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

N ZEDIKER AVE

Fair

Over: FRESNO CANAL

0.5 MI NORTH OF OLIVE AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1940 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 300

E MCKINLEY AVE

Fair

Over: GOULD CANAL

0.4 MI WEST OF VIAU AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

AVENUE 248

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.1 MI EAST OF ROAD 224, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 175

ROAD 164

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.9 MI N OF AVE 352, Tulare, CA

Built 1947 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 420

COTTONWOOD POW RD

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT

0.6 MI W OF RTE 395 JCT, Inyo, CA

Built 1927 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 50

COTTONWOOD RD

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT

0.5 MI W OF RTE 395 JCT, Inyo, CA

Built 1927 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 50

ASH CREEK RD

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT

0.8 MI W OF RTE 395 JCT, Inyo, CA

Built 1927 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 50

FALL RD

Fair

Over: LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT

0.9 MI W OF RTE 395 JCT, Inyo, CA

Built 1927 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 50

COTTONTAIL CR RD

Fair

Over: COTTONTAIL CREEK

2.67 MI W OF CYPRESS MT R, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1940 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

OCEAN BLVD

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

0.1 MI S CYPRESS MTN DR, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1925 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,044

TWISSELMAN RD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 5

06-KER-005-82.35, Kern, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 350

LOMPOC CASMALIA RD

Fair

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

0.4 MI S/O POINT SAL RD, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1943 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 371

INTERSTATE 405

Fair

Over: SANTA FE AVE

07-LA-405-8.06-LBCH, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 283,000

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: SR 110 CON ST UP RR RIV

07-LA-005-20.31-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 225,000

STATE ROUTE 57

Fair

Over: ARROW HWY

07-LA-057-R10.74-SDMS, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 158,000

BELLFLOWER BLVD

Fair

Over: LOS CERRITOS DR CHAN

50FT S/O SPRING ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 37,100

CHINO HILLS PKWY

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO CHANNEL

0.5 MI E OF RTE 71, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1965 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 26,000

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: SELVA DITCH

18.4 MI E CRUCERO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1933 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 235

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: LEE DITCH

1.57 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 272

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: QUAKER WASH

1.7 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 372

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: BERENDO DITCH

2.1 MI E OF IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 372

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: RIMBO DITCH

5.8 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 372

ARAZ ROAD (CR S24)

Fair

Over: WINDMILL WASH

0.28 MI N/O I-8 EXIT 166, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 510

MISSION CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: MISSION CREEK

N MISS. SA DE PADUA S6/7, Monterey, CA

Built 1965 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 40

RANGE ROAD

Fair

Over: EL PIOJO CREEK

N LITTLE OAK FLAT SEC 27, Monterey, CA

Built 1969 Load: 18.3 t ADT: 1

FRENCH CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK FRENCH CREEK

2.9 MI S OF SR 3, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 245

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: EAST CYPRESS AVE

02-SHA-005-R14.44-RDG, Shasta, CA

Built 1965 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 26,500

PONDEROSA WAY

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK BEAR CREEK

6.4 MI N OF S.R. 44, Shasta, CA

Built 1935 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 87

DERSCH RD

Fair

Over: LACK CREEK

3.2 MI S OF S.R. 44, Shasta, CA

Built 1962 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 896

STEEL BRIDGE RD

Fair

Over: BULLHOCK CREEK

0.7 MI SE OF BATEMAN RD., Shasta, CA

Built 1995 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 10

HESSE RD

Fair

Over: REEDS CREEK

2.4 MI NORTH RIDGE ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1971 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 80

PLUM CREEK RD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK PLUM CREEK

2.1 MI SE PAYNS CK LOP RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1974 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 350

WARNER VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: WARNER CREEK

13.4 MI NW SH36, Plumas, CA

Built 1965 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 90

STATE ROUTE 162

Fair

Over: BIG BUTTE CREEK OVERFLOW

03-BUT-162-0.52, Butte, CA

Built 1943 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 930

LOWER HONCUT RD

Fair

Over: WILSON CREEK

5 MI E/O ST HWY 70, Butte, CA

Built 1950 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 948

WASHINGTON AVENUE

Fair

Over: UP RR & BNSF RY

JUST SE OF MONTGOMERY ST, Butte, CA

Built 1982 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 7,468

MOUNTAIN HOUSE RD

Fair

Over: WOODRUFF CREEK

0.5 MI S OF ROUTE 49, Sierra, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 110

DOG BAR ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAR RIVER

AT NEVADA-PLACER CO LINE, Nevada, CA

Built 1935 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 1,313

ALPINE OC

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 80

03-PLA-080-38.35, Placer, CA

Built 1959 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 548

WATT/CNTR JOINT AV

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.4 MI N OF P.F.E. RD, Placer, CA

Built 1940 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 7,681

DRY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

3.5 MI S OAKVILLE GRADE, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 2,490

COUNTY ROAD 25

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD SLOUGH

1.78 MI W OF CO RD 86A, Yolo, CA

Built 1932 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 25

HILBORN ROAD

Fair

Over: PUTAH SOUTH CANAL

1/2 MI N WATERMAN BL, Solano, CA

Built 1978 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 6,546

LRT FACILITY ACCES

Fair

Over: UP BNSF AMTRAK ROSEVILLE

03-SAC-080-M8.59-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 30

88TH ST

Fair

Over: MORRISON CREEK

0.1 MI S/O 37ST ST, Sacramento, CA

Built 1981 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 3,581

HAPPY VALLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FK COSUMNES RIVER

1.3 MI E MT AUKUM RD, El Dorado, CA

Built 1936 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 240

PT REYES PETLMA RD

Fair

Over: NICASIO CREEK

3.2 MI E OF SR 1, Marin, CA

Built 1937 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 6,000

LONE TREE RD

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

1.4 MI WEST MURPHY RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1928 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 1,104

STATE ROUTE 88

Fair

Over: WEST FORK CARSON RIVER

10-ALP-088-14.70, Alpine, CA

Built 1952 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 3,225

SR 1

Fair

Over: WEST PACIFIC AVE

04-SF-001-6.18-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1939 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 64,000

Showing 1,451-1,500 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.