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

TRACY BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: GRANT LINE CANAL

3 MI N OF I 205, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1959 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 4,513

STATE ROUTE 12

Fair

Over: N. FORK CALAVERAS RIVER

10-CAL-012-17.25, Calaveras, CA

Built 1938 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 7,000

HOGAN DAM RD

Fair

Over: CALAVERAS RIVER

3.8 MI S/O SR 26, Calaveras, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 368

STATE ROUTE 880

Fair

Over: WARD CREEK

04-ALA-880-14.18-UNC, Alameda, CA

Built 1958 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 202,000

BADEN STREET

Fair

Over: RTE I 280 BART TUNNELS

04-SF-280-R2.47-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 400

DUNMAN ST

Fair

Over: HICKEY BLVD

OVER HICKEY BLVD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 823

STATE ROUTE 1 SB

Fair

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

05-SCR-001-17.41-SCR, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 30,000

INTERSTATE 680

Fair

Over: BERRYESSA CREEK

04-SCL-680-M5.81-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1974 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 175,000

FINK ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

2.0 MILES EAST OF I-5, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1948 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 2,201

FINNEY ROAD

Fair

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #6

0.3 MI N MURPHY/BACON RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1922 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 1,165

DALE ROAD

Fair

Over: M.I.D. MAIN CANAL

0.5 MI S OF LADD ROAD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1925 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 3,776

MOOREHEAD ROAD

Fair

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

W/O DRAPER RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1926 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 350

STATE ROUTE 59 SB

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

10-MER-059-15.23-MER, Merced, CA

Built 1940 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 14,000

ATWATER BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: ATWATER CANAL

0.1 MI S/E BERT CRANE RD, Merced, CA

Built 1912 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 4,000

PFITZER ROAD

Fair

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

0.1 MI EAST OF SR 33, Merced, CA

Built 1926 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 102

ATWATER JORDAN RD

Fair

Over: ATWATER CANAL

0.3 MI W CENTRAL AVENUE, Merced, CA

Built 1928 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 1,206

AVENUE 17.5

Fair

Over: BERENDA CREEK

EAST OF ROAD 17, Madera, CA

Built 1940 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 50

N DOWER AVE

Fair

Over: HERNDON CANAL

0.01 MI NORTH OF BARSTOW, Fresno, CA

Built 1939 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 320

AVE 220

Fair

Over: ELK BAYOU

0.18 MI E OF RD 140, Tulare, CA

Built 1945 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 50

ROAD 192

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.7 MI N OF A344, Tulare, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 25

AVE 432 (FLORAL)

Fair

Over: ALTA CANAL

0.4 MI E OF R 109, Tulare, CA

Built 1927 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 325

EL CAMINO REAL

Fair

Over: SANTA MARGARITA CREEK

AT ASUNCION RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 5,046

STATE ROUTE 246

Fair

Over: SANTA YNEZ RIVER

05-SB-246-9.82, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1939 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 8,500

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Fair

Over: CASTILLO STREET

05-SB-101-R14.19-SB, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1963 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 54,500

SR 1

Fair

Over: LITTLE SYCAMORE CREEK

07-VEN-001-1.23, Ventura, CA

Built 1928 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 11,600

STATE ROUTE 126 EB

Fair

Over: TWELFTH STREET

07-VEN-126-R12.29-SPA, Ventura, CA

Built 1965 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 18,250

BONNIE BRAE ST

Fair

Over: ROUTE 101

07-LA-101-2.71-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 4,200

GRAHAM ACCESS

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 605

07-LA-605-23.32-IRW, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 3,400

OLIVE AVE

Fair

Over: FRONT ST SPTCO FLOWER

AT I-5 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 30,104

ROUTE 40 E BOUND

Fair

Over: IWO JIMA STREET

08-SBD-040-R3.43, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1964 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 19,500

INTERSTATE 40 WB

Fair

Over: ROUTE 95

08-SBD-040-R143.74-NED, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1973 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 9,000

ORANGE ST

Fair

Over: ELDER GULCH

0.1 MI S OF FIFTH ST, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1936 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 7,012

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: DAGGET DITCH

0.50 MI E DAGGET YERMO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1929 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 1,052

NORTH ACCESS BR.RD

Fair

Over: EAST ETIWANDA CREEK

0.1 MI NORTH OF I30, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1999 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 2

STATE ROUTE 91

Fair

Over: GILBERT STREET

12-ORA-091-0.72-FUL, Orange, CA

Built 1958 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 265,000

VINE ST

Fair

Over: UNIVERSITY AVENUE

0.12 MI. E/O RTE. 91 FWY., Riverside, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 1,758

LA JOLLA VILLAGE D

Fair

Over: GILMAN DRIVE

0.5 MI W/O I-5, San Diego, CA

Built 1968 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 42,200

SWARTHOUT RD

Fair

Over: WESTSIDE MAIN CANAL

0.2 MI S/O EDGAR RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 66

4TH STREET

Fair

Over: PALO VERDE LAGOON

300 FT E/O SR 78, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 800

PONDEROSA WAY -W B

Fair

Over: W BRANCH FEATHER RIVER

5 mi N of Paradise CA, Butte, CA

Built 1935 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 25

WINDING ROAD

Fair

Over: COLE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Amador, CA

Built 1962 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 50

COLD BOTTLE SPRING

Fair

Over: LITTLE SHASTA RIVER

GOOSENEST, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1970 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 20

ROAD 22N94

Fair

Over: CASCADE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Plumas, CA

Built 1966 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 60

QUARTZ VALLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: SCOTT RIVER

0.3 MI S SCOTT RIVER RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 329

STATE ROUTE 283

Fair

Over: EEL RIVER & NWP RR

01-HUM-283-0.12, Humboldt, CA

Built 1941 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 2,150

HOWARD HEIGHTS RD

Fair

Over: FRESHWATER CREEK

0.01 MI SW FRESHWATER RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1949 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 172

BROOKWOOD DRIVE

Fair

Over: JACOBY CREEK

0.1 MI S/O JACOBY CRK RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1967 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 162

TURNTABLE BAY ROAD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 5 NB

02-SHA-005-R29.32R, Shasta, CA

Built 1968 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 400

ASH CR RD

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

1.2 MI E BALLS FERRY RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 850

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Fair

Over: SUSAN RIVER OVERFLOW

02-LAS-395-R71.92, Lassen, CA

Built 1992 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 1,700

Showing 1,751-1,800 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.