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

TROY STREET

Good

Over: CASA DE ORO CREEK

0.42MI E/O SWEETWATER RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,846

CANONITA DRIVE

Good

Over: PALA MESA GOLF COURSE

0.25MI W/O OLD HWY 395, San Diego, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

COLLEGE STREET

Good

Over: FALLBROOK CREEK WEST

300FT E/O MAIN ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 487

CAMINO SAN BERNARD

Good

Over: CAMINO DEL NORTE

1.7MI W/O I-15, San Diego, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,463

RANCHOSANTAFE FARM

Good

Over: LA ZANJA CANYON

0.7M N/O CARMEL VALLEY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,656

GRAVES AVENUE

Good

Over: PEPPER DRIVE CHANNEL

0.25 MI S/O PEPPER DRIVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,644

GRAVES AVENUE

Good

Over: FORESTER CREEK TRIBUTARY

300 FT S/O GREENFIELD DR, San Diego, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,716

RANCHO SANTA FE RD

Good

Over: ESCONDIDO CREEK

0.2MI E/O MANCHESTER AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,159

GUEJITO RD

Good

Over: ESCONDIDO CREEK

230FT S/O LAKE WOLFORD RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,210

CAMINO DEL REY

Good

Over: SAN LUIS REY RIVER

450FT E/O MISSION RD/SR76, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,400

TELEGRAPH CYN RD

Good

Over: TELEGRAPH CANYON CHANNEL

0.17 MI E/O HERITAGE RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 45,423

J STREET

Good

Over: CENTRAL DRAINAGE

50 FT W/O RTE I-5 RAMPS, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,700

BAY BOULEVARD

Good

Over: CENTRAL DRAINAGE

175 FT S/O OF J ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,800

THIRD AVENUE

Good

Over: OTAY RIVER TRIBUTARY

125 FT S/O ORANGE ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,580

RANCHO DRIVE

Good

Over: POGGI CANYON

0.45 MI W/O MELROSE AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

OLD HWY 80

Good

Over: KITCHEN CREEK

1.9 MI S/O BUCKMAN SPR RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,688

ELCAMINO DEL NORTE

Good

Over: ESCONDIDO CREEK

0.3MI E/O RANCHO SANTA FE, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,400

SHEARER CROSSING

Good

Over: SAN LUIS REY RIVER

0.16MI S/O SR 76, San Diego, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,037

RANCHO DEL ORO

Good

Over: LOMA ALTA CR. TRIBUTARY

AT OCEANSIDE BLVD., San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,600

COLLEGE BLVD

Good

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK

0.2MI S/O SR 78, San Diego, CA

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 49,051

THUNDER DRIVE

Good

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK

350FT N/O LAKE BLVD, San Diego, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,900

BONITA ROAD

Good

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER

0.13MI S/O SWEETWATER RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,792

SLOANE CANYON ROAD

Good

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER

0.54 MI S/O DEHESA RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 42

PATRICK DRIVE

Good

Over: HARBISON CREEK

130 FT S/O HARBISON CYN, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 120

BLACK CANYON RD

Good

Over: SANTA YSABEL CREEK

7.4 MI N/O ROUTE 78, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

MISSION RD

Good

Over: N. FORK SAN MARCOS CREEK

300 FT E/O TWINOAKS VLYRD, San Diego, CA

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25,250

LAWSON VALLEY ROAD

Good

Over: LAWSON CREEK

4.1 M E/O SKYLINE TRCK TR, San Diego, CA

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 852

RIVERSIDE DRIVE

Good

Over: SAN DIEGO RVR TRIBUTARY

0.15 MI E/O RIVERFORD RD., San Diego, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,330

RANGELAND ROAD

Good

Over: SANTA MARIA CREEK

200 FT N/O HIGHLAND VLY, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 661

WOODSIDE AVENUE

Good

Over: LOS COCHES CREEK CHANNEL

50 FT W/O CHANNEL RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,046

CACTUS STREET

Good

Over: LOS COCHES CREEK CHANNEL

0.02 MILE S/O WOODSIDE AV, San Diego, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,450

ALPINE BOULEVARD

Good

Over: ALPINE CREEK

0.86 MI E/O TAVERN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,800

MAGNOLIA AVENUE

Good

Over: FORESTER CREEK TRIBUTARY

INERSECTION OF VERNON WY, San Diego, CA

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,231

HELIX STREET

Good

Over: CASA DE ORO CREEK

350 FT N/O OLIVE DR., San Diego, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,624

GREENFIELD DRIVE

Good

Over: FORESTER CREEK

0.4 MI S/O I-8, San Diego, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 19,153

ALTA ROAD

Good

Over: ONIEL CANYON

1.6MI N/O OTAY MESA ROAD, San Diego, CA

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 634

ALEXANDRA AVENUE

Good

Over: CASA DE ORO CREEK

10.0 FT S/O KENWOOD DR., San Diego, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,057

POTRERO VALLEY RD

Good

Over: POTRERO CREEK

1.1M N/O SR94, San Diego, CA

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 838

POTRERO VALLEY RD

Good

Over: POTRERO CREEK

1.6MI N/O SR94, San Diego, CA

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 833

JAMUL DRIVE

Good

Over: MEXICAN CANYON CREEK

2.9MI E/O STEELE CYN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,839

CHANNEL ROAD

Good

Over: LOS COCHES CREEK CHANNEL

AT INTRSCTN W/ WOODSIDE, San Diego, CA

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

RANCHO BERNARDO RD

Good

Over: SAN DIEGUITO TRIBUTARY

100FT N/O CAMINO DELNORTE, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,100

DOVE CANYON ROAD

Good

Over: SAN DIEGUITO RV. TRIB.

425FT N/O CAMINO DELNORTE, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

RANCHO SANTA FE RD

Good

Over: ENCINITAS CREEK

0.22 MI S/O OLIVENHAIN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,929

RANCHO SANTA FE RD

Good

Over: ENCINITAS CREEK TRIBUTRY

750FT S/O OLIVENHAIN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,075

VALLEY CENTER ROAD

Good

Over: MOOSA CANYON CREEK

INTERSECTION OF SUNDAY DR, San Diego, CA

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,000

VALLEY CENTER ROAD

Good

Over: KEYS CANYON CREEK N FORK

0.37MI W/O COLE GRADE RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,000

HANSON LANE

Good

Over: SANTA MARIA CREEK TRIB

0.4 MI W/O SAN VICENTE, San Diego, CA

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,100

LA CIENEGA ROAD

Good

Over: N. FORK SAN MARCOS CREEK

250F E/O TWIN OAKS VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,300

MISSION RD

Good

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK TRIB

750 FT W/O LAS POSAS RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,160

Showing 21,001-21,050 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.