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

STATE ROUTE 89

Good

Over: GRAEAGLE CREEK

02-PLU-089-7.29, Plumas, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,025

STATE ROUTE 70

Good

Over: CLEAR STREAM

02-PLU-070-42.86, Plumas, CA

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,700

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: ROSETTI CREEK

01-MEN-101-10.46, Mendocino, CA

Built 1942 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 13,800

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK COTTONEVA CRK

01-MEN-001-87.82, Mendocino, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,185

STATE ROUTE 162

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

03-GLE-162-43.54, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 370

COUNTY RD 200

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

2.1 MI W OF CO RD 306, Glenn, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 99W

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK OVERFLOW

NORTH OF CO RD #48, Glenn, CA

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,678

CO RD #99W

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK OVERFLOW

0.5 MI N CO RD #45, Glenn, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,678

OLD HWY 99W

Good

Over: NORTH FORK LOGAN CREEK

3.5 MI N OF RD #68, Glenn, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 460

ROAD #200

Good

Over: STONY CREEK IRRG CANAL

3.1 MI W OF I-5, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

BAYLISS BLUE GUM R

Good

Over: BAYLISS SLOUGH

2.05 MI E OF I-5, Glenn, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,167

BAYLISS BLUE GUM R

Good

Over: DRAIN A

6 MI E OF I-5, Glenn, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,100

COUNTY RD 30

Good

Over: DRAIN A

0.01 MI E OF RD P, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 310

ROAD P

Good

Over: DRAIN A

0.01 MI N ROAD 30, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 395

COUNTY RD #9

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

0.2 MI E OF RD N, Glenn, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,066

STATE ROUTE 99

Good

Over: CROSS DRAIN

03-BUT-099-45.87, Butte, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,600

STATE ROUTE 32

Good

Over: GABLE DRAW

03-BUT-032-3.74, Butte, CA

Built 1921 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,700

STATE ROUTE 99

Good

Over: CROSS DRAIN

03-BUT-099-45.92, Butte, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,600

MIDWAY RD

Good

Over: NELSON SLOUGH

0.3 MI N NELSON RD, Butte, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,254

MIDWAY RD

Good

Over: LOST SLOUGH

0.6 MI N OF NELSON RD, Butte, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,380

CAMP CREEK RD

Good

Over: FLEA VALLEY CREEK

TRNOFF 0.9 MI ON PULGA RD, Butte, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19

BANGOR PARK RD

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

1.0 MI W OF BANGOR HWY, Butte, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

DUNSTONE DRIVE

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

N OF LA PORTE RD, Butte, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,000

SR 20

Good

Over: POWELL SLOUGH

03-COL-020-28.54, Colusa, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,400

OLD 99W

Good

Over: GLENN VALLEY SLOUGH OFLO

1.9 MI NORTH OF HAAS RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,298

STATE ROUTE 70

Good

Over: FEATHER RIVER BLVD

03-YUB-070-13.01, Yuba, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 37,500

FOURTEENTH ST

Good

Over: ELLIS LAKE

BETWEEN C & D STREETS, Yuba, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,500

RAIL ROAD AVENUE

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

200S IDAHO MARYLAND RD, Nevada, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 882

FJORD RD

Good

Over: ALDER CREEK

BTWN ALDER CR RD NWOOD BL, Nevada, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,145

STATE ROUTE 113

Good

Over: PHEASANT CANAL

03-SUT-113-9.15, Sutter, CA

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,600

VARNEY ROAD

Good

Over: ROBBINS (DRAINAGE) CANAL

@ RECLAMATION ROAD, Sutter, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 101

PLEASANT GROVE RD

Good

Over: BUNKHAM SLOUGH

11.5 MI N/O RIEGO RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,296

FRANKLIN RD

Good

Over: WADSWORTH DITCH

1.4 MI W OF ACACIA RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 280

SIERRA COLLEGE BLV

Good

Over: MINERS RAVINE

2.7 MI N OF CO LINE, Placer, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,106

LINCOLN BLVD

Good

Over: YANKEE SLOUGH

0.53 MI S OF NADER LN, Placer, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,800

STATE ROUTE 128

Good

Over: HEADER DRAW

04-SON-128-5.26, Sonoma, CA

Built 1900 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,650

STATE ROUTE 116

Good

Over: BLUCHER CREEK

04-SON-116-29.83, Sonoma, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,550

STATE ROUTE 116

Good

Over: GOSSAGE CREEK

04-SON-116-33.37, Sonoma, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,000

STATE ROUTE 121

Good

Over: BRANCH ARROYO SECO

04-SON-121-8.51, Sonoma, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,000

WB STATE ROUTE 12

Good

Over: SANTA ROSA AVE

04-SON-012-R16.26-SRO, Sonoma, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 36,500

RIVER RD

Good

Over: GREEN VALLEY CREEK

6.5 MI INTX WITH SR 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,700

RINCONADA DR

Good

Over: DUCKER CREEK

0.3 M SOUTH OF MONTECITO, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,000

DRY CREEK RD

Good

Over: FOSS CREEK

1/4 MILE EAST OF SR 101, Sonoma, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 17,950

COFFEY LN

Good

Over: PAULINE CREEK

COFFEY LN, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,000

LOWELL AVE

Good

Over: GOSSAGE CREEK

0.06 MI E GILMORE AVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

STONY POINT RD

Good

Over: COLGAN CR FLD CNTRL CHAN

0.1 MI N/O TODD RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 13,600

SKILLMAN LANE

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

EAST OF THOMPSON LANE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,600

SOUTH ELY ROAD

Good

Over: SOUTH ELY CREEK

0.8 MI SE FRATES RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

MARKET ST

Good

Over: DUTCH BILL CREEK

JUST S BOHEMIAN HWY, Sonoma, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

CAZADERO HWY

Good

Over: ST ELMO CREEK

EAST OF NEWMARK AVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,550

Showing 13,951-14,000 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.