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

WORLD WY S OFF RAM

Good

Over: POST WAY

LAX SECOND LEVEL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

WORLD WY CONN OC

Good

Over: SEPULVEDA BLVD

LAX SECOND LEVEL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,961

N1-WORLD WAY CONN

Good

Over: CENTURY BLVD

LAX SECOND LEVEL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,408

WORLD WAY N. O.C.

Good

Over: RAMP TO VICKSBURG AVENUE

LAX SECOND LEVEL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,408

AVE G

Good

Over: AMARGOSA CRK

0.5MI E/O I-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,919

15TH ST W

Good

Over: AMARGOSA DRN

0.3MI N/O AVE K, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,384

AVE H

Good

Over: AMARGOSA CRK

0.3MI W/O I-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,828

AVE CROCKER

Good

Over: PRIVATE DRN #1066

0.3MI N/O RYE CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,459

AVE STANFORD

Good

Over: PRIVATE DRN #1066

0.4MI N/O RYE CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,310

GOLDENDALE DR

Good

Over: MILAN CRK

0.1MI N/O TELEGRAPH RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,515

TELEGRAPH RD

Good

Over: MILAN CRK

0.4MI S/O LEFFINGWELL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,274

ANAHEIM STREET

Good

Over: ANAHEIM WAY & UP RR

1.0 M W/0 FWY 710, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,238

GEN. T. KOSCIUSKO

Good

Over: GEN.T.KOSCIUS.WY GARAGE

150 FT W/O OLIVE STREET, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,569

RINALDI ST.

Good

Over: ALISO CREEK

0.55MI E/O RESEDA BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,707

MARMION WAY

Good

Over: METRO BLUE LINE

150 FT S/O FIGUEROA ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 780

FIGUEROA STREET

Good

Over: METRO BLUE LINE

AT PASADENA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,000

ATWOOD BLVD

Good

Over: SANTA CLRA RIV SF

0.4MI S/O LYONS AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 38,745

DE WOLFE RD

Good

Over: SANTA CLARA SF

0.4MI S/O LYONS AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 35,096

N. VICTORY PLACE

Good

Over: EMPIRE AVE

0.64 MI E/O N.BUENA VISTA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2019 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,412

AVENIDA BARBOSA

Good

Over: BUENA VISTA CHAN

83FT E/O BUENA VISTA ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,094

HARBOR BLVD

Good

Over: WILDLIFE UNDERPASS

275FT N/O FULLERTON RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30,990

FIRESTONE BLVD N

Good

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.9MI E/O VALLEY VIEW AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,508

AVE 19 W RDWY

Good

Over: ARROYO SECO CHANNEL

0.5 MI N OF PASADENA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,000

STEVENSON RANCH PK

Good

Over: PICO CYN WASH

CORNER OLD RD STEVENSON, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 713

CIRCLE DR

Good

Over: VIRGINIA ROAD

0.7MI N/O HUNTINGTON DR., Los Angeles, CA

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 102

COPPER HILL DR

Good

Over: HASKELL CYN CRK

0.1MI E/O HASKELL CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,070

AVE L

Good

Over: AMARGOSA CRK

0.6MI E/O SR-14 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 34,528

FIRST ST

Good

Over: RESERVOIR ST

0.2MI S/O HOLT AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,900

VIA PRINCESSA

Good

Over: UNNAMED WASH

0.3MI S/O LOST CN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,179

THE OLD RD

Good

Over: PICO CYN WASH

0.3MI N/O PICO CN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,841

DESERT RD

Good

Over: UNNAMED WASH

0.3MI N/O SIERRA HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 305

NATIONAL BLVD

Good

Over: BALLONA CREEK

0.26 MI W. OF LA CIENEGA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,000

VALLEY BLVD

Good

Over: UP RR

NEAR EASTERN AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,378

WORKMAN MILL RD

Good

Over: A RD

0.4MI E/O PECK RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 28,760

SIERRA OAK TRAIL

Good

Over: VIOLIN CYN CHAN

0.2MI W/O THE OLD RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,607

THE OLD RD

Good

Over: VIOLIN CYN CHAN

1.0MI N/O LAKE HUGHES RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,607

CASTAIC RD

Good

Over: UNKNOWN CHAN

0.2 S/O RIDGE ROUTE RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

AVE O

Good

Over: AMARGOSA CRK

0.5MI E/O 10TH ST W, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,171

UNION ST

Good

Over: METRO

145FT W/O ARROYO PKWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,868

GREEN ST

Good

Over: METRO

180FT W/O ARROYO PKWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,494

NEWHALL AVE

Good

Over: ELSMERE CREEK

125FEET S/O SIERRA HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 34,814

Baseline Road

Good

Over: Marshall Creek Channel

0.2 M E/O WHEELER AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,624

SIX STREET

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

SIXTH STREET OVER LA RIVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50,000

CORRAL CANYON

Good

Over: SOLSTICE CREEK

974FT N/O PAC CST HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,572

Ramona Street

Good

Over: UPRR

1.1 MILE N/O VALLEY BLVD., Los Angeles, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,656

Mission Road

Good

Over: UPRR

1.1 MILE N/O VALLEY BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,260

Del Mar Ave.

Good

Over: UPRR

1.2 M. N/O VALLEY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,380

San Gabriel Blvd

Good

Over: UPRR

1.1 MILE N/OVALLEY BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 32,542

RIVERSIDE DRIVE

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RV (RR)

0.3M W/O W. AVE 26, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,200

ROUTE 187

Good

Over: EAST COMEY AVE DRAIN

BTWN COMEY & DAUPHIN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1927 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 42,250

Showing 19,551-19,600 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.