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

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: RYE CANYON ROAD

07-LA-005-R54.17-SCTA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 0.6 t ADT: 134,080

INTERSTATE 15 SB

Fair

Over: BNSF RY AMTRAK & UP RR

08-SBD-015-15.90, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1969 Load: 1.6 t ADT: 63,500

YANKEE JIMS RD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK AMERICAN RIV

1.5 MI W SHIRT TAIL CYN R, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 2.9 t ADT: 549

MCCARTY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: MCCARTY CREEK

1.1 MI W PASKENTA RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1937 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 40

GRAPE WAY

Fair

Over: LINDO CHANNEL

0.9 MI E/O MERIDIAN RD, Butte, CA

Built 1947 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 79

CRITTER CREEK RD

Fair

Over: MARKHAM RAVINE

0.9 MI S OF NICOLAUS RD, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 25

STATE ROUTE 237

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-237-2.45-SUNV, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1959 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 68,000

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: AWATOBE DITCH

2.36 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 615

CR 87A

Fair

Over: ASH CREEK

1.3 MI NORTH OF SR 299, Modoc, CA

Built 1950 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 23

E CALIFORNIA AVE

Fair

Over: GOLDEN STATE BLVD

200 FT EAST OF ST RTE 41, Fresno, CA

Built 1948 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 2,137

BUTTE MTN RD

Fair

Over: ELMORE CREEK

LONG HOLLOW RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1927 Load: 4.9 t ADT: 20

PALERMO ROAD

Fair

Over: WYMAN RAVINE

BTWN GENE LN & WYMAN AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1970 Load: 4.9 t ADT: 250

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: MARBLE DITCH

5.9 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 4.9 t ADT: 502

SCARONI RD

Fair

Over: CENTRAL MAIN CANAL

0.5 MI N/O COLE RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1935 Load: 4.9 t ADT: 300

E SHAW AVE

Fair

Over: FANCHER CREEK

1.1 MI EAST OF ACADEMY AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1947 Load: 5.2 t ADT: 900

ESQUILINE ROAD

Fair

Over: HITCHCOCK CANYON CREEK

AT SOUTHBANK ROAD, Monterey, CA

Built 1950 Load: 5.2 t ADT: 2,700

CHOLAME ROAD

Fair

Over: CHOLAME CREEK

5 MI S TURKEY FLAT ROAD, Monterey, CA

Built 1950 Load: 5.2 t ADT: 200

TALLY FARMS ROAD

Fair

Over: ARROYO GRANDE CREEK

6.9 MI N OF SR 101, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1964 Load: 5.2 t ADT: 100

EITHER WAY LANE

Fair

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

0.1 MI SW OF STATE RTE 9, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1940 Load: 5.5 t ADT: 300

HARBOR DRIVE

Fair

Over: NCTD BNSF AMTRAK SCRRA

0.16MI W/O 1-5, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 5.5 t ADT: 12,600

CHEZEM RD

Fair

Over: REDWOOD CREEK

1.5 MI E HIGHWAY 299, Humboldt, CA

Built 1916 Load: 5.8 t ADT: 78

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: HAVELOCK DITCH

4.5 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 6.2 t ADT: 372

HORN LANE

Fair

Over: SCOTT RIVER

1.0 MI EAST OF SR 3, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1956 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 194

RD 304

Fair

Over: WHITEHEAD SLOUGH

0.9 MI E/O RD 302, Lassen, CA

Built 1930 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 100

SEVENTH STREET

Fair

Over: TUOLUMNE RIVER

SOUTH TUOLUMNE BLVD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1916 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 16,815

TRIMMER SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

1.5 MI EAST OF BELMONT AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1946 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 1,800

CACHAGUA ROAD

Fair

Over: CACHAGUA CREEK

2.3 MI W TASSAJARA ROAD, Monterey, CA

Built 1945 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 720

DYSON LANE

Fair

Over: MID FK FEATHER RIV OVRFL

2.4 MI E BCKWRTH-CALPN RD, Plumas, CA

Built 1908 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 40

LOS VERJELES RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH HONCUT CREEK

AT BUTTE COUNTY LINE, Yuba, CA

Built 1940 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 730

ALDERCROFT HTS RD

Fair

Over: LOS GATOS CREEK

2.12 MI S LOS GATOS SC RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1956 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 30

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: TRADA DITCH

22.0 MI E CRUCERO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 230

CHUCKWALLA VLY RD

Fair

Over: SUTRO DITCH

3 MI. E/O CORN SPRINGS RD, Riverside, CA

Built 1931 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 40

EVAN HEWES HWY

Fair

Over: ALVIRA DITCH

4.8 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 372

GRAYBACK ROAD

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

INDIAN, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 50

AVE 200 (E RANKIN)

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

06-TUL-099-25.43, Tulare, CA

Built 1962 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 1,350

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: CHAMBLESS DITCH

5.4 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 502

STATE ROUTE 60

Fair

Over: UP RR/SUNNYSLOPE OH

08-RIV-060-7.93, Riverside, CA

Built 1962 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 155,000

MEHRING RD

Fair

Over: MOHAVE LATERAL CANAL

1.9 MI E/O YORK RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 250

PORT WINE ROAD

Fair

Over: SLATE CREEK

2.1 MI SE/O QUIN-LAPOR R, Plumas, CA

Built 1910 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 50

SAN LORENZO WAY

Fair

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

N OF GRAHAM HILL RD, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1920 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 500

AVENUE 16.5

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

AT ROAD 19, Madera, CA

Built 1950 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 105

N ACADEMY AVE

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

1MI NORTH OF HERNDON AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1946 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 1,200

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: LARISSA DITCH

1.1 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 502

BOUCHER STREET

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

JUST S OF HUMBOLDT AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1920 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 1,161

LUMPKIN-LAPORTE RD

Fair

Over: FALL RIVER

10.5 MI N/E FEATHER FALLS, Butte, CA

Built 1930 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 71

MIDDLE BAR RD

Fair

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER

3.0 MI S OF RTE 49, Calaveras, CA

Built 1912 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 23

WATTS VALLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

1.1 MI E OF RIVERBEND, Fresno, CA

Built 1947 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 500

E CLAYTON AVE

Fair

Over: TRAVERS CREEK

0.29 MI. EAST OF ALTA AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1941 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 200

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: NICOLA DITCH

20.6 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 7.8 t ADT: 502

S END ALBERTON AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

1.0 MI S/O CHICO RIVER RD, Butte, CA

Built 1965 Load: 8.1 t ADT: 87

Showing 151-200 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.