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

OLD SHERWIN GRADE

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

.04 MI S OF BIRCHIM LANE, Inyo, CA

Built 1919 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 520

BUCKLEY RD

Fair

Over: E BR SAN LUIS OBISPO CRK

0.5 MI S HIGUERA ST, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1915 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,717

HUASNA RD

Fair

Over: WEST BRANCH HUASNA CREEK

HUASNA TOWNSITE RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 401

TASSAJARA CR RD

Fair

Over: SANTA MARGARITA CREEK

WEST OF RTE 101, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 228

SANTA FE ROAD

Fair

Over: BR SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK

1.6 MI N. OF BUCKLEY ROAD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1920 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,311

VIA CARTA

Fair

Over: BRIZZOLARA CREEK

CAL POLY CAMPUS, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 500

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: NOJOQUI CREEK

05-SB-101-56.00, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 11,000

BLACK ROAD

Fair

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

2.0 MI N ASSOCIATED RD, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1943 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,003

MISSION CANYON RD

Fair

Over: MISSION CREEK

0.15 MI N ALAMEDA PDRE SE, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1891 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 10,600

SULPHUR MOUTAIN RD

Fair

Over: DENNISON CREEK

0.1 MI S OF S.R. 150, Ventura, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 300

INTERSTATE 10

Fair

Over: BAGLEY AVE

07-LA-010-R7.58-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 268,000

STURTEVANT DR

Fair

Over: SIERRA MADRE WASH

0.6MI W/O SANTA ANITA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1934 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 102

KENDALL DR

Fair

Over: CABLE CREEK

0.5 MI S PALM AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1937 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 21,102

DARLINGTON AVENUE

Fair

Over: BREA CREEK CHANNEL

100 N/O FRANKLIN STREET, Orange, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,205

ROUTE 91

Fair

Over: UNIVERSITY AVENUE

08-RIV-091-20.45-RIV, Riverside, CA

Built 1957 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 191,000

CASE ROAD

Fair

Over: SAN JACINTO RIVER

0.8 MI S/E OF ELLIS AVE, Riverside, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 6,189

CRESPO DR

Fair

Over: AL BAHR DRIVE

0.1 MI S/O SOLEDAD AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 200

PUENTE DR

Fair

Over: CASTELLANA ROAD

0.18 MI E/O CRESPO DRIVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 10

VALLEY LOOP ROAD

Fair

Over: YOSEMITE CREEK

In Yosemite Valley on tw, Mariposa, CA

Built 1922 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,416

LOCUST AVE

Fair

Over: AYO CORTE MADERA DEL PRE

250 FT N OF MILLER AVE, Marin, CA

Built 1934 Load: 17.3 t ADT: 4,500

OLD GASQUET TOLL

Fair

Over: WEST FORK PATRICKS CREEK

3.5 MI FROM RTE 199, Del Norte, CA

Built 1960 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 30

EAST CALLAHAN ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST FORK SCOTT RIVER

0.2 M NE/O SR 3, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1956 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 213

STATE ROUTE 96

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

01-HUM-096-8.26, Humboldt, CA

Built 1985 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 2,900

ZANES RD

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

0.1 MI W ELK RIVER RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1936 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 38

OLD MATTOLE RD

Fair

Over: MCNUTT CREEK

0.49 MI N OF MATTOLE RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1926 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 100

EAGLE LAKE RD

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

10.6 MI S.W. OF SR 139, Lassen, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 100

TRAVIS LANE

Fair

Over: BROCKMAN SLOUGH

.3 MI E/O JOHNSTONVILLE R, Lassen, CA

Built 1981 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 100

STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

02-TEH-099-24.84, Tehama, CA

Built 1924 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 11,000

COLUMBIA AVE

Fair

Over: JEWETT CREEK

0.5 MI N OF SOUTH AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1948 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 245

DURNELL ROAD

Fair

Over: BUTTE CREEK

2.25 MI N NELSON RD, Butte, CA

Built 1904 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 48

BENNETT ROAD

Fair

Over: JORDAN CREEK

1.3 MI W HAMILTON CANA HY, Butte, CA

Built 1939 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 194

HUMBOLDT RD

Fair

Over: BUTTE CREEK

9.1 MI E S.R. 32, Butte, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 320

ANITA RD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.9 MI W/O ST HWY 99, Butte, CA

Built 1937 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 463

BRADFORD ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE DRY CREEK

2.55 MI W OF COLONY RD, Butte, CA

Built 1928 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 24

BREWER RD

Fair

Over: YANKEE SLOUGH

0.3 MI S BEAR RIVER DR, Sutter, CA

Built 1964 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 112

COMBIE ROAD

Fair

Over: WOOLEY CREEK

0.4 M W PLACER HILLS RD, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 9,104

CHALK HILL RD

Fair

Over: MAACAMA CREEK

1 MI S OF SR 128, Sonoma, CA

Built 1915 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 800

HEDGESIDE AVENUE

Fair

Over: MILLIKEN CREEK

0.4 MI NW RTE 121, Napa, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,033

C.R. 26

Fair

Over: WINTERS CANAL

0.46 MI E OF CR 87, Yolo, CA

Built 1936 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 123

TENNENT AVE

Fair

Over: PINOLE CREEK

0.3 MI S SAN PABLO AVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 8,000

LODI AVE

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

10-SJ-099-30.52-LOD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1963 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 6,500

KOSTER ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

1.6 MI N GAFFERY RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 400

STATE ROUTE 49

Fair

Over: ANGELS CREEK

10-CAL-049-7.16-ANG, Calaveras, CA

Built 1909 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 9,100

STATE ROUTE 89

Fair

Over: WEST FORK CARSON RIVER

10-ALP-089-21.31, Alpine, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 2,150

WARDS FERRY RD

Fair

Over: TUOLUMNE RIVER

7.2 MI NORTH OF SR 120, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1971 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 120

STEVENS CYN RD

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK

0.8 MI SW/O MT EDEN RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1957 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 810

HAZELDEAN ROAD

Fair

Over: M.I.D. MAIN CANAL

0.2 MI N/O SR 132, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 379

WARNERVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK TRIBUTARY

1.0 MI NW JCT TIM BELL RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 170

CHURCH STREET

Fair

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #3

0.5 MI N/O PARKER RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,500

STATE ROUTE 152 WB

Fair

Over: ARROYO CANAL

10-MER-152-23.93, Merced, CA

Built 1921 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 9,300

Showing 1,301-1,350 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.