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

LOS GATOS ROAD

Good

Over: LOS GATOS CREEK

12.83 MI W OF DERRICK BL, Fresno, CA

Built 1949 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 200

QUAILWOOD LANE

Good

Over: LOS BERROS CREEK

BY LOS BERROS ROAD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1932 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 10

CANADA LARGA RD

Good

Over: CANADA LARGA

0.4 MI E RTE 33, Ventura, CA

Built 1928 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 150

S5-N14 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: I 5 SR 14 CONNS THE OLD

07-LA-005-R45.69-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1994 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,160

GARVEY AVE

Good

Over: MONTEREY PASS RD

0.7MI W/O ATLANTIC BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1934 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 27,360

223RD ST

Good

Over: ARTESIA-NORWALK STORM DN

0.1MI W/O NORWALK BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 2,222

FORD AVE

Good

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

50 N/O CHAPMAN AVE, Orange, CA

Built 1922 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 1,556

HIGHLAND AVE

Good

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

50 N/O CHAPMAN AVE, Orange, CA

Built 1922 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 8,500

BANDY CANYON ROAD

Good

Over: SANTA MARIA CREEK

0.6MI E/O YSABEL CREEK RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1980 Load: 15.2 t ADT: 200

BORDER CROSSING (C

Good

Over: NEW RIVER

0.2 MILES SOUTH OF WEST 2, Imperial, CA

Built 2018 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 29,500

GAS PT RD

Good

Over: ALICE CREEK

4.6 MI WEST OF I-5, Shasta, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 2,577

GAS POINT ROAD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

7.4 MI WEST OF I-5, Shasta, CA

Built 1920 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,225

VADNEY AVENUE

Good

Over: HOAG SLOUGH

1.6 KM S/O SOUTH AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1996 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 141

IRR COUNTY RD 306

Good

Over: DRY GULCH

25.76 MI N COLUSA CO LIN, Glenn, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 142

GUERNEVILLE RD

Good

Over: ABRAMSON CREEK

4.0 MI INTX WITH SR 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1921 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 12,700

LAWNDALE RD

Good

Over: SONOMA CREEK

WARM SPRINGS ROAD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1900 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 550

STATE ROUTE 29

Good

Over: YORK CREEK

04-NAP-029-29.29-SHLA, Napa, CA

Built 1902 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 20,000

KENTUCKY AVE

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

03-YOL-005-R7.70-WD, Yolo, CA

Built 1973 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 5,000

COUNTY ROAD 28

Good

Over: UNION SCHOOL SLOUGH

0.67 MI W OF C.R. #91B, Yolo, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 77

COUNTY ROAD 91B

Good

Over: OAT CREEK

0.36 MI NORTH OF CR #99W, Yolo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 10

EAST BIDWELL ST

Good

Over: HUMBUG CREEK

0.1 MI SE BLUE RAVINE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 10,000

CRYSTAL SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: E.I.D. CANAL

CARSON ROAD, El Dorado, CA

Built 1945 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 780

SOUTH MAIN ST

Good

Over: LAS TRAMPAS CREEK

0.1 MI S OLYMPIC BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1919 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 17,700

CANAL RD

Good

Over: CONTRA COSTA CANAL

0.2 MI E BAILEY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1939 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 10,900

STATE ROUTE 236

Good

Over: BOULDER CREEK

05-SCR-236-1.03, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1921 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,350

PENITENCIA CRK RD

Good

Over: UPPER PENITENCIA CREEK

NEAR BOULDER DRIVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1909 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,390

LAGUNA AVE

Good

Over: FISHER CREEK

0.1 MI W SANTA TERESA BLV, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1945 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 160

LA GRANGE ROAD

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK DRY CREEK

3.5 MI N MERCED FALLS RD, Merced, CA

Built 1921 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,912

STATE ROUTE 168

Good

Over: BIG CREEK

06-FRE-168-64.12, Fresno, CA

Built 1955 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,300

E MANNING AVE

Good

Over: TRAVERS CREEK

0.6 MI W ALTA AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 6,100

INDIAN VALLEY ROAD

Good

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

0.2 MI N BIG SANDY CRK RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1962 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 30

AVE 384

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

AVE 384 @ RD 108, Tulare, CA

Built 1961 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 1,430

ROAD 240

Good

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.05 MI S OF AVE 224, Tulare, CA

Built 1961 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 50

PLANZ ROAD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

06-KER-099-21.60-BKD, Kern, CA

Built 1962 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 3,500

SHERWOOD AVE

Good

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.5 MI WEST OF ZACHARY AV, Kern, CA

Built 1949 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 640

CAMARILLO ST.

Good

Over: LONG GRADE CANYON CREEK

1.4 MI SE OF LEWIS RD, Ventura, CA

Built 1941 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 4,000

WEST CHANNEL RD

Good

Over: RUSTIC CANYON CREEK

AT EAST RUSTIC RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 16,239

VALLEY VIEW DR

Good

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

50 E/O HARBOR BLVD, Orange, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 2,000

TEMESCAL CANYON RD

Good

Over: TEMESCAL WASH

0.22 MI. W/O LAKE STREET, Riverside, CA

Built 1924 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 6,273

MT. RUBIDOUX DRIVE

Good

Over: BUENA VISTA AVENUE

0.5 MI E/O SANTA ANA RVR., Riverside, CA

Built 1931 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 490

E PALM CANYON DR

Good

Over: PALM CANYON WASH

0.5 MI. E/O FARREL DRIVE, Riverside, CA

Built 1956 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 29,242

LAUREL ST

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 163

0.2 MI E/O 6TH AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1915 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 3,539

SOUTH FORK

Good

Over: SO. FK. SACRAMENTO RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1966 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 50

MORGAN SLOUGH ROAD

Good

Over: MORGAN SLOUGH

NORTH OF CAMP WEOTT ROAD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1984 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 31

BIG BEND RD

Good

Over: ROARING CREEK

5.4 MI N OF S.R. 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1923 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 550

CO RD 200\NEWVILLE

Good

Over: STONY CREEK IRRG CANAL

0.6 MI W OF I-5, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 1,448

SOUTH PINE STREET

Good

Over: DEER CREEK

0.1 MI SOUTH OF BROAD ST, Nevada, CA

Built 1996 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 3,980

WOODEN VLY CROS RD

Good

Over: SUISUN CREEK

0.06 MI NE WOODEN VALY RD, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 100

C. R. 87B

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD SLOUGH

0.55 MI S OF C. R. 23, Yolo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 66

ROWLAND WAY

Good

Over: NOVATO CREEK

0.25 MI N ROWLAND BLVD, Marin, CA

Built 1992 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 2,735

Showing 12,801-12,850 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.