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

SCHOTT ROAD

Good

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

2.0 MI S/E JCT S.R. 32, Butte, CA

Built 1932 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 223

HILLGATE ROAD

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

0.3 MI E OF ALMOND RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 952

BODEGA HIGHWAY

Good

Over: JONIVE CREEK 1

7.3 MI FROM INT W/ SR 1, Sonoma, CA

Built 1922 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 7,000

SONOMA MTN RD

Good

Over: MATANZAS CREEK

0.5 MI S BENNET VALLEY RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,400

WEST DRY CREEK RD

Good

Over: GRAPE CREEK

5.38 MI NW WESTSIDE RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1928 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 200

AMERICAN CANYON RD

Good

Over: AMERICAN CANYON CREEK

0.1 MI EAST OF SR 29, Napa, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 16,278

AIRPORT RD

Good

Over: FAGAN CREEK

1.0 MI W OF SR 12/29, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,991

BARNETT RD

Good

Over: BURTON CREEK

0.1 MI N POPE VALLEY ROAD, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 181

OAKVILLE CROSS RD

Good

Over: CONN CREEK OVERFLOW

1.3 MI NE SR 29, Napa, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 970

COUNTY ROAD 99W

Good

Over: BIRD CREEK

0.65 MI SE OF CR 8, Yolo, CA

Built 1919 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,196

LEISURE TOWN RD

Good

Over: GIBSON CANYON CREEK

2 MI S OF MIDWAY ROAD., Solano, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 640

OLIVE SCHOOL LANE

Good

Over: PUTAH SOUTH CANAL

0.10 MI SW PUTAH CREEK RD, Solano, CA

Built 1955 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 404

BELL AVE

Good

Over: MAGPIE CREEK

0.1 MI E OF NORWOOD AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1941 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,900

OAK HILL ROAD

Good

Over: SQUAW HOLLOW CREEK

0.6 MI S PLEASANT VALY RD, El Dorado, CA

Built 1945 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,985

WATERFRONT RD

Good

Over: PEYTON SLOUGH

0.4 MI E I-680, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1955 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,185

KINGS MOUNTAIN RD

Good

Over: WEST UNION CREEK

0.05 MI E TRIPP RD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1905 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,075

STATE ROUTE 17

Good

Over: HILLSIDE

04-SCL-017-5.43, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 78,000

HICKS ROAD

Good

Over: HICKS CREEK

2.3 MI S OF CAMDEN AVENUE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1919 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 280

PENITENCIA CRK RD

Good

Over: UPPER PENITENCIA CREEK

NEAR ALUM ROCK, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 500

CASA LOMA ROAD

Good

Over: LLAGAS CREEK

1.5 MI W MCKEAN/UVAS ROAD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 180

SALINAS ROAD

Good

Over: SAN JUAN CREEK

0.4 MI W SAN JUAN CNYN RD, San Benito, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 700

JOLON RD

Good

Over: JOLON CREEK

NEAR MISSION RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1942 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,800

STATE ROUTE 198

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK KAWEAH RIVER

06-TUL-198-37.08, Tulare, CA

Built 1957 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,800

AVE 368

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

1.0 MI W OF RD 108, Tulare, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 275

AVENUE 40

Good

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.05 MI EAST OF ROAD 184, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 350

CENTER STREET

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.1 W. OF BEN MADDOX, Tulare, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 400

OLD SHERWIN GR RD

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.03 MI N/O GORGE ROAD, Inyo, CA

Built 1919 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 520

E LAS TUNAS DR

Good

Over: RUBIO WASH

0.1MI W/O SAN GABRIEL BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1911 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 30,846

AVENUE 26

Good

Over: ARROYO SECO CHANNEL

AT SR 110, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1939 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 32,700

AIRPORT DRIVE

Good

Over: CUCAMONGA CREEK CHANNEL

0.4 MI W ARCHIBALD AV, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1988 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 14,162

FOOTHILL BLVD

Good

Over: SAN ANTONIO OVERFLOW

JUST W/O MONTE VISTA AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1914 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 21,500

CASE ROAD

Good

Over: SAN JACINTO RIV OVERFLOW

0.83 MI S OF ELLIS AVENUE, Riverside, CA

Built 1928 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 6,189

SWEETWATER SPR BLV

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 94

11-SD-094-R12.73, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 23,500

OLD RIVER RD

Good

Over: GOPHER CANYON CREEK

0.1MI S/O GOPHER CYN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1915 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,430

VIEJAS BLVD

Good

Over: DESCANSO CREEK

0.9 MI NW/O SR 79, San Diego, CA

Built 1942 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,600

GREENBACK LANE

Good

Over: BRANCH ARCADE CREEK

100 FT W FAIR OAKS BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.3 t ADT: 44,258

STATE ROUTE 254

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

01-HUM-254-43.02, Humboldt, CA

Built 1939 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 330

STATE ROUTE 49

Good

Over: NORTH FORK AMERICAN RIV

03-PLA-049-0.01, Placer, CA

Built 1948 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 9,000

CALETTI AVE

Good

Over: PRUITT CREEK

200 FT S OF SHILOH ROAD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1987 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 10,000

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: SHIMIZU DR & SMITH CANAL

10-SJ-005-28.26-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1968 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 52,500

HANSEN ROAD

Good

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

0.8 MI S OF W SCHULTE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,932

ELGIN ST

Good

Over: ASHLAND AVE

ELGIN ST & ASHLAND AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1960 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 2,000

N ZEDIKER AVE

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

0.7 MI SOUTH OF SHIELDS, Fresno, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 375

STATE ROUTE 155

Good

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

06-KER-155-R4.06, Kern, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,450

N GAFFEY STREET

Good

Over: OPEN LAND

07-LA-110-R0.75-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1935 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 30,470

HERBERT AVENUE

Good

Over: I 10 BUSWAY METROLINK

07-LA-010-20.22-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 7,900

HERBERT AV-WB10 ON

Good

Over: EMBANKMENT

07-LA-010-20.20, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 6,900

YERMO RD

Good

Over: YERMO DITCH

0.2 MI E/O E. YERMO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1929 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 821

BASQUE AVE

Good

Over: FULLERTON CREEK CHANNEL

0.1 MI N/O VALENCIA DR, Orange, CA

Built 1961 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 3,100

CROWN VALLEY PKWY

Good

Over: OSO CREEK

0.2 MI W OF I-5, Orange, CA

Built 1963 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 57,000

Showing 13,101-13,150 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.