How many bridges are in California?

California has 27,040 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. View detailed condition data for each bridge on PlainBridges.

What percentage of bridges in California are in Poor condition?

4.6% of bridge records in California are in Poor condition, meaning the lowest applicable major-component rating is 4 or below, compared with 7.0% across state inventories.

State profile · Below median Poor share

California bridge safety

Condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition data for every public highway bridge in California, based on the FHWA National Bridge Inventory.

Compiled by PlainBridges, Independent data publisher

27,040
Public bridges: 32.5%
Good condition: 4.6%
Poor condition

Data updated May 2026

Total Bridges

27,040

Public highway bridges in California

Good Condition

32.5%

8,777 bridges rated 7-9

-17.5pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

4.6%

1,244 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-2.4pp vs national avg 7.0%

California vs national bridge condition

California - Good condition share 32.5%

National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

California - Poor-condition share 15.3%

National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.0%.

Condition Distribution

Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - California (FHWA NBI)

Counties (58)

Alameda 800 Alpine 32 Amador 62 Butte 441 Calaveras 106 Colusa 211 Contra Costa 686 Del Norte 96 El Dorado 196 Fresno 929 Glenn 242 Humboldt 398 Imperial 448 Inyo 67 Kern 686 Kings 168 Lake 129 Lassen 108 Los Angeles 3937 Madera 250 Marin 217 Mariposa 109 Mendocino 357 Merced 532 Modoc 87 Mono 49 Monterey 390 Napa 160 Nevada 135 Orange 1224 Placer 347 Plumas 170 Riverside 1142 Sacramento 775 San Benito 76 San Bernardino 1465 San Diego 1707 San Francisco 170 San Joaquin 666 San Luis Obispo 408 San Mateo 393 Santa Barbara 429 Santa Clara 1041 Santa Cruz 203 Shasta 500 Sierra 65 Siskiyou 423 Solano 383 Sonoma 613 Stanislaus 390 Sutter 120 Tehama 452 Trinity 194 Tulare 599 Tuolumne 128 Ventura 511 Yolo 282 Yuba 136

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.

Ohio

4.54% top marginal rate

Structure: Progressive
Burden @ $100K: $26,753

New Jersey

4.59% top marginal rate

Structure: Progressive
Burden @ $100K: $6,796

Selected

California

4.60% top marginal rate

Structure: Progressive
Burden @ $100K: $27,040

Arkansas

4.71% top marginal rate

Structure: Progressive
Burden @ $100K: $5,544

Washington

4.81% top marginal rate

Structure: Progressive
Burden @ $100K: $8,808

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.

SPRING CREEK RD

Poor

Over: FALL RIVER

0.5 MI N OF MCARTHUR RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 50

ORESTIMBA ROAD

Poor

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

0.1 MI E DRAPER RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1919 Load: 2.9 t ADT: 684

CLARK STREET

Poor

Over: M.I.D. CANAL

0.1 MI WEST OF ROAD 26.0, Madera, CA

Built 1955 Load: 3.2 t ADT: 200

GULLING STREET

Poor

Over: MIDDLE FORK FEATHER RIV

0.2 MI S SH 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1954 Load: 3.2 t ADT: 10,046

AVENUE 10

Poor

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

JUST E/O ROAD 23, Madera, CA

Built 1950 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 50

S BISHOP AVE

Poor

Over: CRESCENT DITCH

0.64 MI S/O MT WHITNEY AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1950 Load: 3.9 t ADT: 125

All Bridges in California

Sort by:

CENTRAL AVE

Good

Over: SPRING VALLEY CREEK

90FT N/O TYLER ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,619

TYLER STREET

Good

Over: SPRING VALLEY CREEK

0.23MI E/O SWEETWATER RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,110

CENTRE CITY PARKWY

Good

Over: GROVE CREEK

1.2 MI N OF ROUTE 78, San Diego, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,900

BARBIC CT

Good

Over: CASA DE ORO CREEK

20 FT N/O KENWOOD DR, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 81

MISSION AVE

Good

Over: GROVE CREEK

0.1 MI W/O CIVIC CEN PKWY, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,512

JUNIPER ST

Good

Over: ESCONDIDO CREEK

0.1 MI S/O RTE 78, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,400

FIG ST

Good

Over: ESCONDIDO CREEK

0.1 MI S/O RTE 78, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,000

68 TH ST

Good

Over: JAMACHA DITCH

420 FT S/O IMPERIAL AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,200

LEXINGTON AVE

Good

Over: WASHINGTON CHANNEL

100FT E/O LINCOLN AVE, San Diego, CA

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,600