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 1

Poor

Over: LAGUNITAS CREEK

04-MRN-001-28.51, Marin, CA

Built 1929 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 3,500

SHELL AVE

Poor

Over: ARROYO DEL HAMBRE

300 FT EST OF ALHAMBRA AV, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1955 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 4,900

E205-N5 CONNECTOR

Poor

Over: PARADISE CUT

10-SJ-205-R13.11, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 21,500

DEL VALLE RD

Poor

Over: LAKE DEL VALLE

5 MI SOUTH OF MINES RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1964 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 900

I280S OFF-MONTEREY

Poor

Over: I 280 SAN JOSE MUNI BART

04-SF-280-R2.72-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 11,200

MAIN ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE BUTANO CREEK

BUTANO ST PRK 0.4 MI IN, San Mateo, CA

Built 1980 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 70

SAN ANDREAS RD

Poor

Over: WATSONVILLE SLOUGH

0.4 MI NW BEACH RD, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1941 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 6,000

BAXTER ROAD

Poor

Over: S FORK DUTCHMAN CREEK

0.2 MI N BUCHAN HOLLOW RD, Merced, CA

Built 1941 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 35

US HIGHWAY 101 SB

Poor

Over: TRAFFIC WAY

05-SLO-101-45.96-ATAS, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 30,000

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Poor

Over: TRAFFIC WAY

05-SLO-101-45.96-ATAS, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 30,000

HUASNA RD

Poor

Over: ARROYO GRANDE CREEK

0.04 MI SE LOPEZ DR, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1923 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 966

GAGE AVE

Poor

Over: LOS ANGELES RIV

0.1MI W/O I-710 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1940 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 27,454

STATE ROUTE 78

Poor

Over: PALO VERDE OUTFALL

11-IMP-078-79.19, Imperial, CA

Built 1964 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 2,150

SINCLAIR ROAD

Poor

Over: ALAMO RIVER

3.3 MI W/O SR 111, Imperial, CA

Built 1994 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 550

WINDING ROAD

Poor

Over: KINGS RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Fresno, CA

Built 1946 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 115

EL PRADO ROAD

Poor

Over: EASTON CREEK

JUST SE OF CANYON RD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.5 t ADT: 200

ROAD 67

Poor

Over: HOWARD SLOUGH

1.8 MI EAST OF CR Z, Glenn, CA

Built 1920 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 93

COLLEGE CITY RD

Poor

Over: CLARKS DITCH

WHITE ROAD, Colusa, CA

Built 1976 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 402

INTERSTATE 80

Poor

Over: DAN WILSON CREEK

04-SOL-080-13.92, Solano, CA

Built 1951 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 202,000

STATE ROUTE 129

Poor

Over: SALSIPUEDES CREEK

05-SCR-129-0.56, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1938 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 10,000

STATE ROUTE 9

Poor

Over: KINGS CREEK

05-SCR-009-15.49, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1927 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 5,000

QUITO RD

Poor

Over: SAN TOMAS CREEK

SOUTH OF OLD ADOBE RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1915 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 6,740

PIONEER RD

Poor

Over: OUTSIDE CANAL

0.2 MI E VOLTA RD, Merced, CA

Built 1960 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 1,360

TEMPLE CITY BLVD

Poor

Over: EATON WASH

1.0MI E/O ROSEMEAD BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1956 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 13,481

SALT CREEK RD

Poor

Over: SALT CREEK

0.1 MI N/O REQUA RD, Del Norte, CA

Built 1975 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 5

NELSON SHIPPEE RD

Poor

Over: WESTERN CANAL

0.6 MI E/O MIDWAY RD, Butte, CA

Built 1940 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 110

MANTHEY ROAD

Poor

Over: SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

0.2 MI NE OF STEWART RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1926 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 750

N BIG TREES PRK RD

Poor

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

H COWELL ST PK, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1931 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 500

TASMAN DR

Poor

Over: CALABAZAS CREEK

E OF LAWRENCE EXPWY, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1976 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 10,400

APPLEGATE ROAD

Poor

Over: STATE ROUTE 99 & RAMPS

10-MER-099-22.76-ATW, Merced, CA

Built 1957 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 9,220

MORAGA AVENUE

Poor

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

0.4 MI N HWY 152, Merced, CA

Built 1950 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 101

N SHORE DR RD 432

Poor

Over: NORTH FORK WILLOW CREEK

0.7 MI SE OF S SHORE DR, Madera, CA

Built 1953 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 2,000

S HUGHES AVE

Poor

Over: HOUGHTON CANAL

AT/JSO NIELSEN AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 5,867

THE OLD RD

Poor

Over: SANTA CLARA RIV

0.3MI N/O MAGIC MTN PKWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1928 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 30,894

ROAD 67

Poor

Over: PACKARD DRAW

0.5 MI WEST OF ROAD Z, Glenn, CA

Built 1930 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 91

ROAD 67

Poor

Over: HOWARD SLOUGH

1.7 MI EAST OF CR Z, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 93

HUMBOLDT ROAD

Poor

Over: DEAD HORSE SLOUGH DIVRSN

BTWN FOREST & EL MONTE, Butte, CA

Built 1957 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 3,500

ARCHER ROAD

Poor

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CANAL

0.3 MI E OF KENT ROAD, Sutter, CA

Built 1950 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 43

RIVER RD

Poor

Over: MARK WEST CREEK

11.2 MI W OF SR 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1958 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 8,000

STATE ROUTE 104

Poor

Over: SUTTER CREEK

10-AMA-104-R5.86-ION, Amador, CA

Built 1970 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 11,000

AIRPORT WAY

Poor

Over: MORMON SLOUGH

0.2 MI N DR MLK JR BLVD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1957 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 4,500

UP RR BNSF AMTRAK

Poor

Over: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BL

0.1 MI W N AIRPORT WAY, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1937 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 30

SCHADD ROAD

Poor

Over: FOREST CREEK

0.1 MI S OF BALD MTN RD, Calaveras, CA

Built 1993 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 34

TENNYSON ROAD

Poor

Over: INTERSTATE 880

04-ALA-880-15.65-HAY, Alameda, CA

Built 1958 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 41,900

MILTON ROAD

Poor

Over: ROCK CREEK TRIBUTARY

3.7 MI N/O SR 4, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1918 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 716

MURPHY ROAD

Poor

Over: TRES PINOS CREEK

EAST OF SR 25, San Benito, CA

Built 1960 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 200

STATE ROUTE 38

Poor

Over: HATHAWAY CREEK

08-SBD-038-26.58, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1967 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 2,500

BARTON RD

Poor

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

0.5 MI W CALIFORNIA ST., San Bernardino, CA

Built 1972 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 24,760

BROOKSIDE AVE

Poor

Over: MOREY ARROYO 1

0.3 MI NE TENNESEE ST, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1950 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 20,000

STATE ROUTE 20

Poor

Over: SUTTER BYPASS

03-SUT-020-4.22, Sutter, CA

Built 1938 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 7,600

Showing 24,751-24,800 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.