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 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

FLOURNOY AVE

Poor

Over: BURCH CREEK

0.2 MI E KIRKWOOD RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1937 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 123

LOW GAP ROAD

Poor

Over: MASONITE INDUSTRIAL ROAD

6.7 MI S ORR SPRINGS ROAD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1960 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

FOREST ROAD 610

Poor

Over: SOUTH FORK CASPAR CREEK

N OF INT OF FOREST RD 600, Mendocino, CA

Built 1965 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2

FOREST ROAD 330

Poor

Over: PARLIN CREEK

PARLIN FORK CONSERVATION, Mendocino, CA

Built 2005 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

STATE PARK ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE RIVER

VAN DAMME STATE PARK, Mendocino, CA

Built 1951 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 150

COUNTY RD R

Poor

Over: GLENN-COLUSA CANAL

0.3 MI N/O COUNTY RD 39, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 85

COUNTY ROAD Z

Poor

Over: ANGEL SLOUGH

0.3 MI N OF S.H. 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 586

LEESVILLE-LODGA RD

Poor

Over: LITTLE INDIAN CREEK

6.1 MI N LEESVILLE ROAD, Colusa, CA

Built 1915 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 37

PURDON ROAD

Poor

Over: SOUTH YUBA RIVER

2.0 MI S TYLER-FOOTE, Nevada, CA

Built 1895 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 71

SWEETWTR SPRNGS RD

Poor

Over: PORTER CREEK

3.5 MI W OF WESTSIDE RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1968 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 140

GREENWOOD AVE

Poor

Over: GARNETT CREEK

.2 MI NE/O MYRTLEDALE RD, Napa, CA

Built 1904 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 162

MAIN PRAIRIE RD

Poor

Over: ULATIS CREEK

0.3 MI E OF RTE 113, Solano, CA

Built 1962 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 255

FRANKLIN BLVD

Poor

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER OVERFLOW

1.8 MI N SAN JQUIN CO LIN, Sacramento, CA

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 520

ALTA MESA ROAD

Poor

Over: LAGUNA CREEK

0.4 MI N OF SR 104, Sacramento, CA

Built 1940 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,530

CLAY STATION ROAD

Poor

Over: BROWNS CREEK

1.2 MI N OF SR 104, Sacramento, CA

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2,311

CARMENCITA ROAD

Poor

Over: LAGUNA CREEK

0.7 MI N CALVINE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1945 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 400

CONSUMNES MINE RD

Poor

Over: NORTH FK COSUMNES RIVER

4.0 MI N/O GRIZZILY FT RD, El Dorado, CA

Built 1958 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 950

PITT STREET

Poor

Over: JACKSON CREEK

NW STATE ROUTE 88, Amador, CA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 800

OLD AMADOR ROAD

Poor

Over: RANCHERIA CREEK

0.8 MI NW OF MAIN ST, Amador, CA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

BIG TREES PARKWAY

Poor

Over: N FORK STANISLAUS RIVER

CALAV BIG TREES ST PK, Calaveras, CA

Built 1959 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 400

QUINLEY AVENUE

Poor

Over: BLACK RASCAL CREEK

0.6 MI SOUTH OF RTE 140, Merced, CA

Built 1962 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

WASHINGTON ROAD

Poor

Over: EASTSIDE BYPASS

0.1 MI E HARMON RD, Merced, CA

Built 1968 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 120

AVENUE 18.5

Poor

Over: EASTSIDE BYPASS CHANNEL

2.0 MI EAST OF ROAD 4, Madera, CA

Built 1965 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 300

BELLVIEW RD

Poor

Over: WILLOW CREEK

ONEAL ROAD, Madera, CA

Built 1940 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 65

C.R. 210

Poor

Over: RYAN CREEK

4.0 MI E OF CR 211, Madera, CA

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 70

N CHATEAU FRESNO

Poor

Over: HOUGHTON CANAL

0.5 MI SOUTH OF BELMONT, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 500

HOUSTON AVE

Poor

Over: CROSS CREEK

0.1 MI W OF 6TH AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1968 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 3,190

AVENUE 404

Poor

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.1 MI WEST OF SR 245, Tulare, CA

Built 1936 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

MOUNTAIN RD 109

Poor

Over: WHITE RIVER

8 MI SE FOUNTAIN SPRINGS, Tulare, CA

Built 1939 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 180

M 112

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

2.23 MI SE OF M120, Tulare, CA

Built 1956 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

ROAD 16

Poor

Over: HOMELAND CANAL

3.0 MI N OF AVENUE 56, Tulare, CA

Built 1942 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 175

RIVER ROAD

Poor

Over: HUER HUERO CREEK

1.5 MI S WELLONA AVE, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 269

HUASNA TOWNSITE RD

Poor

Over: HUASNA RIVER

3.1 MI SE OF HUASNA, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1965 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 288

JACK CREEK RD

Poor

Over: PASO ROBLES CREEK

0.2 MI N STATE RTE 46, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1938 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 151

BIANCHI LANE

Poor

Over: SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK

0.2 MI W/O HIGUERA STR, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1905 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 30

ARTESIA BLVD

Poor

Over: UPRR COMPTON CR ALAMEDA

0.3MI W/O SANTA FE AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25,440

YERMO RD

Poor

Over: MANIX WASH

4.4 MI NE HARVARD RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1929 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1

NAT TRAILS HWY

Poor

Over: COTA DITCH

16.7 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 502

NAT TRAILS HWY

Poor

Over: DALMATIA DITCH

17.8 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 502

WHITEWATER CUTOFF

Poor

Over: WHITEWATER RIVER

0.3 MI. E/O ROUTE 10 FWY, Riverside, CA

Built 1923 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 50

DREW RD

Poor

Over: NEW RIVER

0.8 MI S/O I-8, Imperial, CA

Built 1948 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,500

EVAN HEWES HWY

Poor

Over: SOUTH FORK COYOTE WASH

3.5 MI E/O IMPERIAL HWY, Imperial, CA

Built 1932 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 600

SPRING CREEK RD

Poor

Over: FALL RIVER

0.5 MI N OF MCARTHUR RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 50

ORESTIMBA ROAD

Poor

Over: CCID MAIN CANAL

0.1 MI E DRAPER RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1919 Load: 2.9 t ADT: 684

GULLING STREET

Poor

Over: MIDDLE FORK FEATHER RIV

0.2 MI S SH 70, Plumas, CA

Built 1954 Load: 3.2 t ADT: 10,046

Showing 24,351-24,400 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.