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 14

Good

Over: AVENUE "J-8"

07-LA-014-R67.37-LAN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 31,000

SOLEDAD CYN RD

Good

Over: MINT CYN WASH

0.1MI E/O SIERRA HWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1982 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 32,235

CENTRALIA ST

Good

Over: PALO VERDE DRN

150FT W/O PALO VERDE AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1977 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 2,130

CONCORD ST

Good

Over: VERDUGO WASH

0.3MI E/O SAN FERNANDO BL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 8,755

LA CRESCENTA AVE

Good

Over: HALLS CYN CHAN

1.0MI S/O I-10 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1935 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 13,081

QUEENS WAY SBND

Good

Over: SHORELN DR / SEASIDE P

0.1MI S/O OCEAN BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 306

GARVEY AVE N

Good

Over: WALNUT CRK

0.2MI W/O GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1975 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 12,120

EMPIRE AVE

Good

Over: HOLLYWOOD WAY

0.5MI N/O VICTORY BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 13,081

SYCAMORE AVE

Good

Over: PICKENS CYN CHAN

0.2MI E/O LA CRESENTA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1935 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 510

Alondra Blvd

Good

Over: North Fork Coyote Ck

0.2 W/O VALLEY VIEW AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2014 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 26,400

INTERSTATE 10 WB

Good

Over: WARM CREEK

08-SBD-010-R23.60-COL, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 102,000

STATE HIGHWAY 138

Good

Over: BNSF RY UP RR AMTRAK

08-SBD-138-14.77, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1983 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 21,500

KADOTA AVENUE

Good

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK CHAN

0.2 MI N MISSION BLVD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1958 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 1,000

STATE ROUTE 91

Good

Over: EAST STREET

12-ORA-091-4.26-ANA, Orange, CA

Built 1959 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 265,000

N73-N55 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: N55-BAKER ST OFF-RAMP

12-ORA-073-R26.55-CMS, Orange, CA

Built 1976 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 21,000

INTERSTATE 10

Good

Over: MISSION CREEK

08-RIV-010-34.73, Riverside, CA

Built 1955 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 87,000

INTERSTATE 10 WB

Good

Over: PINTO GULCH

08-RIV-010-R82.59, Riverside, CA

Built 1965 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 11,250

STATE ROUTE 76

Good

Over: LA JOLLA AMAGO CREEK

11-SD-076-39.86, San Diego, CA

Built 1939 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 2,050

W52-S5 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: MTDB BNSF RY AMTRAK ROSE

11-SD-052-0.37-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 24,600

S5-KETTNER BLVD OF

Good

Over: WASHINGTON STREET

11-SD-005-R18.28-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1967 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 18,800

INTERSTATE 8 EB

Good

Over: STATE HIGHWAY 94

11-SD-008-R65.90, San Diego, CA

Built 1967 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 8,000

STATE ROUTE 94 EB

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 805

11-SD-094-4.06-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1974 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 65,500

AMMO ROAD

Good

Over: ROUTE 15

11-SD-015-M12.96-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1982 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 800

STATE ROUTE 125

Good

Over: MURRAY DRIVE

11-SD-125-R15.56-LMSA, San Diego, CA

Built 1990 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 43,000

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Good

Over: SDIV RR

11-IMP-008-R13.97, Imperial, CA

Built 1968 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 6,200

SHASTA BALLY ROAD

Good

Over: UPPER BRANDY CREEK

4.7 miles SW of Hwy 299 (, Shasta, CA

Built 1998 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 30

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

01-DN-101-12.64, Del Norte, CA

Built 1957 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 4,700

SOUTH FORK ROAD

Good

Over: BOULDER CREEK

9.2 MI SE JCT US 199, Del Norte, CA

Built 2009 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 344

CARIBOU ROAD

Good

Over: E FK OF S FK SALMON RIV

0.2 MI S CECILVILLE RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 100

QUARTZ VALLEY ROAD

Good

Over: SHACKLEFORD CREEK

AT DANGLE LANE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 2005 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 400

JACKSON RANCH RD

Good

Over: LISCOMB SLOUGH

0.25 MI S FOSTER AVE, Humboldt, CA

Built 1960 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 327

AIRPORT ROAD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 44

02-SHA-044-R3.63, Shasta, CA

Built 1972 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 9,500

RANDOLPH RD

Good

Over: NEWTOWN CREEK

100 S OF OASIS RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 200

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 70

02-LAS-395-R4.60, Lassen, CA

Built 1976 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 4,600

COUNTY ROAD D

Good

Over: S FK WILLOW CREEK

2.2 MI N S.H. 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1967 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 491

MANGROVE AVE

Good

Over: BIG CHICO CREEK

BTW 3RD & VALLOMBROSA AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1958 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 18,700

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: LONG VALLEY RD

03-SIE-395-R2.23L, Sierra, CA

Built 1976 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 4,600

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: LONG VALLEY RD

03-SIE-395-R2.19R, Sierra, CA

Built 1976 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 2,300

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: FUNKS CREEK

03-COL-005-R30.82, Colusa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 12,500

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: FUNKS CREEK

03-COL-005-R30.82, Colusa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 12,500

BROOKWOOD AVE

Good

Over: MATANZAS CR (BROOKWOOD)

BETN CLARK ST-SONOMA AVE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1951 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 9,400

BOHEMIAN HWY

Good

Over: SALMON CREEK

0.2 MI W BODEGA HWY, Sonoma, CA

Built 1971 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,850

MILL CREEK RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

4.5 MI W OF WESTSIDE RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1961 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 200

EMERALD VISTA DR

Good

Over: DEADMAN GULCH N BRANCH

50 FT S OF WINN DR, Sacramento, CA

Built 1986 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,000

TAYLOR BLVD

Good

Over: CONTRA COSTA CANAL

0.8 MI W CONTRA COSTA BLV, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1961 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 12,300

STATE ROUTE 4

Good

Over: JACKASS GULCH

10-ALP-004-R7.82, Alpine, CA

Built 1982 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,250

STATE ROUTE 24 WB

Good

Over: MAC ARTHUR BLVD

04-ALA-024-R2.02-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1969 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 75,500

STATE ROUTE 24 EB

Good

Over: 52ND STREET

04-ALA-024-R2.77-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 75,500

STATE ROUTE 24 WB

Good

Over: COLLEGE AVE & FOREST ST

04-ALA-024-R3.55-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 143,000

ROUTE 35

Good

Over: SUNSET BLVD

04-SF-035-2.12-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1931 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 23,600

Showing 22,351-22,400 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.