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

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Calaveras, CA

Built 2002 ADT: 50

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: STANISLAUS RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1957 ADT: 40

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: JORDAN CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Stanislaus, CA

Built 2003 ADT: 50

FDR 44

Good

Over: DEEP CREEK

S30 T15N R13E, Placer, CA

Built 1954 ADT: 50

FDR 23

Good

Over: MIDDLE FK. AMERICAN RIV

S3 T13N R11E, Placer, CA

Built 1964 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: DUNCAN CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Placer, CA

Built 2007 ADT: 50

FDR 41

Good

Over: EAST FORK

S30 T19N R12E, Nevada, CA

Built 1972 ADT: 50

FDR 19

Good

Over: E.FK. OF N.FK. AMERICAN

S16 T16N R12E, Placer, CA

Built 1949 ADT: 50

FDR 20-17-04

Good

Over: S. YUBA CANAL

S32 T17N R11E, Nevada, CA

Built 1972 ADT: 50

FDR 85

Good

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

S23 T17N R13E, Nevada, CA

Built 1964 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NF OF NF AMERICAN RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Placer, CA

Built 1994 ADT: 50

FOUNTAIN PLACE RD

Good

Over: NO DATA ENTERED

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2018 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NO DATA ENTERED

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2005 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NO DATA ENTERED

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2005 ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NO DATA ENTERED

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 2005 ADT: 50

SAN MIGUELITO LP R

Good

Over: STONEY CREEK

S SAN MIGUELITO RANCH S15, Monterey, CA

Built 1967 ADT: 10

ROAD

Good

Over: TROUT CREEK

TROUT CREEK, Lake, CA

Built 2016 ADT: 50

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: PANTHER CREEK

01-DN-101-8.34, Del Norte, CA

Built 2021 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 4,900

DALBY RD

Good

Over: YANKEE SLOUGH

JUST WEST OF DOWD RD, Placer, CA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,605

STATE ROUTE 91

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIV E91-N710

07-LA-091-R11.81-LBCH, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 0.6 t ADT: 258,000

EVAN HEWES HWY

Good

Over: FLEUR DITCH

7.2 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 372

CHERRY AVE

Good

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

200 S OF I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1959 Load: 4.2 t ADT: 33,843

NAT TRAILS HWY

Good

Over: GORDO DITCH

1.8 MI E OF AMBOY RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 790

ALLEGHANY RD

Good

Over: OREGON CREEK

0.1 MI EAST OF S.R. 49, Yuba, CA

Built 1860 Load: 4.9 t ADT: 60

TURNPIKE ROAD

Good

Over: TRINITY RIVER

LEWISTON, Trinity, CA

Built 1902 Load: 5.2 t ADT: 751

BORCHARD RD

Good

Over: ROUTE 101

07-VEN-101-7.02-THOK, Ventura, CA

Built 1962 Load: 5.5 t ADT: 13,463

BRIDGE ARBOR N RD

Good

Over: CLOVER CREEK

SOUTH OF SR 20 IN UPER LK, Lake, CA

Built 1931 Load: 6.2 t ADT: 80

TUSCAN SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

HOGSBACK ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1963 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 7

EVAN HEWES HWY

Good

Over: GYPSUM DITCH

1.8 MI W/O DUNAWAY RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 1,872

INTERSTATE 780 WB

Good

Over: EAST 2ND STREET

04-SOL-780-2.01-BEN, Solano, CA

Built 1962 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 23,500

OAK GROVE ROAD

Good

Over: STRIPED ROCK CREEK

0.2 MI N MADERA CO, Mariposa, CA

Built 1912 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 50

STATE ROUTE 60

Good

Over: HACIENDA BLVD

07-LA-060-15.93, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 263,000

REDWOOD ST

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 80

04-SOL-080-4.43-VAL, Solano, CA

Built 1958 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 25,425

EVAN HEWES HWY

Good

Over: BINGO DITCH

5.5 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 372

INTERSTATE 605

Good

Over: FAIRTON STREET

07-LA-605-R6.32-NRW, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 8.4 t ADT: 297,000

US 50-RAMP G17-WB

Good

Over: N/A

03-YOL-050-2.79-WSAC, Yolo, CA

Built 1966 Load: 8.7 t ADT: 23,000

ALUM ROCK FALLS RD

Good

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

1.8 MI NE OF PARK GATE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1922 Load: 8.7 t ADT: 10

STATE ROUTE 20

Good

Over: 7TH ST CNFR E SIDE CNL

03-COL-020-R21.85, Colusa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 9.4 t ADT: 5,800

STATE ROUTE 1 SB

Good

Over: OCEAN STREET

05-SCR-001-17.24-SCR, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1956 Load: 9.4 t ADT: 30,000

ALAMITOS ROAD

Good

Over: ALAMITOS CREEK

0.4 MI S/O BERTRAM RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1935 Load: 9.7 t ADT: 350

EVAN HEWES HWY

Good

Over: ZINGO DITCH

5.0 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 9.7 t ADT: 372

CLEAR CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: FIVEMILE CREEK

CLEAR CREEK, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1950 Load: 9.7 t ADT: 50

RAYNOR RANCH ROAD

Good

Over: DUTCHMAN CREEK

2.0 MI E BAXTER ROAD, Merced, CA

Built 1960 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 16

5TH STREET

Good

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER CHANNEL

0.6 MI E/O HARBOR BLVD, Orange, CA

Built 1962 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 13,000

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: GERLE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, El Dorado, CA

Built 1969 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 50

ALVES ROAD

Good

Over: ALVES DRAIN

0.1 MI S/O EL CAPITAN WY, Merced, CA

Built 1925 Load: 10.4 t ADT: 61

ROAD 208

Good

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.1 MI SOUTH OF AVENUE 96, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 10.7 t ADT: 325

AVENUE 88

Good

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.8 MI WEST OF ROAD 208, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 125

GRIFFIN ROAD

Good

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.05 MI NE OF SR 198, Monterey, CA

Built 1950 Load: 11.3 t ADT: 50

ASHE ROAD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

06-KER-005-26.06, Kern, CA

Built 1967 Load: 11.3 t ADT: 25

Showing 12,651-12,700 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.