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

STATE ROUTE 273

Fair

Over: OLNEY CREEK

02-SHA-273-12.58-RDG, Shasta, CA

Built 1940 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 23,000

DERSCH RD

Fair

Over: LACK CREEK

2.8 MI W ASH CR RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,120

PITTVILLE ROAD

Fair

Over: PIT RIVER

1 MI N DEAN KNOCH RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1949 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 750

EASTSIDE RD

Fair

Over: OLNEY CREEK

0.1 MI S BONNYVIEW RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1954 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,828

ROAD 99W

Fair

Over: TRUCKEE CREEK

0.1 MI NORTH OF HAMILTON, Tehama, CA

Built 1917 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,000

RAWSON RD

Fair

Over: UNNAMED DRAINAGE

0.3 MI SOUTH OF GYLE RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1957 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 200

ROWLES ROAD

Fair

Over: SHORT CREEK

1.5 MI W OF S.H. 99, Tehama, CA

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 289

OLD RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: PARSONS CREEK

7.0 MI S/O TALMAGE RD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1948 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 515

PENTZ RD

Fair

Over: WEST BRNCH LITTLE DRY CR

1.5 MI E OF SH 99, Butte, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 7,146

W BIGGS GRIDLEY RD

Fair

Over: BR SUTTER BUTTE CANAL

1.6 MI N/O GRID-COLUS HWY, Butte, CA

Built 1948 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,659

DOE MILL ROAD

Fair

Over: BUTTE CREEK CANAL

0.5 MI N SKYWAY, Butte, CA

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 100

FINLEY EAST ROAD

Fair

Over: ADOBE CREEK

0.1 MI E OF STONE DR, Lake, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 309

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: HEALDSBURG AVENUE

04-SON-101-33.48, Sonoma, CA

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 22,750

OLD REDWOOD HWY

Fair

Over: POOL CREEK

0.5 MI S/O PLEASANT RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1925 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 13,800

TACHEVAH DR

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE CANAL

0.1 M WEST NEUTOMAS AVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,000

RAINSVILLE RD

Fair

Over: WIGGINS CREEK

0.8 MI W STONY POINT RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1986 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,200

CHALK HILL RD

Fair

Over: BROOKS CREEK

4.5 MI S OF SR 128, Sonoma, CA

Built 1956 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 850

SWEETWTR SPRNGS RD

Fair

Over: PORTER CREEK

6.6 MI W ARMSTRONG RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 140

FITCH MOUNTAIN RD

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

1.6 MI E JCT HEALDSBG AVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 525

OLD SONOMA ROAD

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 29

04-NAP-029-10.70-NAP, Napa, CA

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 7,260

INTERSTATE 80 WB

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER (BRYTE)

03-YOL-080-R11.31-WSAC, Yolo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 43,000

INTERSTATE 80 EB

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER (BRYTE)

03-YOL-080-R11.31-WSAC, Yolo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 43,000

STATE ROUTE 45

Fair

Over: SYCAMORE SLOUGH

03-YOL-045-0.13, Yolo, CA

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 860

COUNTY ROAD #26

Fair

Over: UNION SCHOOL SLOUGH TRIB

0.58 MI W/O CR #87, Yolo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10

ELKHORN BLVD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.3 MI W/O DRY CREEK RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 18,664

MILLER CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-MRN-101-15.57, Marin, CA

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 9,280

PARK & RIDE ACCESS

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

04-CC-242-R0.85-CND, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1964 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 200

MILBURN DR

Fair

Over: GRAYSON CREEK

0.1 MI W LUCILLE LN, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 100

STATE ROUTE 99 NB

Fair

Over: MOKELUMNE RI FRONTAGE R

10-SJ-099-31.72, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1930 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 29,500

INTERSTATE 205

Fair

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

10-SJ-205-0.15, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1953 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 106,000

SHEEP RANCH RD

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK

7.8 MI NORTH OF MURPHYS, Calaveras, CA

Built 1930 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 216

STATE ROUTE 88

Fair

Over: WEST FORK CARSON RIVER

10-ALP-088-12.46, Alpine, CA

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,200

MARKET ST

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

NORTH CORBETT AVE, San Francisco, CA

Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 55,000

STATE ROUTE 1

Fair

Over: SCOTT CREEK

05-SCR-001-31.55, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,800

HELLYER AVENUE

Fair

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-30.10, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,225

MAINTANENCE ROAD

Fair

Over: PERMANENTE CREEK

0.5 MI WEST OF SHORELINE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1997 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 200

HILLS FERRY ROAD

Fair

Over: SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

STANISLAUS COUNTY LINE, Merced, CA

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,660

LAKE RD

Fair

Over: FAIRFIELD CANAL

0.5 MI N BELLEVUE RD, Merced, CA

Built 1955 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 231

FRESNO ROAD

Fair

Over: MARIPOSA CREEK

0.2 MI N HAINLINE AVE, Merced, CA

Built 1930 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 55

STATE ROUTE 140

Fair

Over: MILES CREEK

10-MPA-140-0.79, Mariposa, CA

Built 1916 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,650

STATE ROUTE 180

Fair

Over: OFFSET DRAW

06-FRE-180-29.33, Fresno, CA

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5,650

E ROSE AVE

Fair

Over: CROSSCUT CANAL

0.7 MI EAST OF FOWLER AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1945 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 100

PANOCHE ROAD

Fair

Over: TRES PINOS CREEK

8 MI W LITTLE PANOCHE RD, San Benito, CA

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 800

AVE 220

Fair

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.25 MI E OF RD 244, Tulare, CA

Built 1956 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 200

AVE 264

Fair

Over: CAMERON CREEK

0.5 MI E OF RD 100, Tulare, CA

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,275

CORBETT CANYON RD

Fair

Over: QUIEN SABE CREEK

0.8 MI SE SR 227, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,433

CHORRO ST

Fair

Over: SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK

JUST W OF HIGUERA, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1923 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5,400

INTERSTATE 10

Fair

Over: STEWART STREET

07-LA-010-R3.71-SMCA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 185,000

INTERSTATE 210

Fair

Over: S AZUSA AVE

07-LA-210-R39.58-AZU, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 250,000

INTERSTATE 40

Fair

Over: COLORADO RIVER

08-SBD-040-R154.51, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 7,450

Showing 2,101-2,150 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.