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

MURPHY ROAD

Good

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

0.6 MI N OF LONE TREE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1926 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 380

N680-W580E580-N680

Good

Over: E580-N680 580 N680-W580

04-ALA-680-R20.03-PLE, Alameda, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 22,700

INTERSTATE 980

Good

Over: 27TH NORTHGATE SYCAMORE

04-ALA-980-1.33-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1969 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 57,500

SWANTON RD

Good

Over: LITTLE CREEK

2.8 MI NW OF SR 1, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1940 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 240

S280-S87 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: MINOR AVENUE

04-SCL-280-R2.63-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 19,600

STATE ROUTE 237 WB

Good

Over: UP RR YD ACCESS RD BARTD

04-SCL-237-10.20-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1969 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 36,500

SPERRY ROAD

Good

Over: SALADO CREEK

1.7 MI E/O I-5 W/O AE AV, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1920 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 8,770

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK

05-MON-001-11.67, Monterey, CA

Built 1961 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 2,000

LEGGET DR

Good

Over: PORTER SLOUGH

0.4 MI N SR 190, Tulare, CA

Built 1937 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 3,600

STATE ROUTE 227

Good

Over: EAST FORK PISMO CREEK

05-SLO-227-5.26, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1966 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 3,550

STATE ROUTE 227

Good

Over: WEST CORRAL DE PIEDRA CR

05-SLO-227-R7.34, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 11,500

S CHESTER AVE OC

Good

Over: ROUTE 58

06-KER-058-R53.52-BKD, Kern, CA

Built 1976 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 20,000

STATE ROUTE 33

Good

Over: BALLINGER CANYON

05-SB-033-7.05, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1953 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 455

STATE ROUTE 166

Good

Over: CUYAMA RIVER

05-SB-166-R30.73, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1974 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 2,500

CLARA STREET

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 710

07-LA-710-19.40-BELL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 10,800

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: SHOUP AVE

07-LA-101-25.88-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 202,000

GENEVA ST

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 134

07-LA-134-R7.60-GNDL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 7,000

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: GORMAN SCHOOL RD

07-LA-005-R85.80, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 37,708

E91-N710 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: I 710 W91-S710 N710-E91

07-LA-091-R11.65-LBCH, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 38,001

COLORADO BLVD

Good

Over: ARROYO BLVD / ARROYO S

0.5MI E/O SAN RAFAEL AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1913 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 10,600

CAMINO REAL

Good

Over: ARCADIA WASH

0.1MI E/O EL MONTE AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1955 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 4,692

WHITES CYN RD

Good

Over: SP/UP RR

0.4MI S/O SOLEDAD CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1992 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 29,799

INTERSTATE 15 SB

Good

Over: CLARK MOUNTAIN DITCH

08-SBD-015-167.99L, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1963 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 18,500

INTERSTATE 15 NB

Good

Over: CLARK MOUNTAIN DITCH

08-SBD-015-167.99R, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1963 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 18,500

STATE ROUTE 18

Good

Over: E138-S18 CONNECTOR RAMP

08-SBD-018-R17.76, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 8,600

ORANGETHORPE AVE

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5 UP RR

12-ORA-005-42.54-BPK, Orange, CA

Built 2003 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 24,000

LAMPSON AVENUE

Good

Over: BOLSA CHICA CHANNEL

0.8 MI W/O VALLEY VIEW, Orange, CA

Built 1966 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 25,000

INTERSTATE 10 WB

Good

Over: SMOKY GULCH

08-RIV-010-R63.65-COA, Riverside, CA

Built 1964 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 11,250

INTERSTATE 10 EB

Good

Over: EAST COTTON GULCH

08-RIV-010-R80.65, Riverside, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 11,250

REDLANDS BLVD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 60

08-RIV-060-20.37, Riverside, CA

Built 1964 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 1,900

INTERSTATE 10 WB

Good

Over: PAUL GULCH

08-RIV-010-R81.21, Riverside, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 11,250

STATE ROUTE 111 NB

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 10

08-RIV-111-R63.34, Riverside, CA

Built 1966 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 7,140

RANCHO CALIFORNIA

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 15

08-RIV-015-4.98-TMCA, Riverside, CA

Built 1976 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 8,000

PERSHING DR-S5 ON

Good

Over: B ST & PERSHING DR-17 ST

11-SD-005-R15.33-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1963 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 6,800

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: LAUREL STREET

11-SD-005-R17.21-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1962 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 156,000

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Good

Over: CARRIZO GORGE RD SDIV RR

11-SD-008-R72.55, San Diego, CA

Built 1967 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 8,150

TAVERN RD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 8

11-SD-008-R28.46, San Diego, CA

Built 1969 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 9,600

OCEANVIEW BLVD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 805

11-SD-805-12.09-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 8,260

CARLSBAD BLVD

Good

Over: MTDB BNSF RY AMTRAK

0.5MI N/O CARLSBAD VLG RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1925 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 20,713

LYONS RD

Good

Over: NEW RIVER

2.0 MI E/O BROCKMAN RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1940 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 500

FTORD 19038: OLD R

Good

Over: EL TORO CREEK

4 mi SW of Salinas CA, Monterey, CA

Built 1940 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 100

WINDING ROAD

Good

Over: HULL CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1990 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 50

STATE ROUTE 96

Good

Over: IRVING CREEK

02-SIS-096-R7.25, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1966 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 410

AZALEA ROAD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

02-SIS-005-R8.29, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1964 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 500

STATE ROUTE 299

Good

Over: RUSH CREEK

02-MOD-299-8.07, Modoc, CA

Built 1964 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 1,500

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 44

02-SHA-005-R15.43-RDG, Shasta, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 26,500

CHARD AVE

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

02-TEH-005-R18.78, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 310

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: ELDER CREEK

02-TEH-005-R16.99, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 14,000

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: ELDER CREEK

02-TEH-005-R16.99, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 14,000

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: BURCH CREEK

02-TEH-005-R8.01, Tehama, CA

Built 1966 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 13,500

Showing 15,251-15,300 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.