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

MALIBU CYN RD

Poor

Over: MALIBU CRK

4.0MI S/O US-101 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1953 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 20,753

RIVERSIDE AVE

Poor

Over: UP RR RAIL YARD

0.1 MI S OF I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1959 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 37,000

BROOKSIDE AVE

Poor

Over: MOREY ARROYO 2

0.31 MI NE TENNESSEE ST, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1950 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 20,000

CANNON STREET

Poor

Over: SANTIAGO CREEK CHANNEL

.2 MI. N/O SANTIAGO C RD, Orange, CA

Built 1970 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 29,100

MATTOLE RD

Poor

Over: MATTOLE RIVER

0.8 MI SOUTH OF PETROLIA, Humboldt, CA

Built 1958 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 412

PARKVILLE RD

Poor

Over: ASH CREEK

3.4 MI S DERSCH RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1958 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 130

OAK WAY

Poor

Over: SANDY GULCH

0.5 MI W GLENWOOD AVE, Butte, CA

Built 1906 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 325

KENT ROAD

Poor

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CANAL

0.2 MI S OF MCDONALD AVE, Sutter, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 389

GARDEN BAR RD

Poor

Over: COON CREEK

3 MI N PLEASANT RD, Placer, CA

Built 1945 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 209

ARDENWOOD BL

Poor

Over: ALAMEDA FLOOD CNTRL CHNL

0.1 MI S/E LOWRY RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1965 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 17,800

BRIMBLECOM RD

Poor

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

.1 MI W/O SR 9, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1948 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 400

OLD TOLL ROAD

Poor

Over: BEAR CREEK

3.0 MI W OF SR 49, Mariposa, CA

Built 1948 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 130

S WESTLAWN AVE

Poor

Over: CRESCENT DITCH

0.15 MI N OF EXCELSIOR AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1945 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 50

CARMEL VALLEY RD

Poor

Over: FINCH CREEK

14.1 MI NW ARROYO SECO RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1947 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 290

RAVENNA DR

Poor

Over: RIVO ALTO CANAL

0.1MI S/O 2ND ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1953 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,312

COMPTON BLVD

Poor

Over: COMPTON CRK

0.2MI E/O WILMINGTON AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1938 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 27,136

ORANGEWOOD AVENUE

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER CHANNEL

0.1 MI. W/O ROUTE 57 FWY, Orange, CA

Built 1966 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 17,200

CHILDS HILL ROAD

Poor

Over: JANE CREEK

10.3 MI SE OF HAMILTON RD, Del Norte, CA

Built 1950 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5

MATTOLE ROAD

Poor

Over: MATTOLE RIVER

8.0 MI N/O HONEYDEW, Humboldt, CA

Built 1935 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 205

INTERSTATE 80

Poor

Over: ALAMO CREEK

04-SOL-080-R25.03-VAC, Solano, CA

Built 1936 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 147,000

NORTHGATE BLVD

Poor

Over: NATOMAS E MAIN DRN CANAL

0.1 MI S OF GARDEN HWY, Sacramento, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 19,991

CHEROKEE RD

Poor

Over: STOCKTON DIVERTING CANAL

0.5 MI S/W OF S.H. 99, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1948 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 6,863

LOMPICO ROAD

Poor

Over: LOMPICO CREEK

AT DEERWOOD DRIVE, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1940 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 500

NORTH ABBY STREET

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK CANAL

NORTH OF E. OLIVE AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1955 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 4,000

COTTONWOOD GATES

Poor

Over: LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT

0.6 MI W OF RTE 395 JCT, Inyo, CA

Built 1927 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 50

STATE ROUTE 46

Poor

Over: GOOSE LAKE CANAL

06-KER-046-35.13, Kern, CA

Built 1956 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 6,100

PARK AV

Poor

Over: MISSION STORM DRAIN

0.1 MI E OF CALIFORNIA ST, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1935 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 300

PARK AVENUE

Poor

Over: WATERS WAY

PARK AVE. AT COLLINS ISLE, Orange, CA

Built 1953 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 200

FAIRVIEW STREET

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER CHANNEL

0.2 MI S/O WESTMINSTER AV, Orange, CA

Built 1963 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 38,544

KERNER BLVD

Poor

Over: INDST PRK DRAINAGE CANAL

N/O IRENE ST S/O BELLAM, Marin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 18.3 t ADT: 3,600

RELIZ CANYON RD

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE MISSION CREEK

N MISSION CREEK RD SEC 3, Monterey, CA

Built 1994 Load: 18.3 t ADT: 1

SOUTH AVE

Poor

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

3.6 MI WEST OF SH 99, Tehama, CA

Built 1975 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 6,000

ORVLE CHICO HWY

Poor

Over: HAMLIN SLOUGH

1.1 MI NW DURHAM HWY, Butte, CA

Built 1920 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 300

CLAY STATION RD

Poor

Over: HADSELVILLE CREEK

0.1 MI N/O SR 104, Sacramento, CA

Built 1960 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 1,025

U.S. HIGHWAY 50

Poor

Over: SNOW ROAD

03-ED-050-25.26, El Dorado, CA

Built 1957 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 20,300

TREASURE ISD RD SB

Poor

Over: SIDEHILL TI RD NB

JNO SHV #1/ JSO SHV #7A, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 1,500

COTTONWOOD ROAD

Poor

Over: OUTSIDE CANAL

0.5 MI E ORCHARD RD, Merced, CA

Built 1975 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 108

RELIZ CYN RD

Poor

Over: RELIZ CREEK

0.6 MI S/O ELM AVE, Monterey, CA

Built 1953 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 150

GREEN CREEK ROAD

Poor

Over: VIRGINIA CREEK

100 W/O US 395, Mono, CA

Built 1956 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 100

EAST FK HAYFORK RD

Poor

Over: HAYFORK CREEK

0.2 MI E WILDWOOD ROAD, Trinity, CA

Built 1971 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 50

SHERWOOD RD

Poor

Over: SHERWOOD CREEK

0.5 MI W JCT SHERWOOD RD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1979 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 137

INTERSTATE 80

Poor

Over: UP RR BNSF RY & AMTRAK

03-PLA-080-45.71, Placer, CA

Built 1961 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 29,000

FRANZ VALEY SCH RD

Poor

Over: FRANZ CREEK

JUST N/O FRANZ RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1946 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 350

DECOTO RD

Poor

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

NE PASEO PADRE PKWAY, Alameda, CA

Built 1967 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 35,700

HILTON DRIVE

Poor

Over: BOULDER CREEK

BOULDER CRK COUNTRY CLUB, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1959 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 2,500

MARY HARRISON MINE

Poor

Over: MAXWELL CREEK

AT SH 132, Mariposa, CA

Built 1926 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 10

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Poor

Over: NOJOQUI CREEK

05-SB-101-55.00, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1956 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 11,000

SYCAMORE PL

Poor

Over: SIERRA MADRE WASH

0.6MI W/O SANTA ANITA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1928 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 408

INTERSTATE 40

Poor

Over: BLACK CYN WASH

08-SBD-040-R102.18, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 7,500

INTERSTATE 40

Poor

Over: BLACK CYN WASH

08-SBD-040-R102.18, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 7,500

Showing 24,651-24,700 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.