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

INTERSTATE 605 NB

Good

Over: ROUTE 210

07-LA-605-25.75-IRW, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 8,000

INTERSTATE 210

Good

Over: HONOLULU AVE

07-LA-210-R15.75-GNDL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 156,000

ROUTE 133 NB

Good

Over: SANTIAGO AQUEDUCT

12-ORA-133-13.37-IRVN, Orange, CA

Built 1998 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 47,200

INTERSTATE 15 SB

Good

Over: TEMESCAL CANYON ROAD

08-RIV-015-31.90, Riverside, CA

Built 1979 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 60,500

CRAZY PEAK ROAD

Good

Over: DUNN CREEK

12MI S & 2MI E OF 97523, Del Norte, CA

Built 1988 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 12

WATT AVE

Good

Over: AMERICAN RIVER DRIVE

AMERICAN RIVER DR, Sacramento, CA

Built 1960 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 96,700

INTERSTATE 280 SB

Good

Over: WESTBOROUGH BLVD

04-SM-280-R22.62-SSF, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 89,000

SNTA RITA OLD CK R

Good

Over: PASO ROBLES CREEK

0.9 MI SWVINEYARD DR, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 538

STATE ROUTE 58

Good

Over: MADISON STREET

06-KER-058-R54.91, Kern, CA

Built 1976 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 42,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: VISTA DEL MAR UC

07-VEN-101-29.45-VEN, Ventura, CA

Built 1961 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 66,000

4TH ST EB RAMP

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 110 & RAMPS

07-LA-110-23.00-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1951 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 9,000

E134-RIVERSIDE OFF

Good

Over: US 101 NB & SR 170

07-LA-134-0.01-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 3,050

EB10-FAIRFAX OFFRP

Good

Over: BALLONA CREEK

07-LA-010-R9.12-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1964 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 10,700

BOSTON AVE

Good

Over: VERDUGO WASH

0.2MI S/O I-10 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 1,326

INTERSTATE 15

Good

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

08-SBD-015-2.15-ONT, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1978 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 198,000

VIVIENDA AVE

Good

Over: UP RR

0.35 MI W OF RTE 215, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1986 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 400

FOOTHILL BLVD

Good

Over: CUCAMONGA WASH

0.3 MI E/O BAKER AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1979 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 30,700

SR 73 SB

Good

Over: GREENFIELD DRIVE

12-ORA-073-11.76-LGNH, Orange, CA

Built 1996 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 25,000

W94-S805 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 805

11-SD-094-4.07-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1974 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 12,100

MASTERSON ROAD

Good

Over: EAST FORK SCOTT RIVER

2.4 MI W GAZELLE CALLAHAN, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 185

STATE ROUTE 99 SB

Good

Over: LITTLE DRY CREEK

03-BUT-099-22.95, Butte, CA

Built 1975 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 12,400

STATE ROUTE 116

Good

Over: RUSSIAN RIVER

04-SON-116-R5.73, Sonoma, CA

Built 1976 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 5,175

DIABLO AVE

Good

Over: NOVATO CREEK

AT NOVATO BLVD, Marin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 25,882

GARROW DRIVE

Good

Over: CONTRA COSTA CANAL

0.1 MI S OF DAVISON DR, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1991 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 4,500

County Park Road

Good

Over: Stevens Creek

.1 M SO. OF MT EDEN ROAD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1996 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 100

BEASORE DR 434

Good

Over: CHILKOOT CREEK

3.7 MI N MALUM RIDGE RD, Madera, CA

Built 1974 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 720

STATE ROUTE 166

Good

Over: ALAMO CREEK

05-SLO-166-17.73, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1959 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 2,600

POZO ROAD

Good

Over: RINCONADA CREEK

LAS PILITAS RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1959 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 1,112

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: VERDUGO AVE

07-LA-005-28.92-BRB, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 239,020

MACARTHUR

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 110

07-LA-110-R1.06-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1970 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 75

W118-S405 CONNECTR

Good

Over: SEPULVEDA BLVD

07-LA-118-R10.08-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1976 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 26,000

SUNSET BLVD

Good

Over: SILVER LAKE BLVD

100 M N OF PARKMAN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1934 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 31,333

HARVEY WAY

Good

Over: PALO VERDE DRN

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

Built 1977 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 4,374

TAMPA AVE

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

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

Built 1957 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 31,961

MAGNOLIA BL

Good

Over: FRONTAGE RD / SPTCO

AT I-5 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 29,786

WHITES CYN RD

Good

Over: SANTA CLARA RIV

0.3MI S/O SOLEDAD CYN RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1991 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 29,799

STATE ROUTE 133 NB

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 405 & RAMPS

12-ORA-133-8.34-IRVN, Orange, CA

Built 1968 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 20,000

LA PALMA AVE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 91

12-ORA-091-6.42-ANA, Orange, CA

Built 1967 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 30,000

ROUTE 133 SB

Good

Over: PORTOLA PARKWAY

12-ORA-133-12.55-IRVN, Orange, CA

Built 1998 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 47,200

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Good

Over: HORSETHIEF RD

11-SD-008-R39.62L, San Diego, CA

Built 1974 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 8,900

STATE ROUTE 76

Good

Over: LIVE OAK CREEK

11-SD-076-R14.76, San Diego, CA

Built 2017 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 26,000

OLD HWY 44 DR

Good

Over: COW CREEK

0.5 MI N OF SR 44, Shasta, CA

Built 1955 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 2,178

GERBER ROAD

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

0.3 MI E BRADSHAW BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1984 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 6,755

JACKSONVILLE RD

Good

Over: SULLIVAN CREEK

6.9 MI N/O SR 120, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1970 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 1,567

INTERSTATE 380 WB

Good

Over: 7TH AVENUE

04-SM-380-6.20-SBR, San Mateo, CA

Built 1976 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 75,000

PENINSULA AVENUE

Good

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SM-101-14.69-SM, San Mateo, CA

Built 2010 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 10,000

H ST

Good

Over: FRESNO STREET

700 FT EAST OF G STREET, Fresno, CA

Built 1965 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 12,689

CIENEGA ROAD

Good

Over: SAN BENITO RIVER

1 MI S OLD AIRPORT RD, San Benito, CA

Built 1984 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 2,500

STATE ROUTE 198

Good

Over: YOKOHL CREEK

06-TUL-198-21.82, Tulare, CA

Built 1971 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 7,100

INTERSTATE 210

Good

Over: FIRST AVENUE

07-LA-210-R32.08-ADA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 48.9 t ADT: 252,000

Showing 23,551-23,600 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.