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

HURLEY WAY

Good

Over: CHICKEN RANCH SLOUGH

340 FT E/O ETHAN WAY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20,329

POWER INN RD

Good

Over: STRAWBERRY CREEK

100 FT N/O CALVINE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,278

ROSEVILLE ROAD

Good

Over: MAGPIE CREEK

325 FT NE/O MYRTLE AVENUE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,688

WITTKOP WAY

Good

Over: STRONG RANCH SLOUGH

160 FT E/O HESKET WAY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,067

FOLSOM BLVD

Good

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

1.5 MI NE OF SUNRISE BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,684

ARNO ROAD

Good

Over: BADGER CREEK

260 FT E OF ALTA MESA RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

DUDLEY BLVD

Good

Over: MAGPIE CREEK

SOUTH OF ARNOLD AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 50

Good

Over: CARSON CREEK

03-ED-050-R1.90L, El Dorado, CA

Built 1939 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 72,000

LATROBE ROAD

Good

Over: LITTLE INDIAN CREEK

S PLYMOUTH SACRAMENTO RD, Amador, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,579

NICASIO VLY RD

Good

Over: NICASIO DRAIN #1

12.4 MI N OF HWY 101, Marin, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,750

LUCKY DRIVE

Good

Over: BRANCH CORTE MADERA CRK

IN CORTE MADERA, Marin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,000

LINDARO ST

Good

Over: MAHON CREEK

SOUTH OF ANDERSEN DR, Marin, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,735

REDWOOD HWY

Good

Over: GALLINAS CREEK

IN SAN RAFAEL, Marin, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,000

FREITAS PRKY

Good

Over: GALLINAS CREEK

0.3 MI W US HWY 101, Marin, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,738

LAS GALINAS AV

Good

Over: GALLINAS CREEK

AT FREITAS PKWY, Marin, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,871

3RD ST

Good

Over: IRWIN CREEK

AT HETHERTON ST, Marin, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20,000

PACIFIC WAY

Good

Over: REDWOOD CREEK

0.09 MI S SR 1, Marin, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 75

LA GOMA ST

Good

Over: AYO CORTE MADERA DEL PRE

300 FT N OF MILLER AVE, Marin, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,000

W CASTLEWOOD DRIVE

Good

Over: SAN RAFAEL BAY INLET

SW OF KNIGHT DRIVE, Marin, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

SAN PABLO AVE

Good

Over: MCCARTHY CREEK

0.2 MI NE TARA HILLS DR, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 15,109

YGNACIO VALLEY RD

Good

Over: PINE CREEK

0.2 MI E OAK GROVE RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 39,300

BYRON HWY

Good

Over: BRUSHY CREEK

2.9 MI N ALAMEDA CO LINE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,023

WILBUR AVE

Good

Over: E ANTIOCH CREEK

0.05 MI W OF CAVALLO RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,603

COURT LANE

Good

Over: GALINDO CREEK

0.1 MI S COWELL RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

WHITMAN RD

Good

Over: SDM CHANNEL

0.3 MI NE OAK GROVE RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,500

ALCOSTA BLVD

Good

Over: SOUTH SAN RAMON CREEK

0.9 MI EAST OF I-680, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 26,700

TREAT BLVD

Good

Over: PINE CREEK

AT SAN MIGUEL RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 18,245

HARBOR ST

Good

Over: KIRKER CREEK

AT STONEMAN AVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,000

WEST EL PINTADO RD

Good

Over: GREEN VALLEY CREEK

300 FT N DIABLO RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,322

CONCORD AVENUE

Good

Over: MARSH CREEK

1.0 MI W WALNUT AVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,979

FAIRVIEW AVENUE

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

AT SAND CREEK ROAD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,500

MORNINGHOME RD

Good

Over: SYCAMORE CREEK

AT SYCAMORE VALLEY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 400

VALLEY VIEW RD

Good

Over: SAN PABLO CREEK

0.2 MI E SAN PABLO DAM RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,760

MAY ROAD

Good

Over: SAN PABLO CREEK

AT SAN PABLO DAM RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,468

OLD RANCH RD

Good

Over: ALAMO CREEK

0.2 MI W DOUGHERTY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

PINE VALLEY RD

Good

Over: SOUTH SAN RAMON CREEK

0.5 MI W ALCOSTA BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 9,000

MONTEVIDEO DR

Good

Over: SOUTH SAN RAMON CREEK

0.5 MI W ALCOSTA BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,000

OLD ORCHARD RD

Good

Over: SYCAMORE CREEK

AT SYCAMORE VALLEY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,200

DUNCAN STREET

Good

Over: WALNUT CREEK

AT N. BROADWAY STREET, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,000

MT. DIABLO BLVD

Good

Over: LAS TRAMPAS CREEK

100 FT E. OF N. BROADWAY, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,294

MT. DIABLO BLVD

Good

Over: SAN RAMON CREEK

50 FT W. OF N. BROADWAY, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,294

PEARSON RD

Good

Over: PIXLEY SLOUGH

0.7 MI N MORSE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 415

BUENA VISTA ROAD

Good

Over: MURPHY CREEK

2.1 MI EAST TO S.H. 88, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 91

KAISER ROAD

Good

Over: SOUTH BRANCH WEBER CREEK

0.5 MI S MARIPOSA RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 276

KAISER ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH BRANCH WEBER CREEK

0.2 MI S MARIPOSA RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 235

WAVERLY RD

Good

Over: CHANNEL B

0.2 MI N OF FLOOD RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 249

MICKE GROVE RD

Good

Over: PIXLEY CREEK

0.7 MI S ARMSTRONG RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,079

DUNCAN RD

Good

Over: CHANNEL B

0.3 MI N COPPEROPOLIS RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 353

STATE ROUTE 49

Good

Over: CHEROKEE CREEK

10-CAL-049-9.01-ANG, Calaveras, CA

Built 1941 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,050

CALIFORNIA ST

Good

Over: SAN ANDREAS CREEK

0.05 MI W/O POPE ST, Calaveras, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 395

Showing 14,051-14,100 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.