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

NEW HOPE RD

Good

Over: BEAR SLOUGH

2 MI NE SAN JOAQN CO LINE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1947 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,785

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: UP RAILROAD & FARM ROADS

10-SJ-005-10.65, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 12,450

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: UP RAILROAD & FARM ROADS

10-SJ-005-10.65, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 11,000

LONE TREE RD

Good

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

2.2 MI W OF CO LINE, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,022

UNIVERSITY AVE

Good

Over: SAN FRANCISQUITO CREEK

0.01 MI S WOODLAND AVE, San Mateo, CA

Built 1925 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 24,200

SOQUEL DRIVE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 1

05-SCR-001-14.86, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1948 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 28,896

S85-S17 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: OKA ROAD

04-SCL-085-R10.60-LGTS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1994 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 11,000

SANTA CLARA ST

Good

Over: GUADALUPE RIVER

0.1 MI EAST OF DELMAS AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1924 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 20,350

EAST YOSEMITE AVE

Good

Over: WASTEWAY-FAIRFIELD CANAL

0.9 MI W ARBOLEDA DR, Merced, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 2,569

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

05-MON-001-18.46, Monterey, CA

Built 1934 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 2,000

STATE ROUTE 198 WB

Good

Over: SJVR SPUR & 21ST AVE

06-KIN-198-7.17, Kings, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 9,000

STATE ROUTE 198 EB

Good

Over: SJVR SPUR & 21ST AVE

06-KIN-198-7.17, Kings, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 9,000

STATE ROUTE 43

Good

Over: KINGS RIVER

06-KIN-043-26.76, Kings, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 10,200

STATE ROUTE 99 SB

Good

Over: AVENUE 76

06-TUL-099-9.71, Tulare, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 20,500

STATE ROUTE 99 NB

Good

Over: AVENUE 76

06-TUL-099-9.71, Tulare, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 20,500

D 60

Good

Over: CROSS CREEK

1.15 MI S OF AVE 352, Tulare, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 225

RD 136 (PINKHAM)

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

RD 136 @ WALNUT AVE (288), Tulare, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 875

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: RICKEY DITCH OVERFLOW

09-MNO-395-76.89, Mono, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 6,950

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Good

Over: UP RR HWY 101 N OFFRAMP

05-SLO-101-55.67-PSRS, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 30,500

ST RT 43 (ENOS LN)

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

06-KER-043-1.86, Kern, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 5,450

STATE ROUTE 33

Good

Over: SHELDON CANYON

07-VEN-033-14.58, Ventura, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,150

WB 10

Good

Over: SR 164 (ROSEMEAD BL)

07-LA-010-26.84-RSMD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 107,500

GRAND AVENUE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 110

07-LA-110-30.43-SPAS, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 3,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 1 101

Good

Over: VIRGIL AVE

07-LA-101-4.08-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 175,000

WARDLOW RD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 710

07-LA-710-9.07-LBCH, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 25,000

STATE ROUTE 14

Good

Over: CROWN VALLLEY RD

07-LA-014-R48.61, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 49,000

STATE ROUTE 14

Good

Over: CROWN VALLLEY RD

07-LA-014-R48.61, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 49,000

INTERSTATE 605

Good

Over: BNSF RY & RIVERA RD

07-LA-605-R11.39-SFSP, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 264,000

STATE ROUTE 91

Good

Over: WOODRUFF AVE

07-LA-091-R16.07-BFL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 242,000

INTERSTATE 605 NB

Good

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIVER

07-LA-605-22.69-IRW, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 88,000

SOTO STREET

Good

Over: VALLEY BLVD & UP RR

0.6 MI NORTH OF FWY 10, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 27,790

BONNIE COVE AVE

Good

Over: SAN DIMAS WASH

1.0MI E/O GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 4,152

HODGE ROAD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 15

08-SBD-015-60.16, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 100

ROUTE 40 W BOUND.

Good

Over: WONSAN DITCH

08-SBD-040-R3.81, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 9,850

STATE ROUTE 210 WB

Good

Over: EAST TWIN CREEK CHANNEL

08-SBD-210-R24.76-SBD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 54,500

E LAS PALMAS DR

Good

Over: UP RR

0.3 MI E/O HARBOR BLVD, Orange, CA

Built 1991 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 2,700

STATE ROUTE 79

Good

Over: CANADA VERDE CREEK

11-SD-079-34.17, San Diego, CA

Built 1946 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,700

STATE ROUTE 111

Good

Over: NILAND CREEK

11-IMP-111-45.37, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 3,600

STATE ROUTE 111

Good

Over: PACIFIC WASH

11-IMP-111-54.11, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 3,600

STATE ROUTE 115

Good

Over: ALAMO RIVER

11-IMP-115-10.09, Imperial, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 5,400

ROAD 26N70

Good

Over: DIXIE CREEK

DIXIE CREEK, Plumas, CA

Built 2002 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 150

INDIAN VALLEY

Good

Over: BUTTER CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Trinity, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 50

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: CORP RR & EDGEWOOD RD

02-SIS-005-R25.22, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 7,400

I 5 NB

Good

Over: E96-N5 CON KLAMATH RIVER

02-SIS-005-R58.18R, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 11,050

MOOSE CAMP RD

Good

Over: HATCHET CREEK

0.3 MI S OF S.R. 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 100

BRANSTETTER LANE

Good

Over: A.C.I.D. CANAL

0.1 MI W WESTSIDE RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 3,180

STATE ROUTE 36

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK COTTONWOOD CR

02-TEH-036-R25.54, Tehama, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 470

RIVER ROAD

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

EAST OF WALNUT ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 263

ORANGEWOOD RD

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

EAST OF WALNUT ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 489

INGRAM ROAD

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

0.45 MI N CHRISTIAN RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 87

Showing 14,601-14,650 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.