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

LTL TUJUNGA CYN RD

Good

Over: BUCK CYN

6.0MI N/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1928 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 2,053

WEBB CYN RD

Good

Over: WEBB CYN CRK

0.2MI W/O TOWNE AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1929 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 252

SAINT CLOUD RD

Good

Over: NATURAL WATERWAY-NO NAME

BTW NIMES RD/BEL AIR RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1923 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 260

HILLROSE ST

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

100W ORO VISTA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 3,858

ORO VISTA AVE

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

0.2 MI N FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1937 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 1,703

SATICOY STREET

Good

Over: PACOIMA WASH

0.3 MI W VAN NUYS BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1933 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 28,715

WENTWORTH ST

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

0.2 MI W ORO VISTA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 2,252

APPERSON ST

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

WOODWARD AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 5,202

MARKRIDGE RD

Good

Over: SHIELDS CYN CHAN

1.0MI N/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1937 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 703

GARFORD ST

Good

Over: STORM DRN #133

30FT W/O CLARK AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 612

LORAIN RD

Good

Over: RUBIO WASH

0.1MI E/O DELMAR AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1938 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 4,080

HUNTINGTON DR

Good

Over: RUBIO WASH

0.1MI E/O DEL MAR AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1910 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 32,400

THOUSAND OAKS DR

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

0.21 KM W PLAINVIEW AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1937 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 525

PINE ST

Good

Over: RUBIO WASH

0.1MI S/O LAS TUNAS BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1935 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 5,100

CANADA BLVD N

Good

Over: VERDUGO WASH

0.1MI S/O VERDUGO RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1933 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 3,366

FOOTHILL BLVD

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

0.5 MI W/O TUJUNGA CYN BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1935 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 27,443

FOOTHILL BLVD

Good

Over: HAINES CANYON CHANNEL

0.5 MI W GLEASON AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1937 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 34,854

INTERSTATE 40

Good

Over: NEEDLES HWY

08-SBD-040-R141.62-NED, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1973 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 7,350

INTERSTATE 40

Good

Over: NEEDLES HWY

08-SBD-040-R141.62-NED, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1973 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 7,350

STATE ROUTE 62

Good

Over: MET WTR DSTRCT AQUEDUCT

08-SBD-062-91.75, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1935 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 1,428

ARCHIBALD AVE

Good

Over: LOWER DEER CREEK CHANNEL

1.6 MI S OF ROUTE 60, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1947 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 22,691

5TH ST

Good

Over: CITY CRK FLOOD CONTROL

0.4 MI E VICTORIA ST, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1948 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 11,500

INLAND CENTER DR

Good

Over: LYTLE CAJON CHANNEL

0.6 MI NE MT VERNON AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1945 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 12,400

STERLING AVENUE

Good

Over: WARM CREEK

700 N BASELINE RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1948 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 15,400

FOOTHILL BLVD

Good

Over: MIDDLE CHANNEL DAY WASH

0.1 MI W ROUTE 15, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1914 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 47,000

SANTIAGO CNYN ROAD

Good

Over: LIMESTONE CANYON

4.4 MI SE/O JAMBOREE RD., Orange, CA

Built 1931 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 8,000

BREA BLVD

Good

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

100 E/O HARBOR BLVD, Orange, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 15,000

MALVERN AVENUE

Good

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

AT WOODS AVE, Orange, CA

Built 1939 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 30,500

BEACH STREET

Good

Over: LAGUNA CANYON CHANNEL

100 FT EAST OF BROAD WAY, Orange, CA

Built 1940 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 6,612

INTERSTATE 10

Good

Over: ITTA WASH

08-RIV-010-R15.79-BAN, Riverside, CA

Built 1935 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 120,000

SR 79 (WINCHESTER)

Good

Over: RANGE CREEK

08-RIV-079-R8.94, Riverside, CA

Built 1948 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 24,378

STATE ROUTE 62

Good

Over: MET WTR DSTRCT AQUEDUCT

08-RIV-062-82.05, Riverside, CA

Built 1935 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 1,428

VAN BUREN BLVD.

Good

Over: HOLE CREEK CHANNEL

AT ARLINGTON AVENUE, Riverside, CA

Built 1935 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 61,950

6TH AVENUE

Good

Over: "C" CANAL

1.0 MI. W/O RTE. 95 HWY., Riverside, CA

Built 1949 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 430

CHERRY AVENUE

Good

Over: MARSHALL CREEK

50 S/O BROOKSIDE AVENUE, Riverside, CA

Built 1940 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 2,217

BUCKMAN SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

1.5 MI S/O I-8, San Diego, CA

Built 1942 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 4,300

NORTH SANTA FE AVE

Good

Over: RANCHO GUAJOME

1.4MI S/O SR 76, San Diego, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 16,315

EL CAMINO REAL

Good

Over: LOMA ALTA CREEK

700FT S/O OCEANSIDE BLVD, San Diego, CA

Built 1948 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 42,600

MESA GRANDE RD

Good

Over: SCHOLDER CREEK

2.6 MI S/O SR 76, San Diego, CA

Built 1943 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 129

BOULDER CREEK RD

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

5.6 MI S/O SR-78, San Diego, CA

Built 1944 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 77

WYNOLA RD

Good

Over: JIM GREEN CREEK

0.38 MI E/O SR 78/79, San Diego, CA

Built 1945 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 252

LAKESHORE DR

Good

Over: QUAIL CREEK

0.2 MI E/O PINO DR, San Diego, CA

Built 1941 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 676

CENTRE CITY PKWY

Good

Over: REIDY CREEK

0.45M N/O EL NORTE PKWY, San Diego, CA

Built 1948 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 8,000

OLD HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: MOOSA CANYON CREEK

450FT N/O GOPHER CYN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1943 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 6,100

RANCHO PARKWAY

Good

Over: BOLAS CREEK

0.2 MI E RTE I-15, San Diego, CA

Built 1950 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 47,900

OLD HWY 395

Good

Over: RAINBOW CREEK

0.4MI N/O RAINBOW GLEN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1949 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 4,725

BUTLER VALLEY RD

Good

Over: MAPLE CREEK

0.2 MI W/O MAPLE CRK RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1929 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 105

GAS POINT ROAD

Good

Over: ANTELOPE CREEK

8.6 MI WEST OF I-5, Shasta, CA

Built 1925 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 1,225

CANFIELD RD

Good

Over: BLUCHER CREEK

0.9 MI N OF BLANK RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1927 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 700

C.R. #25

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK WILLOW SLOUGH

0.29 E OF C.R.93, Yolo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 345

Showing 12,951-13,000 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.