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

PASKENTA RD

Good

Over: OAT CREEK

0.3 MI S OF DUSTY RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

SOUTH AVE

Good

Over: BURCH CREEK

AT HOUGHTON AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,166

CORNING RD

Good

Over: HOUGHTON CREEK

0.5 MI W/O GLENN RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,640

JACKSON STREET

Good

Over: BRICKYARD CREEK

0.1 MI N OF ALOHA ST, Tehama, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

HATFIELD RD

Good

Over: CORNING CANAL

0.4 MI NE RAWSON RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 120

GERBER RD

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

0.5 MI E HIGHWAY 99W, Tehama, CA

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 600

TEHAMA AVE

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

1.1 MI E OF HIGHWAY 99W, Tehama, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

HAMILTON AVE

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

2.2 MI E HIGHWAY 99 W, Tehama, CA

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

CARONA AVENUE

Good

Over: SOUTH FOLK KOPTA SLOUGH

.2 MI E MARGUERITE AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

TOOMES AVE

Good

Over: BURCH CREEK

0.2 MI S LOLETA AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 550

TYLER RD

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

3.5 MI E HIGHWAY 99W, Tehama, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

WESTOVER DR

Good

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

0.4 MI W TYLER ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

A STREET

Good

Over: UNNAMED DRAINAGE

0.5 MI N KAUFFMAN AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 304

OTTMAN AVE

Good

Over: CORNING CANAL

0.1 MI EAST RAWSON ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1954 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

BENSON RD

Good

Over: PINE CREEK

3.5 MI N BASLER RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 762

ORANGEWOOD RD

Good

Over: NORTH FORK KOPTA SLOUGH

JUST WEST OF HALL RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

MARY AVENUE

Good

Over: JEWETT CREEK

0.7 MI N/O SOUTH AVENUE, Tehama, CA

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

RAWSON ROAD

Good

Over: JEWETT CREEK

N. OF CORNING ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

MCCOY ROAD

Good

Over: BLUE TENT CREEK

2.5 MI WEST OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 173

TOOMES AVE

Good

Over: JEWETT CREEK

JUST NORTH OF FIG LANE, Tehama, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 550

HOUGHTON AVENUE

Good

Over: BRANNIN CREEK

AT OLIVEWOOD DRIVE, Tehama, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 95

BOWMAN ROAD

Good

Over: S. F. COTTONWOOD CREEK

10.6 MILES WEST OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,205

RAWSON RD

Good

Over: RED BANK CREEK

1 MI N RIVERSIDE AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

MCCOY ROAD

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK DIBBLE CREEK

JUST NORTH OF HWY 36, Tehama, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,462

MCCOY RD.

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK DIBBLE CREEK

0.5 MI NORTH OF HWY 36, Tehama, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,462

JELLYS FERRY RD

Good

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

7.1 MI NE OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,695

CONE GROVE ROAD

Good

Over: NEW CREEK

0.8 MI E OF SH99, Tehama, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

JELLYS FERRY RD

Good

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER OVERFLW

7.5 MI NE I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,695

REEDS CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: PINE CREEK

0.3 MI WEST OF WILDER RD, Tehama, CA

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,660

STATE ROUTE 70

Good

Over: CHAMBERS CREEK

02-PLU-070-9.04, Plumas, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,345

STATE ROUTE 89

Good

Over: SULPHUR CREEK

02-PLU-089-3.40, Plumas, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,015

STATE ROUTE 89

Good

Over: BNSF RY

02-PLU-089-19.90, Plumas, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,050

STATE ROUTE 89

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

02-PLU-089-20.01, Plumas, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,050

STATE ROUTE 70

Good

Over: GREENHORN CR UP RR BNSF

02-PLU-070-51.21, Plumas, CA

Built 1956 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,425

STATE ROUTE 284

Good

Over: LITTLE LAST CHANCE CREEK

02-PLU-284-7.01, Plumas, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 640

STATE ROUTE 70

Good

Over: YELLOW CREEK

02-PLU-070-14.90, Plumas, CA

Built 2020 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,345

STATE ROUTE 89

Good

Over: LAKE ALMANOR SPILLWAY

02-PLU-089-29.97, Plumas, CA

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,150

JOHNSVILLE ROAD

Good

Over: JAMISON CREEK

5.1 MI W SH 89, Plumas, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 560

CR 413 SPN RCH RD

Good

Over: SPANISH CREEK

0.1 MI N BUCKS LAKE RD, Plumas, CA

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

COUNTY ROAD 322A

Good

Over: BAILEY CREEK

W OF CR 322 N OF CA 36, Plumas, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

CHSTR-WARNER VLYRD

Good

Over: WARNER CREEK

C.R. 312, Plumas, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 280

STATE ROUTE 128

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

01-MEN-128-17.88, Mendocino, CA

Built 1931 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,300

STATE ROUTE 162

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

01-MEN-162-28.74, Mendocino, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,200

STATE ROUTE 20

Good

Over: BROADDUS CREEK

01-MEN-020-31.20, Mendocino, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,700

STATE ROUTE 20

Good

Over: BROADDUS CREEK

01-MEN-020-31.56, Mendocino, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,700

RTE 101S - RTE 20W

Good

Over: HAEHL CREEK

01-MEN-101-R43.79, Mendocino, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,000

RTE 20E - RTE 101N

Good

Over: HAEHL CREEK

01-MEN-101-R43.79, Mendocino, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,000

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: GREENWOOD CREEK

01-MEN-001-33.63, Mendocino, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,100

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: PUDDING CREEK

01-MEN-001-62.12-FBG, Mendocino, CA

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,950

US HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: HAEHL CREEK

01-MEN-101-45.52, Mendocino, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,000

Showing 16,451-16,500 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.