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 99 SB

Fair

Over: CALAVERAS RIVER

10-SJ-099-21.79, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1930 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 35,500

RIO BLANCO ROAD

Fair

Over: TELEPHONE CUT

1.0 MI N. 8 MI RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1953 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 160

FASHION ISLAND DR

Fair

Over: MARINA LAGOON

0.5 MI E OF S NORFOLK ST, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 13,240

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 82

04-SCL-082-25.88-PA, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1940 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 24,900

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Fair

Over: ORESTIMBA CREEK

10-STA-005-5.73, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1967 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 17,500

STATE ROUTE 99 SB

Fair

Over: ROUTE 59

10-MER-099-14.67-MER, Merced, CA

Built 1962 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 25,500

STATE ROUTE 99 NB

Fair

Over: ROUTE 59

10-MER-099-14.67-MER, Merced, CA

Built 1962 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 25,500

KIBBY ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.4 MI S OF E. OLIVE AVE, Merced, CA

Built 1972 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,442

ARBOLEDA ROAD

Fair

Over: DUCK SLOUGH

0.1 MI S MCHENRY RD., Merced, CA

Built 2007 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,288

E AMERICAN AVE

Fair

Over: FOWLER SWITCH CANAL

AT (JEO) HIGHLAND AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1921 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,800

AVE 280

Fair

Over: UP RR

AT SR99 OVER UP RR, Tulare, CA

Built 1960 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 2,900

STATE ROUTE 33

Fair

Over: SANDY CREEK

06-KER-033-19.51-TAF, Kern, CA

Built 1923 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 10,700

OILDALE DRIVE

Fair

Over: BEARDSLEY CANAL

0.04 MI S OF DECATUR DR, Kern, CA

Built 1981 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 5,300

LOS CARNEROS ROAD

Fair

Over: US HIGHWAY 101

05-SB-101-23.72, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1968 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 21,327

JAMES FOWLER ROAD

Fair

Over: SAN PEDRO CREEK

WEST OF FAIRVIEW AVE, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1980 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 5,100

PRIMAVERA ROAD

Fair

Over: CIENEGUITAS CREEK

0.1 MI E OF SR 154, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1984 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 500

PIRU CANYON ROAD

Fair

Over: REASONER CREEK

7.1 MI N CENTER STR., Ventura, CA

Built 1955 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 700

PARK ROW DR

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 110 SB

07-LA-110-25.20L-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1942 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,000

LORENA STREET

Fair

Over: ROUTE 5

07-LA-005-15.65-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1947 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 12,500

INTERSTATE 405

Fair

Over: CENTURY BLVD

07-LA-405-22.22-ING, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1963 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 293,500

STATE ROUTE 60

Fair

Over: WILCOX AVENUE

07-LA-060-R5.89-MTBL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 250,000

E210-N15 CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 15

08-SBD-210-11.42-RCUC, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1976 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 3,001

STATE ROUTE 55

Fair

Over: TAFT AVENUE

12-ORA-055-15.75-ORA, Orange, CA

Built 1961 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 227,000

MODJESKA CANYON RD

Fair

Over: SANTIAGO CREEK

0.1 MI N/O MODJESKA GR RD, Orange, CA

Built 1935 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,000

STATE ROUTE 62 EB

Fair

Over: MISSION CHANNEL

08-RIV-062-R6.01, Riverside, CA

Built 1966 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 20,910

BEECH ST

Fair

Over: FALLBROOK CREEK WEST

300FT E/O MISSION RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1954 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 816

LYONS RD

Fair

Over: WESTSIDE MAIN CANAL

0.7 MI W/O DREW RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1940 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 100

STATE ROUTE 96

Fair

Over: TI CREEK

02-SIS-096-R11.99, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1967 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 330

STATE ROUTE 3

Fair

Over: SHASTA RIVER

02-SIS-003-51.76, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1959 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 2,900

STATE ROUTE 96

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

02-SIS-096-32.60, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1966 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 400

SCARLETT WAY

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

0.2 MI NW DUNSMUIR AVE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1970 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 59

RD 304

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK DILL SLOUGH

0.5 MI N/O RD 306, Lassen, CA

Built 1978 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 311

Fair

Over: DEEP CUT (BAXTER) CREEK

1.3 MI E OF CR A3, Lassen, CA

Built 1978 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 100

RAWSON RD

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.6 MI N FLORES AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1938 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 824

BELDEN TOWN ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK FEATHER RIVER

0.01 MI SOUTH OF SR 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1912 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 170

STATE ROUTE 1

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

01-MEN-001-31.35, Mendocino, CA

Built 1938 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 1,100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: OUTLET CRK & NCRA/NWP RR

01-MEN-101-57.67, Mendocino, CA

Built 1957 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 6,700

CEMETERY LANE

Fair

Over: GRIST CREEK

0.5 MI WEST OF SR 162, Mendocino, CA

Built 1960 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 72

STATE ROUTE 162

Fair

Over: BIG BUTTE CREEK OVERFLOW

03-GLE-162-83.89, Glenn, CA

Built 1937 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 1,500

STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: CAMPBELL CREEK

03-BUT-099-45.70, Butte, CA

Built 1914 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 11,600

EATON AVE

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

03-BUT-099-R36.31, Butte, CA

Built 1966 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 5,400

7 MILE LANE

Fair

Over: EDGAR SLOUGH OVERFLOW

0.25 MI N OF NELSON RD, Butte, CA

Built 1935 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 184

SODA BAY RD

Fair

Over: ADOBE CREEK

2.7 MI E OF SR 29, Lake, CA

Built 1957 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 2,060

BLACKFORD RD

Fair

Over: BEAR R CAMP FARWEST WIER

NEAR PLACER CO LINE, Yuba, CA

Built 1916 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 540

PLEASANT GROVE RD

Fair

Over: PLEASANT GROVE CR BRANCH

6 MI N SAC CO LINE, Sutter, CA

Built 1950 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 790

TRANCAS ST

Fair

Over: NAPA RIVER

1.3 MI E SR 29, Napa, CA

Built 1960 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 14,755

LODI LANE

Fair

Over: NAPA RIVER

0.2 MI W SILVERADO TRAIL, Napa, CA

Built 1930 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 682

FRANKLIN BLVD

Fair

Over: MORRISON CREEK

0.3 MI S OF FLORIN RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1955 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 24,780

CLUB CENTER DRIVE

Fair

Over: EAST DRAINAGE CANAL

EAST OF NATOMAS BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 2000 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 3,154

FRENCH BAR RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK JACKSON CREEK

0.1 MI NE OF ST RTE 49, Amador, CA

Built 1949 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 800

Showing 2,301-2,350 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.