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

SECOND AVE

Good

Over: ROUTE 5

11-SD-005-R16.53-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1962 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 6,840

CLAREMONT MESA WB

Good

Over: ROUTE 163 & RAMPS

11-SD-163-8.81-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1958 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 18,600

INTERSTATE 8 EB

Good

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER

11-SD-008-R36.50, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 11,050

CARLTON OAKS DR

Good

Over: SYCAMORE CREEK

1.1 MI E OF MAST BLVD., San Diego, CA

Built 1960 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 10,375

CO RD #99W

Good

Over: WALKER CREEK

0.9 MI N CO RD #39, Glenn, CA

Built 1936 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 2,051

RICHVALE HIGHWAY

Good

Over: LITTLE DRY CREEK

1.2 MI E AGUAS FRIAS RD, Butte, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 133

FLORIN RD

Good

Over: MORRISON CREEK

100 FT W OF EAST PKWY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1956 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 42,128

MORADA LANE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

10-SJ-099-24.03, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 3,025

PELTIER ROAD

Good

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER

1.5 MI W LOWER SACRMTO RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1947 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 2,972

E 8TH STREET

Good

Over: LAKE MERRITT DRAIN

E 8TH ST & E 7TH ST, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 17,388

SYCAMORE AVENUE

Good

Over: PATTERSON ID MAIN CANAL

0.6 MI S/O LAS PALMAS AVE, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1920 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 377

BURROUGH VALLEY RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

JUST E/O TOLLHOUSE RD, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,100

ROAD 204

Good

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.2 MI NORTH OF AVE 332, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 620

ROAD 80

Good

Over: ELK BAYOU

1.1 MI N OF AVE 160, Tulare, CA

Built 1943 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 200

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Good

Over: SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK

05-SLO-101-R21.49, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1948 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 31,000

COPUS RD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

06-KER-005-22.88, Kern, CA

Built 1967 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 30

STATE ST (WB)

Good

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

05-SB-101-18.12-SB, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1957 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 14,553

STATE ST (EB)

Good

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

05-SB-101-18.11-SB, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1957 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 14,554

LAS POSAS RD

Good

Over: ARROYO SANTA ROSA

0.2 MI N OF SANTA ROSA RD, Ventura, CA

Built 1972 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 3,100

INTERSTATE 10 EB

Good

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIVER

07-LA-010-30.84-BWP, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 116,500

N110-AV43AV43-N110

Good

Over: ARROYO SECO

07-LA-110-27.08-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 5,300

STATE ROUTE 243

Good

Over: LAKE FULMOR

08-RIV-243-14.48, Riverside, CA

Built 1944 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,836

MAYBERRY AVENUE

Good

Over: BAUTISTA CREEK

0.2 MI. W/O FAIRVIEW AVE., Riverside, CA

Built 1960 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 2,500

MONROE STREET

Good

Over: ALL AMERICAN CANAL

50 N/O 40TH AVENUE, Riverside, CA

Built 1969 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 3,500

AVENUE 46

Good

Over: COACHELLA CANAL

0.1 MI. E/O MADISON ST, Riverside, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,700

STATE ROUTE 78

Good

Over: HATFIELD CREEK

11-SD-078-40.38, San Diego, CA

Built 1922 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 9,700

STATE ROUTE 163

Good

Over: GENESEE AVE

11-SD-163-5.79-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1956 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 148,000

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Good

Over: HOLDRIDGE EAST HIGHLINE

11-IMP-008-R54.46, Imperial, CA

Built 1971 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 6,000

CLEAR CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

CLEAR CREEK, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1951 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 50

FIRST STREET

Good

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

1.5 MI S SHERRER AV, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 316

TAMARACK ROAD

Good

Over: BURNEY CREEK

0.1 MI S OF S.R. 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 159

WHITE HOUSE DRIVE

Good

Over: A.C.I.D. CANAL

50 WEST OF SR 273, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 641

SOUTH AVE

Good

Over: SACRAMENTO RIV OVRFLO #2

2.9 MI W OF SH 99, Tehama, CA

Built 1941 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 6,472

FOOTHILL BLVD

Good

Over: SOUTH BRNCH WYMAN RAVINE

JUST SOUTH MT IDA RD, Butte, CA

Built 1926 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,470

FIDDYMENT RD

Good

Over: ORCHARD CREEK

0.5 MI N OF E CATLETT, Placer, CA

Built 1977 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 6,570

REDWOOD BLVD

Good

Over: NOVATO CREEK

0.6 M N ROWLAND BL, Marin, CA

Built 1947 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 9,103

BEAR CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.4 MI N HAPPY VALLEY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,040

PACIFIC AVE

Good

Over: CALAVERAS RIVER

0.25 MI N FULTON ST, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1921 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 18,350

MARIPOSA ROAD

Good

Over: WEBER CREEK

0.8 MI W OF JACK TONE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1934 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 4,138

OAKDALE ROAD

Good

Over: MUSTANG CREEK

0.7 MI NORTH OF EAST AVE, Merced, CA

Built 1929 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,884

ROBINSON CANYON RD

Good

Over: ROBINSON CANYON RIVER

0.9 MI S CARMEL VALLEY RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1950 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 3,600

GRANGEVILLE BL

Good

Over: BRANCH LAST CHANCE DITCH

0.4 MI W OF 14TH AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1957 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5,800

STATE ROUTE 118

Good

Over: HONDO BARRANCA

07-VEN-118-7.32, Ventura, CA

Built 1911 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 18,000

OLD LEWIS ROAD

Good

Over: CALLEGUAS CREEK

0.1 MI S/O LEWIS RD., Ventura, CA

Built 1942 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 6,700

MOORPARK ROAD

Good

Over: ARROYO CONEJO

0.1 MI N/O THOK BLVD, Ventura, CA

Built 1939 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 30,050

FOOTHILL RD

Good

Over: ELLSWORTH BARRANCA

4.1 MI W OF PECK RD, Ventura, CA

Built 1915 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,500

I-5 SUP ROUTE

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

07-LA-005S-25.70-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 20,787

PHILLIPS RANCH RD

Good

Over: ROUTE 60

07-LA-060-R28.04-POM, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 15,300

I-710 FWY

Good

Over: 7TH ST W ON RAMP

0.2MI N/O BROADWAY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 16,324

INTERSTATE 10

Good

Over: NEVADA STREET

08-SBD-010-28.80-RDL, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1962 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 116,500

Showing 13,151-13,200 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.