Built 2015 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 6,200

BARTLETT SPRGS RD

Fair

Over: KILPEPPER CREEK

12 MI N OF SR 20, Lake, CA

Built 1960 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 103

REFUGIO RD-N101 ON

Fair

Over: CANADA DEL REFUGIO

05-SB-101-R36.65, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1974 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 250

MCCABE ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

1.0 MI WEST OF I-5, Merced, CA

Built 1949 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 453

INDIAN CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

6.9 MI E REDDING CREEK RD, Trinity, CA

Built 1955 Load: 81.0 t ADT: 20

E FRK RD

Fair

Over: SUSANA CYN CRK

2.2MI E/O SAN G CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1942 Load: 81.3 t ADT: 2,000

JEFFERSON BLVD

Fair

Over: CENTINELA CREEK

0.2 MI N OF I-405, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 81.3 t ADT: 39,900

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 4

10-SJ-005-26.12-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 43,750

INTERSTATE 10

Fair

Over: SAN GORGONIO OVERFLOW

08-RIV-010-R16.23-BAN, Riverside, CA

Built 1940 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 120,000

Auberry Road

Fair

Over: Friant-Kern Canal

5 mi S of Millerton Lk, Fresno, CA

Built 1947 Load: 82.0 t ADT: 50

RIVER BLVD

Fair

Over: MADRONE MILL CREEK

0.3 MI N BOHEMIAN HWY, Sonoma, CA

Built 1974 Load: 84.2 t ADT: 900

RALPHS RANCH RD.

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WASH

0.1MI W/O I-5 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 84.2 t ADT: 1,530

JUNIPERO SERRA-NB1

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 280

04-SM-001-R48.38-DLC, San Mateo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 85.2 t ADT: 6,600

MOOR PARK ST

Fair

Over: WEST BRANCH TUJUNGA WASH

RADFORD AVE & GENTRY AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1951 Load: 86.2 t ADT: 25,300

PLEASANT VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: REVOLON SLOUGH

0.3 MI S OF 5TH ST, Ventura, CA

Built 1979 Load: 87.8 t ADT: 11,800

FISH LAKE ROAD

Fair

Over: E. FORK SALMON RIVER

CALLAHAN, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1966 Load: 90.8 t ADT: 15

WRIGHTS LAKE ROAD

Fair

Over: BOULDER CREEK

SCOTT BAR, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 Load: 90.8 t ADT: 50

MESMER AVE

Fair

Over: CENTINELA CREEK

500FT N/O JEFFERSON BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 92.7 t ADT: 3,000

STATE ROUTE 85

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK

04-SCL-085-R20.96-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 94.3 t ADT: 115,000

PILGRIMAGE OC

Fair

Over: ROUTE 101

07-LA-101-8.05-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 94.3 t ADT: 2,500

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: UP RR SPUR

03-SAC-005-22.25-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1970 Load: 96.2 t ADT: 138,000

BIG CUT RD

Fair

Over: WEBER CREEK

1.2 MI N/O PLEASANT V RD, El Dorado, CA

Built 1922 Load: 96.6 t ADT: 857

INTERSTATE 110

Fair

Over: 83RD STREET

07-LA-110-16.26-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 96.6 t ADT: 300,000

SOCRATES MINE RD

Fair

Over: GUNNING CREEK

1.9 MI W/O STATE RTE 175, Lake, CA

Built 1981 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 546

SAND HILL RD

Fair

Over: BEAR GULCH CREEK

SOUTH WHISKEY HILL RD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1950 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 7,137

EDISON HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

EAST OF WEBSTER ST, Kern, CA

Built 1955 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 6,900

INTERSTATE 15

Fair

Over: ORO GRANDE WASH

08-SBD-015-39.04-VCTV, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1954 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 100,000

ANAPOLIS RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK GUALALA RIVER

1.5 MI E/O SR 1, Sonoma, CA

Built 1974 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 400

STATE ROUTE 4

Fair

Over: EBMUD SERVICE ROAD

04-CC-004-R14.45-CND, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1978 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 62,000

INTERSTATE 110

Fair

Over: 59TH PLACE

07-LA-110-17.77-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 300,000

INTERSTATE 110

Fair

Over: 76TH STREET

07-LA-110-16.72-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 300,000

INTERSTATE 110

Fair

Over: W10-S110 CONNECTOR RAMP

07-LA-110-21.48-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 270,000

COLUMBIA WAY

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WASH

200FT E/O SIERRA HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1950 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 18,616

NORDOFF ST

Fair

Over: BROWN CANYON WASH

0.3 MI E/O CANOGA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 25,975

PARTHENIA ST

Fair

Over: BROWNS CANYON WASH

0.48 KM E/O CANOGA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 8,727

SAN DIMAS AVE

Fair

Over: WALNUT CRK

0.5MI E/O I-210 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1979 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 7,519

ALISO CN RD N/XING

Fair

Over: ALISO CYN CRK

1.4MI W/O ANGELES FOR HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1978 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 1,273

TUMBLEWEED RD

Fair

Over: CRUTHERS CRK

0.3MI E/O LONGVIEW RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 459

KANAN DUME RD

Fair

Over: NEWTON CYN

4.4MI N/O SR-1 HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 12,669

Showing 12,451-12,500 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.