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

TUSTIN AVENUE

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER CHANNEL

0.3 MI. S/O ROUTE 91 FWY., Orange, CA

Built 1967 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 19,800

SILVERADO CANYN RD

Poor

Over: SILVERADO CANYON CREEK

5.4 MI E/O SANTIAGO CYN, Orange, CA

Built 1947 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 2,000

INTERSTATE 80 EB

Poor

Over: ULATIS CREEK

04-SOL-080-R26.61-VAC, Solano, CA

Built 1952 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 74,500

CHERRY GLEN ROAD

Poor

Over: INTERSTATE 80

04-SOL-080-R23.13, Solano, CA

Built 1965 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 2,429

STATE ROUTE 4

Poor

Over: OLD RIVER

10-SJ-004-0.01, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1915 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 8,200

PEZZI RD

Poor

Over: CALAVERAS RIVER

0.8 MI S/O EIGHT MI RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1926 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 402

STATE ROUTE 120

Poor

Over: STANISLAUS RIVER

10-STA-120-4.26, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1931 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 18,600

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Poor

Over: NIPOMO CREEK

05-SLO-101-1.36, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1957 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 28,000

WATERMAN AVE

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER

0.4 MI N OF I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1948 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 30,542

LA CADENA DR

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER

1.5 MI SOUTH OF I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1929 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 12,519

NAT TRAILS HWY

Poor

Over: KALMIA DITCH

11.8 MI E OF CRUCERO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 235

PETTYJOHN RD

Poor

Over: COLD FORK COTTONWOOD CRK

0.9 MI W WEEMASOUL RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1938 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 20

N STATE ST

Poor

Over: YORK CREEK

2.3 MI N OF 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1980 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 7,012

ST RTE 160 WB LRT

Poor

Over: AMERICAN RIVER

03-SAC-160-R44.47-SAC, Sacramento, CA

Built 1915 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 26,500

IGNACIO BOULEVARD

Poor

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-MRN-101-18.09-NVTO, Marin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 12,900

EVANS AVE

Poor

Over: CALTRAIN & UP RR

JUST S. OF CESAR CHAVEZ, San Francisco, CA

Built 1947 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 30,000

STATE ROUTE 92

Poor

Over: SAN FRANCISCO BAY

04-SM-092-R14.44-FSTC, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 120,000

LARKSPUR ST

Poor

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

0.2 MI E HIGHWAY 9, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1957 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,500

EAST ZAYANTE RD

Poor

Over: ZAYANTE CREEK

3.2 MI N GRAHAM HILL RD, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1948 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 2,000

CASSERLY RD

Poor

Over: GREEN VALLEY CREEK

0.3 MI E ROBIN MEADOW LN, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1941 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 500

BECKWITH ROAD

Poor

Over: M.I.D. LATERAL #7

0.4 MILE W/O DAKOTA RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1925 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 4,684

N JERROLD AVE

Poor

Over: 2ND LIFT CANAL

0.9 MI NORTH OF NEES AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1937 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 125

CARMEL VALLEY RD

Poor

Over: PALOMA CREEK

6.3 MI N ARROYO SECO RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1959 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 290

STATE ROUTE 41

Poor

Over: KINGS RIVER

06-KIN-041-32.26, Kings, CA

Built 1942 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 7,700

WILDWOOD-MAD RIVER

Poor

Over: DUBAKELLA CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Trinity, CA

Built 1972 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 50

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Poor

Over: BIG LAGOON

01-HUM-101-109.17, Humboldt, CA

Built 1958 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 4,200

LLANO RD

Poor

Over: COLGAN CREEK

1.1 MI N OF SH 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1979 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 1,750

FREITAS PKWY

Poor

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-MRN-101-13.71-SRF, Marin, CA

Built 1960 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 18,000

EDGEWATER DRIVE SB

Poor

Over: ELMHURST CANAL

0.2 MI N/W ROLAND WAY, Alameda, CA

Built 1968 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 2,173

UPPER ROAD

Poor

Over: NEWMAN WASTEWAY

0.2 MI S/O HALLOWELL RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1953 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 1,097

SERVICE ROAD

Poor

Over: T.I.D. CERES MAIN CANAL

80 W/O MOORE ROAD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1921 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 4,119

SONORA ROAD

Poor

Over: MARTELLS CREEK

0.1MI E FRANKENHEIMER RD, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1920 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 182

WASHINGTON RD

Poor

Over: SAND SLOUGH

1.7 MI W HARMON RD, Merced, CA

Built 1950 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 267

ROAD M112

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

5.86 MI SE OF M120, Tulare, CA

Built 1939 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 25

CENTRAL AVE

Poor

Over: UP RR AMTRAK METROLINK

0.2 MI S HOLT AVENUE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 39,900

WINDING ROAD

Poor

Over: BASIN CREEK

11S12-20.3, Fresno, CA

Built 1968 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 50

MAPLE CREEK RD

Poor

Over: MAPLE CREEK

12.5 MI SE OF KORBEL, Humboldt, CA

Built 1955 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 38

PACKER LAKE ROAD

Poor

Over: SALMON CREEK

WEST OF GOLD LAKES ROAD, Sierra, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 200

OLD DUBLIN ROAD

Poor

Over: SAN LORENZO CREEK

0.5 MI E/O CASTRO VLY RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1927 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 2,120

EUREKA CANYON RD

Poor

Over: SHINGLE MILL GULCH

2.0 MI N RIDER RD, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 500

ROAD 13

Poor

Over: ASH SLOUGH

INT AVE 25 1/2, Madera, CA

Built 1965 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 316

GONZALES RIVER RD

Poor

Over: SALINAS RIVER

0.2 MI E RIVER RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1930 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 1,800

TELEGRAPH RD

Poor

Over: RIO HONDO RIV

0.5MI W/O PARAMOUNT BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1951 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 24,717

LAWSON VALLEY RD

Poor

Over: LAWSON CREEK

3.4MI E/O SKYLINE TRK TRL, San Diego, CA

Built 1948 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 852

EVAN HEWES HWY

Poor

Over: WESTSIDE MAIN CANAL

1.7 MI E/O DUNAWAY RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1963 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 2,225

BROCKMAN RD

Poor

Over: GREESON WASH

0.4 MI N/O KUBLER RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1947 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 550

MONTGOMERY ROAD

Poor

Over: EAST HIGHLINE CANAL

3.2 MI E/O WIEST RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.1 t ADT: 50

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Poor

Over: WEST END RD CREEK NCRRA

01-HUM-101-87.84-ARC, Humboldt, CA

Built 1929 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 17,500

PRICE CREEK RD

Poor

Over: PRICE CREEK

0.7 MI SOUTH OF SR 299, Trinity, CA

Built 1950 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 20

COUNTY RD 306

Poor

Over: SALT CREEK

0.3 MI S OF RD #200, Glenn, CA

Built 1948 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 300

Showing 24,701-24,750 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.