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

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: CORONADO STREET

07-LA-101-3.20-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 175,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: FULTON AVE

07-LA-101-14.38-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 291,000

GARFIELD AVE

Fair

Over: ROUTE 105 LRT

07-LA-105-R14.13-PRM, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1989 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 21,992

E FRK RD

Fair

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIV NF

0.1MI E/O SAN GBL CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 1,960

OLD TPNG CN RD E/C

Fair

Over: OLD TOPANGA CRK

0.3MI W/O TOPANGA CYN BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1937 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 2,712

INTERSTATE 40

Fair

Over: BEAL WASH

08-SBD-040-149.85, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 7,450

BALDY MESA ROAD

Fair

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

2.4 MI N OF PHELAN RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1971 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 7,078

ORANGE ST

Fair

Over: PLUNGE CREEK OVERFLOW

1.5 MI N OF PIONEER AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1916 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 10,900

FAIRVIEW AVENUE

Fair

Over: BAUTISTA CREEK

0.9 MI. S/O RTE. 74 HWY., Riverside, CA

Built 1960 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 1,000

32ND AVENUE

Fair

Over: PALO VERDE LAGOON

2 MI. W/O "C" BOULEVARD, Riverside, CA

Built 1974 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 500

HARRIS PLANT RD

Fair

Over: KEARNY VILLA RD

0.15MI N/O SR 163, San Diego, CA

Built 1968 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 5,000

STATE ROUTE 115

Fair

Over: HOLTVILLE MAIN DRAIN

11-IMP-115-18.15, Imperial, CA

Built 1953 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 2,350

CECILVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK SCOTT RIVER

0.05 MI WEST OF S R 3, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1954 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 490

BRICELAND-THORNE

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK EEL RIVER

1.1 MI W JCT OLD RTE 101, Humboldt, CA

Built 1966 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 2,468

ASHBY RD

Fair

Over: CHURN CREEK

0.1 MI NE PINE GROVE, Shasta, CA

Built 1965 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,500

PONDEROSA WAY

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK BATTLE CREEK

4.9 MI S/E SHINGLETOWN, Shasta, CA

Built 1938 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 50

RD 305

Fair

Over: SUSAN RIVER OVERFLOW #8

1.6 MI SOUTH OF US 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1971 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 200

OAKLAND CAMP ROAD

Fair

Over: SPANISH CREEK

4.3 MI N/O RTE 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1920 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 130

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: SR 271 (@ PM 0.02)

01-MEN-101-R84.68, Mendocino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 6,150

E COMMERCIAL ST

Fair

Over: BROADDUS CREEK

0.3 MI E JCT SR 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1966 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,000

GUNTLY RD (CR 260)

Fair

Over: COLD CREEK

0.20 MI N SH 20, Mendocino, CA

Built 1922 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 27

FOREST ROAD 320

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK NOYO RIVER

PARLIN FORK CONSERVATION, Mendocino, CA

Built 1948 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 125

LOWER HONCUT RD

Fair

Over: WYANDOTTE CREEK

1.5 MI E/O ST HWY 70, Butte, CA

Built 1937 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 807

ROCK CREEK DRIVE

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.01 MI NW OF ROCK CR RD, Butte, CA

Built 1926 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 20

SODA BAY RD

Fair

Over: KELSEY CREEK

4.9 MI E/O SR 29, Lake, CA

Built 1961 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 2,108

DONNER PASS RD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 80

03-NEV-080-R2.48L, Nevada, CA

Built 1962 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 500

NELSON LN

Fair

Over: AUBURN RAVINE

0.68 MILE S OF HWY 65I, Placer, CA

Built 1940 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 841

AUSTIN CR RD

Fair

Over: AUSTIN CREEK

JUST S CAZADERO HWY, Sonoma, CA

Built 1959 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 200

BODEGA HWY

Fair

Over: SALMON CREEK

AT VALLEY FORD-FREESTN RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1968 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 6,400

WESTGATE DRIVE

Fair

Over: MILLIKEN CREEK

0.1 MI S/O MILLIKEN CK DR, Napa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,000

E SECOND ST

Fair

Over: SULPHUR SPRING VALLEY CR

2 KM N I-780 IN BENICIA, Solano, CA

Built 1942 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 5,681

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: W80-S5 CONNECTOR RAMP

03-SAC-005-26.80-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1968 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 69,000

SOUTH AVE

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK JACKSON CREEK

100 FT NE OF ST RTE 49, Amador, CA

Built 1925 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 800

INTERSTATE 580

Fair

Over: SAN PABLO BAY

04-CC-580-6.22-RCH, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1956 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 80,000

THORNTON ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVER SLOUGH

0.75 MI S KILE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1941 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,232

PONDEROSA WAY

Fair

Over: TURNBACK CREEK

0.7 MI SOUTH OF SR 108, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1970 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 922

ALEMANY BLVD

Fair

Over: STATE RTE 1 (SPANS 4&5)

04-SF-001-R0.11-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1950 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 12,666

STATE ROUTE 237 EB

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

04-SCL-237-8.72-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 62,500

HOMESTEAD RD

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK

14.5 MI E OF SH 84, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1918 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 16,409

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: INGRAM CREEK

10-STA-005-23.07, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1967 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 20,500

STATE ROUTE 99 SB

Fair

Over: R STREET

10-MER-099-15.42-MER, Merced, CA

Built 1962 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 25,500

PLAINSBURG ROAD

Fair

Over: MILES CREEK

0.38 MI S CHILDS AVENUE, Merced, CA

Built 1938 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,826

RAMOS ROAD

Fair

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

0.9 MI N SR 152, Merced, CA

Built 1955 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 41

GUN CLUB ROAD

Fair

Over: LOS BANOS CREEK

0.5 MI W SANTA FE GRADE, Merced, CA

Built 1965 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 123

SULTANA DRIVE

Fair

Over: LIVINGSTON CANAL

0.2 MI N EUCALYPTUS AVE, Merced, CA

Built 1961 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 189

STATE ROUTE 49

Fair

Over: MARIPOSA CREEK

10-MPA-049-19.61, Mariposa, CA

Built 1942 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 6,600

STATE ROUTE 49

Fair

Over: MERCED RIVER

10-MPA-049-R34.35, Mariposa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 615

ROAD 145

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.3 MI N FRIANT RD, Madera, CA

Built 1970 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 820

S CALAVERAS AVE

Fair

Over: LOS GATOS CREEK

0.7 MI NORTH OF JAYNE AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1970 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,000

W SIERRA AVE

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

0.3 MI NORTHEAST OF SR 33, Fresno, CA

Built 1950 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 240

Showing 1,951-2,000 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.