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

STATE ROUTE 198 WB

Good

Over: AKERS STREET

06-TUL-198-6.76, Tulare, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,500

LINWOOD STREET

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 198

06-TUL-198-7.26, Tulare, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

DEMAREE STREET

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 198

06-TUL-198-7.76, Tulare, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,180

COUNTY CENTER DR

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 198

06-TUL-198-8.10, Tulare, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,000

STATE ROUTE 99

Good

Over: DEER CREEK

06-TUL-099-8.72, Tulare, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 41,000

STATE ROUTE 65

Good

Over: TULE RIVER

06-TUL-065-18.72, Tulare, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

STATE ROUTE 65

Good

Over: TULE RIVER

06-TUL-065-18.72, Tulare, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

STATE ROUTE 198

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

06-TUL-198-33.53, Tulare, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,500

STATE ROUTE 245

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

06-TUL-245-16.32, Tulare, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

ROAD 68

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 198

06-TUL-198-R3.30R, Tulare, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,000

SANTA FE STREET

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 198

06-TUL-198-R10.22-VIS, Tulare, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

STATE ROUTE 99

Good

Over: KINGS RIVER

06-TUL-099-52.60, Tulare, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 49,000

STATE ROUTE 99

Good

Over: AVENUE 24

06-TUL-099-3.06, Tulare, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 44,500

BETTY DRIVE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

06-TUL-099-40.85, Tulare, CA

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

CARTMILL AVENUE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

06-TUL-099-31.90, Tulare, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,270

STATE ROUTE 99 NB

Good

Over: CROSS CREEK

06-TUL-099-45.70, Tulare, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,250

AVE 152 (OLIVE ST)

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

06-TUL-099-19.46-TIP, Tulare, CA

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,400

ROAD 80

Good

Over: ELBOW CREEK

0.8 MI S OF AVE 360, Tulare, CA

Built 1956 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,160

AVE 295

Good

Over: JOHNSON SLOUGH

0.5 MI W OF RD 180, Tulare, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

ROAD 64

Good

Over: TULE RIVER

0.5 MI S OF AVE 168, Tulare, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

ROAD 180

Good

Over: KAWEAH RIVER

0.5 MI N OF AVE 304, Tulare, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 380

ROAD 32

Good

Over: HOMELAND CANAL

0.1 MI N OF AVE 62, Tulare, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

ROAD 40

Good

Over: HOMELAND CANAL

0.4 MI N OF AVE 68, Tulare, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 350

JACK RANCH RD

Good

Over: POSO CREEK

0.1 MI S OF OLD STAGE RD, Tulare, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 320

WALNUT AVE

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

1.1 MI W OF RD 140, Tulare, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,400

AVE 408

Good

Over: TRAVER DITCH

AT ROAD 52, Tulare, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 290

AVE 280

Good

Over: YOKOHL CREEK

@ MTN 296 (YOKOHL DR), Tulare, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

ROAD 99

Good

Over: KERN RIVER

4.1 MI E OF CR M50, Tulare, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 875

DEMAREE ST

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.1 MI NORTH SR 198, Tulare, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,200

SANTA FE AVE

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

0.15 MI N OF K RD, Tulare, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,500

COURT ST

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

GREEN OAKS AVE, Tulare, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,600

AVE 416 E MTN VIEW

Good

Over: KINGS RIVER

0.1 MI E OF ROAD 38, Tulare, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

M319

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK KAWEAH RIVER

0.4 MI S. OF S. FORK RD., Tulare, CA

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

COUNTY CENTER DR

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

@ CAMERON AVE, Tulare, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,400

AVE 360

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK BRANCH

1.5 MILES EAST OF ROAD 80, Tulare, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 950

ROAD 182

Good

Over: DEEP CREEK

0.2 MI S OF AVE 304, Tulare, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

ROAD 224

Good

Over: DEER CREEK

1 MILE N OF AVE 32, Tulare, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 310

ROAD 148

Good

Over: OUTSIDE CREEK

0.15 MI SO OF AVE 224, Tulare, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 675

ROAD 56

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

0.3 MILES S. OF AVE 256, Tulare, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

6TH ST (ROAD D39)

Good

Over: TRAVER CANAL

AT AVE 368, Tulare, CA

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 450

ROLLER DR

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

0.25 MI E OF SR 63, Tulare, CA

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

AVENUE 360

Good

Over: BANKS DITCH

@ ROAD 80, Tulare, CA

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 725

VISALIA PARKWAY

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

AT COUNTY CENTER DR, Tulare, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,366

TULARE AVE

Good

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

550 FT E OF MCAULIFF, Tulare, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,000

BEAR CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: RANCHERIA CREEK

3.4 MI E OF BALCH PARK RD, Tulare, CA

Built 2019 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

ROAD M348

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK KAWEAH RIVER

11.1 MI SE OF ROAD M347, Tulare, CA

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

ROAD 204

Good

Over: WUTCHUMNA DITCH

0.1 MI S OF AVE 336, Tulare, CA

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

AVE 364

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.2 MI W SR 245, Tulare, CA

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

AVE 392

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

0.4 MI E OF ROAD 108, Tulare, CA

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: WEST WALKER RIVER

09-MNO-395-96.00, Mono, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,950

Showing 18,351-18,400 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.