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 24 EB

Good

Over: 55TH STREET

04-ALA-024-R2.99-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 75,500

VIA GRANADA

Good

Over: SAN LORENZO CREEK

JUST S LEWELLING BLVD, Alameda, CA

Built 1950 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,400

INTERSTATE 280 NB

Good

Over: PRIVATE ROAD

04-SCL-280-R3.41-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1969 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 98,000

STATE ROUTE 140

Good

Over: MUD SLOUGH OVERFLOW

10-MER-140-10.64, Merced, CA

Built 1969 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,650

FLINT AVE

Good

Over: LOWER KINGS RIVER DITCH

0.5 MI E OF 16TH AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1955 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 650

ROAD 152

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK TULE RIVER

1.2 MI NORTH OF AVE 168, Tulare, CA

Built 1948 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 950

STATE ROUTE 1

Good

Over: CAYUCOS CREEK & ROAD

05-SLO-001-R36.15, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 7,800

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: SR 99 TRUCK RAMP SB

06-KER-005-R15.51L, Kern, CA

Built 1972 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 34,500

STATE ROUTE 1 NB

Good

Over: ST RT 135 SB (@PM R9.09)

05-SB-001-R34.76, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 6,950

STATE ROUTE 135 NB

Good

Over: RICE RANCH RD

05-SB-135-R10.00, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 6,975

STATE ROUTE 60

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 710

07-LA-060-R3.25, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 241,000

STATE ROUTE 27

Good

Over: CALABASAS CREEK

07-LA-027-13.93-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 42,000

ROUTE 2 WB

Good

Over: ROUTE 5 RIVERSIDE DR

07-LA-002-14.98-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 30,500

I 5

Good

Over: 1ST STREET

07-LA-005-17.77-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 243,977

SAN GABRIEL BLVD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 60

07-LA-060-R8.55-RSMD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 16,000

PATRICIAN WAY

Good

Over: ST RTE 134 & OFF-RAMP

07-LA-134-R11.68-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,200

SIERRA HWY

Good

Over: MINT CYN WASH

1.3MI N/O SOLEDAD CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1986 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 14,131

TRIUNFO CYN RD

Good

Over: LOBO CRK

0.5MI W/O KANAN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1951 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,734

WARDLOW RD

Good

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIV

0.8MI W/O I-605 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1963 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 20,570

N MAIN ST

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.5 MI W/O I-5, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1910 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 30,000

CHALON RD

Good

Over: HILLSIDE

0.8 MI N SUNSET BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1949 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,160

FAIRMONT AVE

Good

Over: SnFerRd / SCRRA / Ver Wh

0.3MI E/O FLOWER ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2010 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 34,986

SR 164 (ROSEMEAD)

Good

Over: FLOOD FLOW CHANNEL

07-LA-164-2.06, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1952 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 45,900

INTERSTATE 40

Good

Over: ROADRUNNER WASH

08-SBD-040-R140.72-NED, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 17,500

INTERSTATE 40

Good

Over: ROADRUNNER WASH

08-SBD-040-R140.72-NED, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 16,700

KINGSLEY AVE

Good

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK CHAN

0.25 MI E LA CO LINE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1958 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 6,700

INTERSTATE 15 SB

Good

Over: INDIAN TRUCK TRAIL

08-RIV-015-30.40, Riverside, CA

Built 1979 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 60,500

STATE ROUTE 76

Good

Over: LUKET CREEK

11-SD-076-41.63, San Diego, CA

Built 1939 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,050

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 79

11-SD-008-R37.83, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 11,050

STATE ROUTE 125 NB

Good

Over: BLOSSOM LANE

11-SD-125-11.35-LMGR, San Diego, CA

Built 2002 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 66,500

BARNETT AVENUE

Good

Over: PACIFIC HIGHWAY

PACIFIC HWY & BARNETT, San Diego, CA

Built 1943 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 21,546

DOE MILL ROAD

Good

Over: BUTTE CREEK

18 mi NE of Chico CA, Butte, CA

Built 2017 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 160

NORTH EARL ROAD

Good

Over: BRANCH OF HUTCHINSON CK

1.2 MILES NORTH OF INTER, Yuba, CA

Built 2018 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 50

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: WILLOW STREET

02-SIS-005-2.09-DMR, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1960 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 18,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 395

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK PIT RIVER

02-MOD-395-R19.64, Modoc, CA

Built 1971 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 2,400

STATE ROUTE 32

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

03-BUT-032-2.08, Butte, CA

Built 1921 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 11,700

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: LURLINE CREEK

03-COL-005-R22.32, Colusa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 12,500

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: LURLINE CREEK

03-COL-005-R22.31, Colusa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 12,500

HENNESS ROAD

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH (EAST)

WEST OF PROSSER DAM ROAD, Nevada, CA

Built 2006 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 1,000

MISSION BLVD

Good

Over: AUSTIN CREEK

0.5 M NORTH OF HWY 12, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 11,000

US 50 (I-305) WB

Good

Over: JEFFERSON BLVD (OLD 84)

03-YOL-050-2.48-WSAC, Yolo, CA

Built 1966 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 43,000

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: LAMBERT ROAD

03-SAC-005-4.65, Sacramento, CA

Built 1975 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 27,000

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Good

Over: LAMBERT ROAD

03-SAC-005-4.65, Sacramento, CA

Built 1975 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 27,000

OCCIDENTAL DR

Good

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 50

03-SAC-050-R4.54-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1971 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 4,200

PORT CHICAGO HWY

Good

Over: MOUNT DIABLO CREEK

0.6 MI N HWY 4, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1979 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 3,240

LOWER SACRAMENTO R

Good

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER

0.9 MI N TURNER RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1969 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 9,943

AUSTIN RD

Good

Over: N FK S LITTLEJOHNS CREEK

2.9 MI N FRENCH CAMP RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1954 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 1,033

W24-BROADWAY OFFRP

Good

Over: PATTON STREET

04-ALA-024-R4.21-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 7,000

QUITO ROAD

Good

Over: SAN TOMAS CREEK

AT AUSTIN WAY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1993 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 5,780

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: QUINTO CREEK

10-MER-005-25.96, Merced, CA

Built 1967 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 15,500

Showing 22,651-22,700 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.