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

LAS FLORES RD

Good

Over: NCTD RAILROAD

550 FT N/O S.SANTA FE AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 750

ROCKWOOD ROAD

Good

Over: SANTA YSABEL CREEK

0.8 M E/O CLOVERDALE RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

N. BROADWAY

Good

Over: REIDY CREEK

1.1M N/O EL NORTE PKWY, San Diego, CA

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,000

N. BROADWAY

Good

Over: REIDY CREEK

1.05M N/O EL NORTE PKWY, San Diego, CA

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,500

CARROLL CANYON RD

Good

Over: CCR HOV ACCESS RAMPS

0.1M S/O INT MIRA MESA RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,000

CARROLL CANYON RD

Good

Over: BUSINESS ACCESS ROAD

100FT S/O INT MIRA MESA, San Diego, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,000

LOMAS SANTA FE DR

Good

Over: NCTD RR AMTRAK

20FT E/O HIGHWAY 101, San Diego, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,000

CARLSBAD BLVD SB

Good

Over: LAS ENCINAS CREEK

0.6 MI S/O PALOMAR ARPRT, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,000

GOLDENTOP ROAD

Good

Over: SAN DIEGUITO RIV TRIB

300FT S/O COASTWOOD RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,180

FOUR GEE ROAD

Good

Over: SAN DIEGUITO RIV TRIB

0.1MI N/O CAMINO DEL SUR, San Diego, CA

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,678

OLD CASTLE ROAD

Good

Over: MOOSA CANYON CREEK

1.1 MI E/O OLD 395, San Diego, CA

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,138

CLEARCREST LANE

Good

Over: SAN LUIS REY RIVER TRIB

100FT S/O WINTER HAVEN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 411

SOLDIN LANE

Good

Over: LOS COCHES CREEK

100 FT S/O OLD HWY 80, San Diego, CA

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 335

RAMS HILL ROAD

Good

Over: SAN FELIPE CRK TRIBUTARY

70 FT E/O YAQUI PASS RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 812

CARMEL VALLEY ROAD

Good

Over: LUSARDI CREEK

260FT W/O DOVE CANYON RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,021

RIDGE HILL ROAD

Good

Over: LOS COCHES CREEK

AT GAUCHO LANE, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,450

OLD HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: SAN LUIS REY TRIBUTARY

1.6M N/O SR 76, San Diego, CA

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 250

VIA VIEJAS

Good

Over: VIEJAS CREEK

1 MI E/O S. GRADE RD/2ND, San Diego, CA

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 130

MILLER AVENUE

Good

Over: SAN DIEGUITO R. TRIB.

0.24MI N/O FELICITA ROAD, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 350

HAALAND GLEN

Good

Over: UNKNOWN WATERWAY

120FT E/O PASEO DEL SUR, San Diego, CA

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,150

CAMINO SANTA FE

Good

Over: CARROLL CYN CRK TRIB.

0.5MI S/O MIRA MESA BLVD, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,851

CAMINO DEL SUR

Good

Over: WILDLIFE CROSSING

0.5 MI NW/O CARMEL VLY RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,672

CARMEL VALLEY RD

Good

Over: LUSARDI CREEK TRIBUTARY

0.6MI E BLACK MOUNTAIN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,200

MIRAR DEL VALLE RD

Good

Over: MOOSA CYN CRK TRIBUTARY

280FT E/O VALLEY CENTER, San Diego, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 800

MIRAR DEL VALLE RD

Good

Over: MOOSA CANYON CR. TRIBUTA

0.25MI W/O VALLEY CENTER, San Diego, CA

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 800

TWIN OAKS VLY RD

Good

Over: N. BR. SAN MARCOS CREEK

50 FT N/O SR79 RAMPS, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25,900

CAMINO DEL SUR

Good

Over: LUSARDI CREEK

0.72M N/O SAN DIEGUITO RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

CAMINO DEL SUR

Good

Over: LUSARDI CREEK

0.7M N/O SAN DIEGUITO RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

CHASE CREEK LANE

Good

Over: SAN DIEGO RIVER TRIBUTAR

100 FT W/O LAKESIDE AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

JOE CROSSON DRIVE

Good

Over: FORESTER CREEK TRIBUTARY

25 FT N/O FLOYD SMITH DR, San Diego, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 120

DENNY WAY

Good

Over: FORESTER CREEK TRIBUTARY

0.15 W/O MAGNOLIA AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

STONE GATE ST.

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

75FT E/O HUNTE PKWY, San Diego, CA

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,800

HERITAGE ROAD

Good

Over: POGGI CANYON CHANNEL

50 FT S/O OLYMPIC PKWY, San Diego, CA

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,500

SAINT CLAIRE DRIVE

Good

Over: TELEGRAPH CANYON CHANNEL

70FT N/O OTAY LAKES RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,800

PASEO RANCHERO

Good

Over: TELEGRAPH CANYON CHANNEL

100 S/O TELEGRAPH CYN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,000

SECOND AVE

Good

Over: TELEGRAPH CANYON CHANNEL

0.12 MI N/O L ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

WILLOW STREET

Good

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER

350 FT N/O BONITA ROAD, San Diego, CA

Built 2019 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,350

SAN VICENTE ROAD

Good

Over: SAN VICENTE CREEK TRIB

650 FT S/O WARNOCK DR, San Diego, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,000

SAN VICENTE ROAD

Good

Over: SAN VICENTE CREEK TRIB

100 FT S/O GEM LANE, San Diego, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,000

SAN VICENTE ROAD

Good

Over: SAN VICENTE CREEK TRIB

130 FT E/O VICENTE MEADOW, San Diego, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,000

SAN VICENTE ROAD

Good

Over: SAN VICENTE CREEK TRIB

70 FT E OF CHUCK WAGON RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,000

BENT AVENUE

Good

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK

0.20 MI S/O SAN MARCOS BL, San Diego, CA

Built 2023 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,500

TWIN OAKS VLY ROAD

Good

Over: E. BR. SAN MARCOS CREEK

AT WB78 RAMPS, San Diego, CA

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25,900

SAN MARCOS BLVD

Good

Over: N. BR. SAN MARCOS CREEK

150 FT E/O TWIN OAKS VLY, San Diego, CA

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,000

WOODSIDE AVENUE

Good

Over: STORM DRAIN LOS COCHES

0.6M. E/O RIVERFORD RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,284

HARMONY GROVE VLG

Good

Over: ESCONDIDO CREEK

85.1FT E. HARMONY GROVE, San Diego, CA

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,000

FLOWERWOOD LANE

Good

Over: ADLER CREEK

0.28 MI S/O KNOTTWOOD WY, San Diego, CA

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

KNOTTWOOD WAY

Good

Over: ADLER CREEK

0.88 MI W/O GIRD RD, San Diego, CA

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

VISTA SORRENTO PKW

Good

Over: LOS PENASQUITOS CREEK

0.2M N/O SORRENTO VALLEY, San Diego, CA

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,431

S/B MISSION BAY DR

Good

Over: SAN DIEGO RIVER

300 FT N/O ROUTE 8, San Diego, CA

Built 2023 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 55,000

Showing 21,051-21,100 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.