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 VISTA AVENUE

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

S/O SCENIC DRIVE, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1956 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 32,291

INTERSTATE 10

Good

Over: CAMERON AVE

07-LA-010-34.28-WCOV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 215,000

ATLANTIC BL NB-N71

Good

Over: ATLANTIC BLVD S/BND

07-LA-710-22.00-VER, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 21,700

INTERSTATE 110

Good

Over: GARDENA BLVD

07-LA-110-10.49-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 253,000

AVE 60 ON&OFF RAMP

Good

Over: ARROYO SECO & BIKE PATH

07-LA-110-28.86-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 5,000

INTERSTATE 405

Good

Over: 166TH STREET

07-LA-405-17.14-LNDL, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1962 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 268,300

E10 & W10 BUSWAYS

Good

Over: LAFC ACCESS ROAD

07-LA-010S-28.32-EMTE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 200

4TH ST RAMP B

Good

Over: GROUND

E/O HOPE ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 350

ARCHIBALD AVE

Good

Over: DEER CREEK CHANNEL

0.5 MI N ROUTE I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1981 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 26,159

BOYLE RD

Good

Over: CLOUGH CREEK

2.5 MI W DESCHUTES RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1969 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 2,199

SR 123 (SAN PABLO)

Good

Over: SR 123 (MACARTHUR BLVD)

04-ALA-123-0.22-EMV, Alameda, CA

Built 1936 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 24,350

WALNUT AVE

Good

Over: PACHECO CREEK

JUST E/O SR 152, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1947 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 60

N5-GRIFFITH PARK D

Good

Over: ROUTE 5 & S5-LOS FELIZ B

07-LA-005-24.61-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 719

114th St

Good

Over: COMPTON CREEK

BTW BELHVN AV/CENTRAL AV, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1951 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 1,600

STATE ROUTE 86 NB

Good

Over: PERONE DITCH

08-RIV-086-0.36, Riverside, CA

Built 1979 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 15,300

GLORIA DR

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

03-SAC-005-18.19-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1974 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 8,900

LOS GATOS ROAD

Good

Over: LOS GATOS CREEK

14.25 MI W DERRICK BLVD, Fresno, CA

Built 1983 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 100

STATE ROUTE 46

Good

Over: PERRY CREEK

05-SLO-046-R0.18, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1974 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 3,700

CARLISLE ROAD

Good

Over: SHERWOOD CREEK

1.2 MI. W OF SR 23, Ventura, CA

Built 2012 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 1,200

N5-TUXFORD OFF-RMP

Good

Over: INTERSTATE 5

07-LA-005-34.82-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1961 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 2,840

INTERSTATE 405

Good

Over: SAWTELLE BLVD

07-LA-405-27.08-CLC, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 278,000

RANDOLPH ST

Good

Over: ACTA

40FT E/O ALAMEDA ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2000 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 9,435

MICHELSON DR

Good

Over: SAN JOAQUIN CHANNEL

50 E HARVARD AVE, Orange, CA

Built 1950 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 15,500

S5-E52 SEPARATION

Good

Over: RTE 5 & W52-S5

11-SD-005-R25.95-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1966 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 12,600

STATE ROUTE 86 NB

Good

Over: DAROCA DITCH

11-IMP-086-62.31, Imperial, CA

Built 1979 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 7,300

STATE ROUTE 128

Good

Over: FLYNN CREEK

01-MEN-128-11.63, Mendocino, CA

Built 1955 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 3,300

BERNARD ROAD

Good

Over: MARSH CREEK

160 M NE MAIN ST/SR-4, Contra Costa, CA

Built 2003 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 4,200

STATE ROUTE 82

Good

Over: SARATOGA CREEK

04-SCL-082-13.07-SCL, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1958 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 32,000

INTERSTATE 110

Good

Over: ALONDRA BLVD

07-LA-110-10.74-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 242,820

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Good

Over: SEPULVEDA BLVD

07-LA-101-16.94R-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1959 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 229,750

INTERSTATE 605

Good

Over: DAVENRICH STREET

07-LA-605-R9.94-SFSP, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1965 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 230,000

S405-WILSHIRE OFF

Good

Over: WILSHIRE-S405 ON

07-LA-405-31.57-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2013 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 8,530

MOORPARK STREET

Good

Over: LOS ANGELES RIVER

0.25 MI E/O WOODMAN AVE., Los Angeles, CA

Built 1952 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 25,300

CAJON BLVD

Good

Over: CLEGHORN CREEK

0.7 MI S/O CLEGHORN, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1952 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 1,166

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Good

Over: FRENCH CAMP ROAD

10-SJ-005-R22.51, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1971 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 87,500

INTERSTATE 10

Good

Over: FRANCISQUITO AVE

07-LA-010-32.66-BWP, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 209,000

INTERSTATE 110

Good

Over: REDONDO BEACH BLVD

07-LA-110-11.24-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1960 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 253,000

W210-N5 CONNECTOR

Good

Over: I 5 TRUCK NBND

07-LA-210-R0.02-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1971 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 15,600

STATE ROUTE 14

Good

Over: AVENUE "K"

07-LA-014-R66.73-LAN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1972 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 38,000

ANGELES FOREST HWY

Good

Over: MILL CRK

1.2MI S/O UPPR BIG T CN, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 3,162

GARFIELD AVE

Good

Over: RIO HONDO

0.5 I S/O FIRESTONE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1957 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 16,432

FIRST ST

Good

Over: E END AVE

0.2MI S/O HOLT AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2008 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 3,900

SIERRA AVENUE

Good

Over: NORTH NORCO CHANNEL

0.15 MI N/O 5TH STREET, Riverside, CA

Built 1986 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 4,000

INTERSTATE 15 SB

Good

Over: NUTMEG STREET

11-SD-015-R34.22-ESD, San Diego, CA

Built 1978 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 70,000

IMPERIAL AVE

Good

Over: CHOLLAS CREEK

0.27MI W/O 36TH ST, San Diego, CA

Built 1908 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 7,578

SODA CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: SODA CREEK

2.3 MI E OF I-5, Shasta, CA

Built 1975 Load: 59.6 t ADT: 80

HOLLY DRIVE

Good

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

AT CEDAR DR, Sacramento, CA

Built 1982 Load: 59.6 t ADT: 700

IMHOFF DRIVE

Good

Over: WALNUT CREEK

0.3 MI W SOLANO WAY, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1981 Load: 59.6 t ADT: 1,000

S405-WILSHIRE OFF

Good

Over: WILSHIRE BLVD

07-LA-405-31.54-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 2013 Load: 59.6 t ADT: 8,530

VANOWEN ST

Good

Over: ALISO CREEK

0.1 M E/O WILBUR AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1954 Load: 59.6 t ADT: 31,982

Showing 24,001-24,050 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.