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

SANTA GERTRUDES

Good

Over: LA MIRADA CHAN

0.4MI N/O IMPERIAL HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,544

BONITA AVE

Good

Over: THOMPSON CRK

0.5MI W/O GAREY AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,200

LA VERNE AVE

Good

Over: THOMPSON CRK

0.4MI W/O GAREY AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,800

MAPLE ST

Good

Over: EATON WASH

0.1MI N/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,530

LAS VIRGENES RD

Good

Over: LAS VIRGENES CR

450FT N/O US-101 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,655

LYONS AVE

Good

Over: SANTA CLARA RIV SF

0.8MI E/O I-5 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 31,214

MULBERRY DR

Good

Over: LEFFINGWELL CRK

0.5MI W/O LA MIRADA BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 28,620

COLIMA RD

Good

Over: LEFFINGWELL CRK

0.2MI N/O MULBERRY DRIVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30,104

CANDLEWOOD ST

Good

Over: CLARK AVE DRN

400FT E/O CLARK AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,200

IMPERIAL HWY

Good

Over: FC ACCESS RD UC

0.3MI E/O I-710 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 54,184

AGOURA/CORNELL RDS

Good

Over: CHESEBORO CYN CRK

50FT N/O AGOURA RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,459

NORMANDIE AVE

Good

Over: NORMANDIE AVE DRN

0.5MI S/O SEPULVEDA BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,060

CALGROVE BLVD

Good

Over: SANTA CLARA RIV SF

1MI S/O LYONS AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,849

FIGUEROA ST

Good

Over: TORRANCE LATERAL

0.3MI N/O TORRANCE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,449

AVE J-8

Good

Over: AMARGOSA DRN

0.1MI E/O SR-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,158

AVE J

Good

Over: AMARGOSA CRK

300FT E/O SR-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,592

LANCASTER BLVD

Good

Over: AMARGOSA DRN

200FT E/O SR-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,300

BONITA AVE

Good

Over: LIVE OAK WASH

0.6MI W/O WHITE AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,240

THOUSAND OAKS BLVD

Good

Over: LINDERO CYN CHAN

0.3MI E/O LINDERO CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,287

FRANKLIN AVE

Good

Over: SAN ANTONIO WASH

0.1MI W/O E END AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,900

FULLERTON RD

Good

Over: VERNON CHAN

400FT S/O SR-60 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,708

LOMITA BLVD

Good

Over: WILMINGTON DRN

0.1MI W/O I-110 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,590

LYCOMING ST

Good

Over: DIAMOND BAR CRK

200FT E/O BREA CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,666

CHESEBRO RD

Good

Over: CHESEBRO CYN CRK

0.6MI N/O US-101 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1943 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,479

FAIRMNT GLNWOOD AV

Good

Over: EAGLE CYN CHAN

0.1MI N/O FOOTHILL BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1948 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 842

PROCTOR AVE

Good

Over: PUENTE CRK

0.3MI E/O 7TH AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1953 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,573

LONGDEN DR

Good

Over: RUBIO WASH

0.4MI W/O SAN GABRIEL BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,386

CATARACT AVE

Good

Over: SAN DIMAS WASH

1.0MI W/O SAN DIMAS RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 102

NETTLETON ST

Good

Over: BURBANK WESTERN CHANNEL

200 E OF GLENOAKS, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 820

TITIAN AVE

Good

Over: BEE CANYON WATERWAY

BET OROZCO & VAN GOGH ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,920

ALLEY N HAGAR ST

Good

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

BTW GLDN ST FWY/SHARP AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

AVALON BLVD

Good

Over: COMPTON CREEK

INTERSECTION OF 108TH ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

BALBOA BLVD (SB)

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.6 MI S. VICTORY BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,000

BALBOA BLVD

Good

Over: BEE CANYON CULVERT

BET OROZCO ST/LISETTE ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,300

BURBANK BLVD

Good

Over: HASKELL CHANNEL

IN THE SEPULVEDA BASIN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,806

BURBANK BLVD

Good

Over: BURBANK BLVD CULVERT

0.8 MI E HAYVENHURST AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,955

CHATSWORTH DR

Good

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

0.1 MI SW OF RTE 5, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,700

CHATSWORTH ST

Good

Over: BROWNS CANYON CREEK

0.4 MI W DE SOTO AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,162

DESOTO AVE

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.2 MI N VANOWEN ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 35,182

DEVONSHIRE STREET

Good

Over: SANTA SUSANA CREEK

50 W VALLEY CIRCLE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,678

GERMAIN ST

Good

Over: SANTA SUSANA CREEK

W VALLEY CIRCLE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 925

GLENOAKS BLVD

Good

Over: GLENOAKS CULVERT

0.2 MI N OF TRUESDALE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1952 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,125

HAGAR ST

Good

Over: EAST CANYON CHANNEL

650 W LAUREL CANYON BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25

HAYVENHURST AVE

Good

Over: ENCINO CHANNEL

BTW BURBANK BL/ 101 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,304

HOPE STREET

Good

Over: ABANDONED PED ACCESS

150 S/O 3RD ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,820

HOPE STREET

Good

Over: BLOCKED PED ACCESS

75 S/O 3RD ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,826

LA TUNA CANYON RD

Good

Over: LA TUNA CANYON LATERAL

2.0 MI E OF SUNLAND, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,410

LANARK ST

Good

Over: BURBANK WESTERN CHANNEL

GLNOKS BL/GLDN ST FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,536

MASON AVE

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

300 FT N. VANOWEN ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,500

MCKINLEY AVENUE

Good

Over: COMPTON CREEK

BTWN 108TH ST & 109TH ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1952 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,300

Showing 19,401-19,450 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.