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

EL CURTOLA BLVD

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 24 & BARTD

04-CC-024-R8.27, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 3,500

STATE ROUTE 49

Good

Over: SONORA CREEK

10-TUO-049-17.80-SRA, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1947 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 11,500

WHITE ROAD

Good

Over: BRANCH OF CORRALITOS CRK

0.1 MI WEST FREEDOM BLVD, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1958 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 1,000

MONTAGUE EXPWY

Good

Over: COYOTE CREEK

0.5 MI SW/O I-880, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 73,260

MT VERNON AVE

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 178

06-KER-178-R4.59-BKD, Kern, CA

Built 1970 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 28,261

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: S BRANCH ARROYO CONEJO

07-VEN-101-7.01-THOK, Ventura, CA

Built 1954 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 180,000

INTERSTATE 5

Good

Over: HOLLYWOOD WAY

07-LA-005-32.35-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 183,000

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: W138-S5 CONNECTOR RAMP

07-LA-005-R81.47, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 35,890

ROUTE 2 EB

Good

Over: RTE 210 VERDUGO BL CON

07-LA-002-R22.97-GNDL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 57,500

GARVEY AVE

Good

Over: BIG DALTON WASH

0.5MI W/O PUENTE AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 11,433

STATE ROUTE 91

Good

Over: ACACIA STREET

12-ORA-091-4.76-ANA, Orange, CA

Built 1959 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 265,000

INTERSTATE 15 NB

Good

Over: TEMESCAL CANYON ROAD

08-RIV-015-31.90, Riverside, CA

Built 1979 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 60,500

GRAPE STREET

Good

Over: N5-HAWTHORN ST OFF-RAMP

11-SD-005-R16.80-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1962 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 7,600

LA COSTA AVE

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

11-SD-005-R44.07-CBD, San Diego, CA

Built 1965 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 30,151

PALOMAR AIRPORT RD

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

11-SD-005-R47.03-CBD, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 52,964

INTERSTATE 8 WB

Good

Over: LAS BANCAS RD

11-SD-008-R40.84L, San Diego, CA

Built 1974 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 9,800

JAPATUL RD

Good

Over: SWEETWATER RIVER

1.6 MI E/O TAVERN RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1973 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 2,738

JOHNNY ONEIL ROAD

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

HORSE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 30

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

HORSE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1975 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 20

FDR 18

Good

Over: S. FK. YUBA

S20 T17N R12E, Nevada, CA

Built 1957 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 50

US HIGHWAY 199 NB

Good

Over: HILLSIDE ABOVE RIVER

01-DN-199-8.66, Del Norte, CA

Built 1979 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 3,750

CA State Rt S-24

Good

Over: CA Sluiceway channel

15 mi NW of Yuma AZ, Imperial, CA

Built 1975 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 200

REEDS CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH FORK REEDS CREEK

3.7 MI W OF WILDER ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1978 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 1,660

CORONA RD

Good

Over: PETALUMA RIVER

N OF PETALUMA BLVD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1977 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 4,800

U.S. HIGHWAY 50

Good

Over: UP RR SCRTD LRT FOLSOM

03-SAC-050-R6.34, Sacramento, CA

Built 1973 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 186,000

ELVERTA RD

Good

Over: EAST DRAINAGE CANAL

2.5 MI W/O RIO LINDA BLVD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1974 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 5,400

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Good

Over: LAUREL CREEK

04-SM-101-10.25-SM, San Mateo, CA

Built 1954 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 195,000

PERALTA ROAD

Good

Over: SAN PEDRO CREEK

S. OF DELL RD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1984 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 2,389

E ANNADALE AVE

Good

Over: BYRD SLOUGH

0.35 MI E/O MACDONOUGH AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1973 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 1,300

ALISOS DR

Good

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK

BET OAK DR AND LILAC DR, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 422

LAUREN LANE

Good

Over: BRADLEY CHANNEL

0.15 MI S SEAWARD DRIVE, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 2001 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 200

INTERSTATE 10

Good

Over: W10-GARVEY AVE OFF-RAMP

07-LA-010-30.58-EMTE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 213,000

LA CIENEGA BLVD SB

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 405

07-LA-405-23.71-ING, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 30,775

INTERSTATE 405

Good

Over: CULVER BLVD

07-LA-405-27.20-CLC, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 294,000

I-5 NB

Good

Over: HOLLENBECK LAKE BOYLE AV

07-LA-005-17.21-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 117,500

MANCHESTER-N405 ON

Good

Over: N405-LA CIENEGA OFF-RAMP

07-LA-405-23.32-ING, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1963 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 7,100

N605 & E210-HTN DR

Good

Over: CENTRAL AVENUE

07-LA-605-25.98-DRT, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 11,000

SHRODE AVE

Good

Over: SAWPIT WASH

0.1MI E/O CALIFORNIA AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1950 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 2,705

183RD ST

Good

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIV

0.3MI W/O STUDEBAKER RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 16,251

ROUTE 40 W BOUND

Good

Over: DEAN WASH

08-SBD-040-R1.60, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1964 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 19,500

ROUTE 133 SB

Good

Over: SANTIAGO AQUEDUCT

12-ORA-133-13.39-IRVN, Orange, CA

Built 1998 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 47,200

N TORREY PINES RD

Good

Over: CALLAN ROAD

1.0 MI N/O GENESEE RD, San Diego, CA

Built 1943 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 21,800

67113: GRAYS WELL

Good

Over: All American Canal

35 mi W of El Centro CA, Imperial, CA

Built 2001 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 100

GAVIN MANDRY DRIVE

Good

Over: BRANCH OF DRY CREEK

2.1 MILES EAST OF INTERSE, Yuba, CA

Built 2022 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 200

HORSE CR RD

Good

Over: BUCKHORN CREEK

1.2 MI N OF RTE 96, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1968 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 21

PENTZ RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

JUST E WHEELOCK RD, Butte, CA

Built 1973 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 1,540

FRESHWATER LATERAL

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

0.5 MI S/O FRESHWATER RD, Colusa, CA

Built 2004 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 85

WATERTROUGH RD

Good

Over: ATASCADERO CREEK

0.55 MI N SANDERS RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1975 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 2,100

MAIN STREET-2ND ST

Good

Over: STATE RTE 99 FRONTAGE RD

10-SJ-099-0.89-RIP, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1967 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 12,000

N ABEL STREET

Good

Over: UP RR BNSF BARTD BERRYES

0.4 MI S OF JACKLIN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1975 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 22,000

Showing 23,651-23,700 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.