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

LANCASTER RD

Fair

Over: UNNAMED WASH

AT 190TH ST W, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1976 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 408

INTERSTATE 15

Fair

Over: BNSF RY & UP RR

08-SBD-015-R22.67, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1969 Load: 99.8 t ADT: 158,000

LAGUNA ROAD

Fair

Over: MUGU LAGOON

NBVC POINT MUGU, Ventura, CA

Built 1949 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 200

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: LITTLE CASTLE CREEK

02-SIS-005-0.04, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1960 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 18,000

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: SHOTGUN CREEK

02-SHA-005-R55.59, Shasta, CA

Built 1957 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 17,100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

01-MEN-101-R83.99, Mendocino, CA

Built 1952 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 6,200

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: RED MOUNTAIN CREEK

01-MEN-101-M100.46, Mendocino, CA

Built 1955 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 6,100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

01-MEN-101-R89.24, Mendocino, CA

Built 1969 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 6,100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: WEST SLOUGH

04-SON-101-34.65-HLBG, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 45,500

CALISTOGA ROAD

Fair

Over: PORTER CREEK

7.2 MI INTRX WITH SR 12, Sonoma, CA

Built 1950 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 4,400

INTERSTATE 80

Fair

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

04-CC-080-3.99-SPB, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1956 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 179,000

AMADOR VALLEY BLVD

Fair

Over: ALAMO CREEK

W OF DOUGHTERTY RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1965 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 12,680

STATE ROUTE 84

Fair

Over: LA HONDA CREEK

04-SM-084-9.67, San Mateo, CA

Built 1954 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,900

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: DEL PUERTO CREEK

10-STA-005-18.13, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1967 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 41,000

CANYON ROAD

Fair

Over: LOS BANOS CREEK

1.4 MI S SUNSET AVE, Merced, CA

Built 1970 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 830

STATE ROUTE 49

Fair

Over: OLIVER CREEK

10-MPA-049-5.46, Mariposa, CA

Built 1948 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,725

STATE ROUTE 49

Fair

Over: PEG LEG CREEK

10-MPA-049-12.21, Mariposa, CA

Built 1960 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,725

BASS LAKE RD

Fair

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.1 MI S/E STATE RTE 41, Madera, CA

Built 1933 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,097

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

09-MNO-395-R12.48, Mono, CA

Built 1970 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 13,100

INTERSTATE 710

Fair

Over: DRAIN

07-LA-710-R27.02-MONP, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 45,500

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: EL TORO DRAIN

12-ORA-005-16.32-LGNH, Orange, CA

Built 1959 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 315,500

CARLSBAD BLVD NB

Fair

Over: LAS ENCINAS CREEK

0.6MI S/O PALOMAR AIRPORT, San Diego, CA

Built 1951 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 12,300

EL RANCHO ROAD

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK

FROM MAIN GATE: TAKE CALI, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 2003 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 750

Bell Road

Good

Over: Delta-Mendota Canal

25 mi N San Luis Res, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1949 ADT: 5

ROAD

Good

Over: DALTON CANYON

NO DATA ENTERED, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 ADT: 10

ROAD

Good

Over: DALTON CANYON

NO DATA ENTERED, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 ADT: 10

FS RD 7N05

Good

Over: LK HUGHES T.T/PINECYNRD

0.5 MI E. OF LK HUGHES, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1982 ADT: 10

ROAD

Good

Over: SAN FRANCISQUITO CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2000 ADT: 1

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: PLUM CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2009 ADT: 50

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: SLAB CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 1972 ADT: 50

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: RUBICON RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Placer, CA

Built 1967 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: WINDING ROAD

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 1974 ADT: 50

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: AMERICAN RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 1938 ADT: 50

11N74

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK AMERICAN

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2004 ADT: 10

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK AMERICAN RIVE

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2000 ADT: 10

PLUM CREEK RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

HWY 50 E TO 10N40 RD, El Dorado, CA

Built 2013 ADT: 75

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: DEADMAN CREEK

UPPER DEADMAN, Mono, CA

Built 1998 ADT: 90

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: FERN CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Mono, CA

Built 2013 ADT: 60

PAVED ROAD

Good

Over: LONE PINE CREEK

WHITNEY PORTAL CG, Inyo, CA

Built 1975 ADT: 50

YREKA HEADQUARTERS

Good

Over: YREKA CREEK

GUNSIGHT, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 ADT: 50

MCKINNEY CREEK RD

Good

Over: MCKINNEY CREEK

GUNSIGHT, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1976 ADT: 50

WEST BEAVER ROAD

Good

Over: JAYNES CANYON

BEAVER, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1976 ADT: 50

LONG JOHN ROAD

Good

Over: COW CREEK

BEAVER, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1958 ADT: 50

GRIDER CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: GRIDER CREEK

HORSE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1966 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NORTH HUNGRY CREEK

BEAVER 1, Siskiyou, CA

Built 2004 ADT: 50

CLEAR CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: WINGATE CREEK

CLEAR CREEK, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1951 ADT: 50

MILL CK RIDGE ROAD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

INDIAN, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 ADT: 50

MILL CK RIDGE ROAD

Good

Over: TRIB TO MILL CREEK

INDIAN, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: THOMPSON CREEK

ELK-THOMPSON, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1989 ADT: 5

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

INDIAN, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 ADT: 40

Showing 12,501-12,550 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.