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

ANZA ROAD

Poor

Over: ALL AMERICAN CANAL

1.65 MI W/O SR-111, Imperial, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 800

ROAD 22

Poor

Over: CENTRAL IRRIGATION CANAL

WEST OF S.H. 45, Glenn, CA

Built 1936 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 63

ROAD #48

Poor

Over: BRANCH WALKER CREEK

0.85 MI EAST OF 99W, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 647

WOLF CREEK ROAD

Poor

Over: WOLF CREEK

IN SPRING VALLEY LAKE DEV, Lake, CA

Built 1967 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 26

FREEPORT

Poor

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

CONCTS FRPRT BL S RIV RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1929 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 3,112

CALAVERITAS RD

Poor

Over: WILLOW CREEK

1.2 MI S OF MOUNTAIN RA R, Calaveras, CA

Built 1925 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 256

CHURCH STREET

Poor

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #2

1 MI N/O SR 132, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1920 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 3,678

SANTA FE AVENUE

Poor

Over: T.I.D. UPPER LATERAL #2

0.1 MI S/O SERVICE ROAD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1925 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 7,057

ROAD #61

Poor

Over: WILLOW CREEK

6 MI E OF 99W, Glenn, CA

Built 1949 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 928

IRR ROAD 305

Poor

Over: WATSON CREEK

JUST EAST OF ROAD 306, Glenn, CA

Built 1920 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 120

COUNTY ROAD 200

Poor

Over: BRANCH SALT CREEK

0.8 MI W OF RD #306, Glenn, CA

Built 1925 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 91

MIDDLE HONCUT RD

Poor

Over: WYANDOTTE CREEK

2.2 MI E OF SH 70, Butte, CA

Built 1920 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 60

ORD FERRY ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

1 MI EAST OF RIVER ROAD, Butte, CA

Built 1949 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 1,364

SYCAMORE SLOUGH RD

Poor

Over: SYCAMORE SLOUGH

4.3 MI NE SACHREITER RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1915 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 60

BRIM ROAD

Poor

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.1 MI W BEAR VALLEY ROAD, Colusa, CA

Built 1920 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 15

SQUAW VALLEY ROAD

Poor

Over: SQUAW CREEK

2 MI W OF SH 89, Placer, CA

Built 1959 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 2,497

STATE ROUTE 116

Poor

Over: GREEN VALLEY CREEK

04-SON-116-18.66, Sonoma, CA

Built 1930 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 12,400

WOHLER RD

Poor

Over: MARK WEST CREEK

NEAR RIVER RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1922 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 500

STATE ROUTE 29

Poor

Over: GARNETT CREEK

04-NAP-029-39.08, Napa, CA

Built 1902 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 12,000

GARDEN VALLEY RD

Poor

Over: JOHNTOWN CREEK

3.5 MI NE OF S.R. 193, El Dorado, CA

Built 1928 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 1,391

FIDDLETOWN ROAD

Poor

Over: NORTH FORK DRY CREEK

0.2 MI E AMERICAN FLAT RD, Amador, CA

Built 1923 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 1,237

SHENANDOAH ROAD

Poor

Over: BIG INDIAN CREEK

1 MI N PLMTH FIDLETOWN RD, Amador, CA

Built 1930 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 3,006

DELTA ROAD

Poor

Over: MARSH CREEK

0.8 MI E OF SH4, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 4,147

LAWRENCE EXPWY

Poor

Over: STEVENS CREEK BLVD

STEVENS CRK BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 55,150

GREAT AMERICA PKWY

Poor

Over: AGNEW OVERFLOW

JUST WEST OF GOLD STREET, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1957 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 7,500

RAILROAD AVENUE

Poor

Over: WRIGLEY FORD CREEK

NORTH OF WELLER LANE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1920 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 10

MARSHALL ROAD

Poor

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

0.4 MI EAST OF WARD AVE, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1949 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 1,216

RIVER ROAD

Poor

Over: KERN RIVER PARK

EAST OF HARBOR ROAD, Kern, CA

Built 1934 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 450

MT VERNON AVE

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER

0.6 MI S OF RTE I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 20,000

PACIFIC TERRACE

Poor

Over: CASSIDY STREET

0.8MI SW/O RTE I-5, San Diego, CA

Built 1927 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 1

PHILO GREENWOOD RD

Poor

Over: NAVARRO RIVER

0.4 MI W OF SR 128, Mendocino, CA

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 418

GUALALA ROAD

Poor

Over: NORTH FORK GUALALA RIVER

2 MI E JCT SR 1, Mendocino, CA

Built 1940 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 97

GIBSON LANE

Poor

Over: EAST FORK RUSSIAN RIVER

0.4 MI W EEL RIVER RD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1955 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 561

ROAD Y

Poor

Over: MCKEE OVERFLOW

1.1 MI N HWY 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1935 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 157

CAMP CREEK RD

Poor

Over: CAMP CREEK

3.1 MI NE PULGA RD, Butte, CA

Built 1941 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 20

FRENCHTOWN RD

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

2.7 MI N OF MARYSVILLE RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 490

GREENWOOD ROAD

Poor

Over: NORTH BRNCH GREENWOOD CR

0.3 MI S OF S.R. 193, El Dorado, CA

Built 1927 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 962

FIVE MILE DRIVE

Poor

Over: MULE CREEK

1 MI S/O SH 104, Amador, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 260

PLEASANT HILL RD

Poor

Over: TAYLOR BLVD

0.6 MI E OF GEARY ROAD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1956 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,125

LEWIS CREEK RD

Poor

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.25 MI E OF RTE 25, Monterey, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 150

EXCELSIOR AVE

Poor

Over: LAST CHANCE DITCH

0.5 MI W OF 12TH AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1918 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,650

HOLLY ST

Poor

Over: ARROYO BLVD / ARROYO S

0.2MI W/O US-101 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1925 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 7,453

OROVILLE CHICO HWY

Poor

Over: NANCE CANYON

AT MESA ROAD, Butte, CA

Built 1920 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 300

C. R. 41

Poor

Over: CACHE CREEK

500 E SH 16, Yolo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 15

BUNKER STATION RD

Poor

Over: HASS SLOUGH

1.5 MI S BINGHAMTON RD, Solano, CA

Built 1959 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 25

N13-W80 CONNECTOR

Poor

Over: I 80 & W80-S13 CONNECTOR

04-ALA-013-13.92L-BER, Alameda, CA

Built 1955 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 30,000

INTERSTATE 880

Poor

Over: PATTERSON SLOUGH

04-ALA-880-11.80-FMT, Alameda, CA

Built 1957 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 198,000

BLOSSOM ROAD

Poor

Over: M.I.D. MAIN CANAL

0.5 MI N/O SR132, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1926 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 500

GARRAPATOS ROAD

Poor

Over: PALO COLORADO CREEK

1.2 MI SE SH 1, Monterey, CA

Built 1961 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 130

AVENUE 120

Poor

Over: UP RR

STATE ROUTE 99, Tulare, CA

Built 1962 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 2,850

Showing 24,601-24,650 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.