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

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: WIDE WASH

4.3 MI E OF CRUCERO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 230

STATE ROUTE 94

Fair

Over: DULZURA CREEK

11-SD-094-24.66, San Diego, CA

Built 1947 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 7,800

PELLETT RD

Fair

Over: WESTSIDE MAIN CANAL

1.0 MI W/O 58C0179, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 60

HORSE CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: SEIAD CREEK

HORSE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 50

STATE ROUTE 299

Fair

Over: EAST FORK WILLOW CREEK

01-HUM-299-33.21, Humboldt, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 3,200

STATE ROUTE 255

Fair

Over: SAMOA CHANNEL

01-HUM-255-1.37-EUR, Humboldt, CA

Built 1971 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 7,300

BRICELAND ROAD

Fair

Over: REDWOOD CREEK (REDWAY)

WHITTEMORE STATE PARK, Humboldt, CA

Built 1938 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 260

PONDEROSA WAY

Fair

Over: SNOW CREEK

4.1 MI N OF S.R. 44, Shasta, CA

Built 1935 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 87

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Fair

Over: DILL SLOUGH

02-LAS-395-R71.17, Lassen, CA

Built 1992 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 1,700

BRANSCOMB ROAD

Fair

Over: REDWOOD CREEK

0.8 MI W INTX CR 320, Mendocino, CA

Built 1981 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 104

ROAD 61

Fair

Over: PROVIDENT CANAL

6.04 MI EAST OF RD 99W, Glenn, CA

Built 1948 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 928

CLR CR CEMETERY RD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

0.1 MI E OF S.R. 191, Butte, CA

Built 1940 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 106

TABLE MTN BLVD

Fair

Over: CAMPBELL CREEK

0.4 MI NO OF TABLE MT OC, Butte, CA

Built 1930 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 456

WARNER ST

Fair

Over: BIG CHICO CREEK

BTW 1ST ST & LEGION AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1938 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 7,600

BARTLETT SPRING RD

Fair

Over: BARTLETT CREEK

13.7 MI NE OF SR 20, Lake, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 80

SIERRA BLVD

Fair

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

ROSEVILLE ST & LINCOLN ST, Placer, CA

Built 1929 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 2,960

BALE LANE

Fair

Over: NAPA RIVER

0.1 MI W SILVERADO TRAIL, Napa, CA

Built 1937 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 813

BYRNES RD

Fair

Over: ULATIS CREEK

0.5 MI N HAWKINS RD, Solano, CA

Built 1964 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 655

SUNRISE BLVD

Fair

Over: FOLSOM SOUTH CANAL

0.8 MI S OF US 50, Sacramento, CA

Built 1971 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 31,297

INTERSTATE 680 SB

Fair

Over: UP BNSF AMTRAK SUISUN BA

04-CC-680-25.04L-MTZ, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1962 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 115,000

DIAMOND BLVD

Fair

Over: WALNUT CREEK

0.1 MI N WILLOW PASS RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 33,000

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER

10-SJ-005-49.78, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1979 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 26,500

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER

10-SJ-005-49.78, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1979 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 26,500

CALIFORNIA AVE

Fair

Over: TOM PAINE SLOUGH

0.2 MI S OF CANAL BLVD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1957 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 748

PLSNT VLY RD

Fair

Over: HOT SPRINGS CREEK

1.1 MI W/O MARKLEEVILLE, Alpine, CA

Built 1974 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 400

INTERSTATE 880

Fair

Over: UP RR YARD SPUR

04-ALA-880-13.81-UNC, Alameda, CA

Built 1957 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 202,000

MLK JR-W24 ON RAMP

Fair

Over: 42ND STREET

04-ALA-024-R2.33-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 15,000

KILKARE RD

Fair

Over: SINBAD CREEK

0.25 MI NW OF FOOTHILL RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1985 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 1,100

SOUTH VASCO RD

Fair

Over: ARROYO SECO

0.1 MI N/O EAST AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1958 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 9,400

RAILROAD AVE

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.2 MI S WHIPPLE RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1959 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 5,500

DANA STREET

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 85 & RAMP

04-SCL-085-R22.43-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 8,140

QUITO RD

Fair

Over: SAN TOMAS CREEK

NORTH OF OLD ADOBE RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1915 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 6,740

EAST AVENUE

Fair

Over: T.I.D. MAIN CANAL

1.1 MI W/O SANTA FE AVE, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1919 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 4,088

MONTPELIER ROAD

Fair

Over: T.I.D. MAIN CANAL

AT DALLAS RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1920 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 1,500

DUSTY LANE

Fair

Over: M.I.D. MAIN CANAL

0.6 MI W/O ALBERS RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1951 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 750

ORESTIMBA ROAD

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

0.2 MI WEST OF BELL ROAD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1949 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 675

STATE ROUTE 152 EB

Fair

Over: SANTA RITA CANAL

10-MER-152-R34.50, Merced, CA

Built 1921 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 8,425

SR 145

Fair

Over: FRIANT-MADERA CANAL

06-MAD-145-22.82, Madera, CA

Built 1944 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 6,200

ROAD 19

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.1 MI N/O AVE 16 1/2, Madera, CA

Built 1973 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 400

N FAIRFAX AVE

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

1.6 MI NORTH OF NEES AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 200

N DE WOLF AVE

Fair

Over: GOULD CANAL

0.5 MI NORTH OF SHIELDS, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 2,200

AVOCADO LAKE PK RD

Fair

Over: ALTA MAIN CANAL

AVOCADO LAKE PARK, Fresno, CA

Built 1962 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 1,000

STATE ROUTE 137

Fair

Over: INSIDE CREEK

06-TUL-137-22.70, Tulare, CA

Built 1921 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 21,000

AVE 224

Fair

Over: INSIDE CREEK

0.38 MI E OF RD 143, Tulare, CA

Built 1945 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 950

CO. RD. M4296

Fair

Over: W BRANCH OF CAYUCOS CRK

1 MI NW CAYUCOS RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: CAMARILLO SPRINGS RD

07-VEN-101-10.74-CMRL, Ventura, CA

Built 1959 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 132,000

STATE ROUTE 91

Fair

Over: I 710 W91-S710 N710-W91

07-LA-091-R11.64-LBCH, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 222,000

IMPERIAL HWY

Fair

Over: NORTH FRK COYOTE CR

1.0MI S/O TELEGRAPH RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 50,042

PASADENA AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE DALTON WASH

0.8MI S/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 2,960

LITTLE LEAGUE DR

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 215

08-SBD-215-14.93-SBD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1958 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 2,000

Showing 1,851-1,900 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.