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 STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: MILES CREEK

0.45 MI SE/O HEALY RD, Merced, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 384

N ROLINDA AVE

Fair

Over: HOUGHTON CANAL

0.5 MI SOUTH OF BELMONT, Fresno, CA

Built 1942 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 340

N DICKENSON AVE

Fair

Over: HERNDON CANAL

AT BARSTOW AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 300

VALLEY GREEN DR

Fair

Over: CARMEL RIVER

0.6 MI S CARMEL VALLEY RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1963 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,400

M 112

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

13.9 MI SE OF M120, Tulare, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 25

BURTON RD

Fair

Over: SANTA ROSA CREEK

0.15 MI S MAIN ST CAMBRI, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1968 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 4,125

MASON ST

Fair

Over: ARROYO GRANDE CREEK

0.1 MI S OF SR 227, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1926 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 5,546

PORTOLA RD

Fair

Over: ATASCADERO CREEK

0.1 MI WEST OF SR 41, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 3,500

EAST CABRILLO BLVD

Fair

Over: LAGUNA CHANNEL

0.1 MI E STA. BARBARA ST, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1999 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 12,400

ROUTE 105 & LRT

Fair

Over: ATLANTIC AVE

07-LA-105-R12.88-LYN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1990 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 217,000

KESTER AVE

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

200 NORTH OF US-101, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 30,450

BEAR VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: MOJAVE RIVER

5 MI E RTE I-15, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1963 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 46,361

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: FONDA DITCH

11 MI E OF CRUCERO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 230

AMAPOLA AVENUE

Fair

Over: HANDY CREEK

0.2 MI E/O ORANGE PK BLVD, Orange, CA

Built 1937 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 1,000

LOS BUEYOS ROAD

Fair

Over: LOS BUEYOS CREEK

BETWEEN SEC 19/23, Monterey, CA

Built 1994 Load: 17.6 t ADT: 1

ACCESS ROAD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE ENGINEER RESRV

N DPW ON FENCE SEC 13W, Monterey, CA

Built 2002 Load: 17.6 t ADT: 1

CRAG VIEW DR

Fair

Over: LITTLE CASTLE CREEK

0.1 MI E I-5, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1917 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 75

Fair

Over: PIT RIVER

0.3 MI SOUTH OF SR 299, Modoc, CA

Built 1919 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 202

BERTA RD

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

0.14 MI W ELK RIVER RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1936 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 518

ALBERT ETTER RA RD

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.2 MI SW/O ETRSBG-HNYDW, Humboldt, CA

Built 1985 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 50

MOINE ROAD

Fair

Over: SLATE CREEK

0.1 MI E SLATE CREEK RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 52

TAMARACK ROAD

Fair

Over: OLD COW CREEK

0.5 MI E OF LUMBER RD, Shasta, CA

Built 2001 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 20

WOODLAND AVE

Fair

Over: MCCLURE CREEK

0.1 MI S TEHAMA AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1929 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 400

WOODSON AVE

Fair

Over: HALL CREEK

0.05 MI N OLIVEWOOD AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 194

KEDDIE RESORT ROAD

Fair

Over: SPANISH CREEK

AT SR 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1914 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 140

WILDERNESS LDGE RD

Fair

Over: DUTCH CHARLIE CREEK

0.7 MI N OF BRANSCOMB RD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1969 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 104

HEARST-WILLITS RD

Fair

Over: HAEHL CREEK

0.8 MI E JCT SR 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1952 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,375

HEARST-WILLITS RD

Fair

Over: DAVIS CREEK

1.3 MI E SH 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,648

ROAD 67

Fair

Over: BRANCH HOWARD SLOUGH

1.3 MI EAST OF ROAD Z, Glenn, CA

Built 1937 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 93

OROVILLE GRIDLEY H

Fair

Over: FEATHER RIVER

1 MI E OF LARKIN RD, Butte, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 5,200

CROUCH AVE

Fair

Over: COMANCHE CREEK

STEVENS AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 213

NELSON BAR RD

Fair

Over: HODDAP CREEK

2.7 MI W CONCOW RD, Butte, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 43

PEARL STREET

Fair

Over: DOWNIE RIVER

DOWNIEVILLE, Sierra, CA

Built 1934 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 100

PLUMBAGO ROAD

Fair

Over: KANAKA CREEK

1.6 MI SOUTH OF ALLEGHANY, Sierra, CA

Built 1985 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 20

RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: COLUSA WEIR

1.3 MI NORTH OF COLUSA, Colusa, CA

Built 1933 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,224

FRUITLAND RD

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

0.9 MI S BUTTE CO LINE, Yuba, CA

Built 1920 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 400

GLADDINGS RD

Fair

Over: DOTY RAVINE

0.9 MI N OF WISE RD, Placer, CA

Built 1935 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 789

JOHN SCOTT TRAIL

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.1 MI S ALPINE MEADOW RD, Placer, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 450

FOURTH ST

Fair

Over: FIFE CREEK

NEAR BROOKSIDE LN, Sonoma, CA

Built 1926 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,800

E50-TOWER BR GTWY

Fair

Over: US 50 & JEFFERSON BLVD

03-YOL-050-2.44-WSAC, Yolo, CA

Built 1966 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 5,000

I STREET

Fair

Over: UP RR BNSF AMTRAK ETC

BTWN I-5 & SACRAMENTO RIV, Sacramento, CA

Built 1936 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 4,995

ALEXANDER AVENUE

Fair

Over: EAST ROAD

1.3 KM EAST OF SR 101, Marin, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 7,201

N. BROADWAY

Fair

Over: WALNUT CREEK

B/W LINCOLN & DUNCAN ST., Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 20,905

JACKSONVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: DON PEDRO RESERVOIR

0.6 MI N/O SR 120, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1970 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,491

OAKLAND AVENUE

Fair

Over: LINDA AVENUE

LINDA AVENUE, Alameda, CA

Built 1911 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 8,058

N280-S17 CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: I 280 SR 17 CONNS MOORPK

04-SCL-280-L5.40-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1971 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 28,000

W BAYSHORE RD

Fair

Over: ADOBE CREEK

NEAR ADOBE CREEK TRAIL, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1959 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 12,000

WARBURTON AVE

Fair

Over: SARATOGA CREEK

SHAMROC AV AND RAVIZZA AV, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1959 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,120

ARROYO HONDO ROAD

Fair

Over: ARROYO HONDO CREEK

6.3 MI FROM FELTER RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1980 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 10

STATE ROUTE 132

Fair

Over: SNAKE RAVINE

10-STA-132-46.82, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1918 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,550

Showing 1,351-1,400 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.