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

EIGHT MILE RD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

10-SJ-099-25.42, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 5,840

HARNEY LANE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

10-SJ-099-28.48, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 7,500

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: FOURTEEN MILE SLOUGH

10-SJ-005-31.00-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1968 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 111,000

INTERSTATE 580

Good

Over: WEBSTER STREET

04-ALA-580-44.81-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 201,000

INTERSTATE 680 SB

Good

Over: GRIMMER BLVD

04-ALA-680-M3.35-FMT, Alameda, CA

Built 1971 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 70,000

PINE STREET

Good

Over: SR 99 RAMP STREET UP RR

10-STA-099-R11.30-CER, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1965 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 12,000

STATE ROUTE 152 WB

Good

Over: SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

10-MER-152-R37.16, Merced, CA

Built 1969 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 8,425

SANTA FE AVENUE

Good

Over: NORTH FORK DEADMAN CREEK

1.5 MI NW BCHANAN HOLO RD, Merced, CA

Built 1965 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 476

STATE ROUTE 25

Good

Over: TRES PINOS CREEK

05-SBT-025-42.42, San Benito, CA

Built 1954 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 2,000

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: HILLSIDE ABOVE OCEAN

05-MON-001-7.24, Monterey, CA

Built 1984 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 2,000

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: HILLSIDE

05-MON-001-56.25, Monterey, CA

Built 1986 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 4,300

N CHESTER AVE

Good

Over: BEARDSLEY CANAL

SOUTH OF DECATUR DRIVE, Kern, CA

Built 1941 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 15,000

STATE ROUTE 23 SB

Good

Over: PAIGE LANE

07-VEN-023-R4.34-THOK, Ventura, CA

Built 1970 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 94,000

MUPU RD

Good

Over: SANTA PAULA CREEK

0.2 MI E OF SR 150, Ventura, CA

Built 1946 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 100

STATE ROUTE 91

Good

Over: PIONEER BLVD

07-LA-091-R18.09-ART, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 262,000

MANCHESTER BLVD

Good

Over: N405-LA CIENEGA OFF RAMP

07-LA-405-23.36-ING, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 150,000

STATE ROUTE 57

Good

Over: COLD SPRING LANE

07-LA-057-R2.52-DMBR, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 198,000

MRTN L KING JR AVE

Good

Over: SPTCO

0.7MI N/O SR-1 HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 6,695

BEL AIR RD

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

SUNSET BL & ST PIERRE RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1923 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 4,750

STATE ROUTE 79

Good

Over: TEMECULA CREEK

08-RIV-079-14.43, Riverside, CA

Built 1939 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 20,553

EISENHOWER DRIVE

Good

Over: LA QUINTA CHANNEL

0.3 MI. S/O 50TH AVENUE, Riverside, CA

Built 1981 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 2,462

STATE ROUTE 78

Good

Over: BONDIT DITCH

11-IMP-078-8.34, Imperial, CA

Built 1949 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 1,200

NIMITZ DRIVE

Good

Over: FORK DRIVE

1300 SNEATH LN LN SAN BR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1940 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 10

LASSEN LANE

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

02-SIS-005-R11.17-MSHA, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1964 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,650

STATE ROUTE 299 WB

Good

Over: HAWLEY ROAD

02-SHA-299-25.54, Shasta, CA

Built 1974 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10,100

STATE ROUTE 99

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

03-BUT-099-40.65, Butte, CA

Built 1950 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 11,600

FOUTS SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

0.2 MI W LADOGA-STNYFD RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 237

SILVERADO TRAIL

Good

Over: NAPA RIVER OVERFLOW

0.2 MI NORTH HARDMAN RD, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5,450

STATE ROUTE 99 SB

Good

Over: NORTH CHANNEL DRY CREEK

03-SAC-099-0.13-GAL, Sacramento, CA

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 29,500

STOCKTON BLVD

Good

Over: MORRISON CREEK TRIBUTARY

0.1 MI S OF FOWLER AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1924 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 26,332

DEL PASO RD WB

Good

Over: EAST DRAINAGE CANAL

0.24MI E/O TRUXEL RD., Sacramento, CA

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 8,697

ELVERTA ROAD

Good

Over: NATOMAS EAST MAIN DRAIN

1.1 MI W RIO LINDA BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1976 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5,000

STEINER RD

Good

Over: MORRISON CREEK

SOUTH OF 53RD AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5,450

THIRD ST

Good

Over: SAN PABLO CREEK

AT PARR BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1955 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,222

COTTA ROAD

Good

Over: UPLAND CANAL

1.0 MI W OF I-5, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1974 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 138

INTERSTATE 880

Good

Over: HETCH HETCHY AQUEDUCT

04-ALA-880-7.32-FMT, Alameda, CA

Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 187,000

E24-MLK JR OFFRAMP

Good

Over: 42ND STREET

04-ALA-024-R2.33-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 21,300

STATE ROUTE 92

Good

Over: WEST HILLSDALE BLVD

04-SM-092-R9.38-SM, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 72,000

STATE ROUTE 1 SB

Good

Over: BEACH ROAD

05-SCR-001-R1.02-WAT, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 19,500

STATE ROUTE 1 NB

Good

Over: BEACH ROAD

05-SCR-001-R1.02-WAT, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 19,500

TASMAN DRIVE

Good

Over: BARBER LANE

0.2 KM WEST OF I-880, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1996 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 15,550

OAKDALE RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.1 MI W OF SHAFFER, Merced, CA

Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 977

KAHLON ROAD

Good

Over: DUCK SLOUGH

2.3 MI SE OF E MISSION RD, Merced, CA

Built 1914 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 384

ELKHORN RD

Good

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

0.1 MI N GARIN RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25,700

BRIDGE STREET

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 198

06-TUL-198-R10.15-VIS, Tulare, CA

Built 1964 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5,900

STATE ROUTE 65

Good

Over: HENDERSON AVENUE

06-TUL-065-R20.14-PTRV, Tulare, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 15,000

STATE ROUTE 65

Good

Over: HENDERSON AVENUE

06-TUL-065-R20.14-PTRV, Tulare, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 15,000

D 152 (DRUM VLY)

Good

Over: MURRAY CREEK

.25 MI N OF SR245, Tulare, CA

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 95

ROAD 208

Good

Over: PORTER SLOUGH

0.47 MI S OF AVE 176, Tulare, CA

Built 1941 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 700

AVE 238

Good

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.25 MI W OF RD 224, Tulare, CA

Built 1956 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 275

Showing 13,551-13,600 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.