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

N101-N85 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-R26.78-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,800

STATE ROUTE 237

Good

Over: MIDDLEFIELD ROAD

04-SCL-237-M1.60-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 68,000

STATE ROUTE 237

Good

Over: MAUDE AVENUE

04-SCL-237-M1.80-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 68,000

BEAR CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 17

04-SCL-017-4.30, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,100

S880-W237 CONNCTOR

Good

Over: WB 237 W237-MCCARTHY OFF

04-SCL-880-8.45-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,000

RTE 85 N OFF-RAMP

Good

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101 & RAMPS

04-SCL-085-R23.81-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40,000

NB 101 OFF-RAMP

Good

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-48.97-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,000

DIXON LANDING RD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 880

04-SCL-880-10.42-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 124,400

INTERSTATE 880

Good

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

04-SCL-880-10.38-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 194,000

STATE ROUTE 87

Good

Over: AIRPORT PARKWAY

04-SCL-087-8.75-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 93,000

RTE 85-101 HOV CON

Good

Over: U.S. HWY 101 SB & RAMP

04-SCL-085-R23.83-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 64,000

N85-N101 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101 SB RMP

04-SCL-085-R23.81-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 64,000

101-85 HOV LANES

Good

Over: SB US HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-R26.70-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

SB880 CONN&OFFRAMP

Good

Over: HETCH HETCHY AQUEDUCT

04-SCL-880-7.98-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150,000

STATE ROUTE 82

Good

Over: ADOBE CREEK

04-SCL-082-22.34-PA, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,250

INTERSTATE 880 NB

Good

Over: HETCH HETCHY AQUEDUCT

04-SCL-880-8.00-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,500

NB 280 TO NB 880

Good

Over: NB I-280 & I-880 OFFRAMP

04-SCL-280-5.34, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

STEVENS CR BLVD

Good

Over: SARATOGA CREEK

LAWRENCE EXPRESSWAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 55,000

CAPITOL EXPWY

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

0.6 MI E OF I-680, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 71,250

ALMADEN EXPWAY

Good

Over: CALTRAIN UP RR AMTRAK

AT UP RR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,804

ALMADEN EXPRESSWAY

Good

Over: CAPITOL EXPRESSWAY

AT CAPITOL EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 58,310

CAMPBELL AVE

Good

Over: SAN TOMAS AQUINO CREEK

AT SAN TOMAS AQUINO CR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,750

HOMESTEAD RD

Good

Over: SARATOGA CREEK

0.8 MI E LWRNCE EXPRS WAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,000

A STREET

Good

Over: FOOTHILL EXPRESSWAY

AT FREMONT AVENUE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,470

QUITO RD

Good

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

N/O ALLENDALE AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

PAGE MILL RD

Good

Over: MATADERO CREEK

0.3 MI SOUTH OF I-280, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,000

SAN FELIPE RD

Good

Over: YERBA BUENA CREEK

YERBA BUENA RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,700

HAMILTON AVE

Good

Over: SAN TOMAS AQUINO CREEK

AT SAN TOMAS EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,000

STORY ROAD

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

500 SOUTH OF LYNDALE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 60,000

QUIMBY RD

Good

Over: THOMPSON CREEK

NR CAPITOL EXPRESSWAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,800

GREAT AMERICA PKWY

Good

Over: SAN TOMAS AQUINO CRK

NORTH TASMAN DR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,000

PROSPECT ROAD

Good

Over: SARATOGA CREEK

NEAR ENGLISH DR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,000

MABURY ROAD

Good

Over: PENITENCIA CREEK

0.5 MI E I-680, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,600

BRANHAM LN

Good

Over: CANOAS CREEK

0.3 MI W VISTAPARK DR, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,150

MALONE RD

Good

Over: GUADALUPE RIVER

0.1 MI WEST OF ALMEDAN RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,700

I.O.O.F AVE

Good

Over: MILLER SLOUGH

0.1 MI E. OF MONTEREY ST, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,666

PAYNE AVE

Good

Over: SAN TOMAS AQUINO CREEK

AT SAN TOMAS EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,000

OAKLAND RD

Good

Over: COYOTE CREEK

1.0 MI N OF US 101, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 56,000

KIFER RD

Good

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

0.5 MI E LAWERENCE EXPWAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,200

LA CROSSE DR

Good

Over: LITTLE LLAGAS CREEK

S/O VINEYARD BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 400

MOSS PT DR

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

NEAR SUNDOWN LANE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,200

YERBA BUENA ROAD

Good

Over: THOMPSON CREEK

AT SAN FELIPE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,850

MONTEREY ROAD

Good

Over: WEST BRANCH LLAGAS CREEK

0.6 MI N LEAVESLY RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,300

DAY ROAD

Good

Over: WEST BRANCH LLAGAS CREEK

1 MI W MONTEREY HWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,990

KERN AVE

Good

Over: LIONS CREEK

JUST N/O TATUM AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 700

CHURCH ST

Good

Over: W BRANCH LLAGAS CREEK

0.2 MI N RONAN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,800

W MIDDLE AVE

Good

Over: W LITTLE LLAGAS CREEK

0.25 MI W MONTEREY HWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,170

YERBA BUENA RD

Good

Over: COYOTE CREEK

JUST WEST OF TUERS RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,600

LELONG ST

Good

Over: BY-PASS CHANNEL

AT ALMA AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,000

BROKAW RD

Good

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.1 MI E SR 880, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 58,800

Showing 17,751-17,800 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.