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

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Poor

Over: INGRAM CREEK ROAD

10-STA-005-22.99, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1967 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 20,500

STATE ROUTE 166

Poor

Over: BRANCH CANYON

05-SB-166-64.19, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1943 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 4,500

1ST STREET

Poor

Over: ARROYO SIMI

.1 MI S/O LOS ANGELES AV, Ventura, CA

Built 1971 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 22,500

CR A21 / MOONEY RD

Poor

Over: ROBBERS CREEK

0.5 MI SW OF SR 36, Lassen, CA

Built 1975 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 1,500

COUNTY ROAD 35

Poor

Over: INTERSTATE 5

03-GLE-005-R15.91, Glenn, CA

Built 1966 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 1,000

DEER PARK ROAD

Poor

Over: NAPA RIVER

0.5 MI NE SR 29, Napa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 3,115

INTERSTATE 80

Poor

Over: GREEN VALLEY CREEK

04-SOL-080-12.91-FRFD, Solano, CA

Built 1928 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 189,000

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Poor

Over: OAK FLAT ROAD

10-STA-005-12.53, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1967 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 18,000

ROAD 16

Poor

Over: HOMELAND CANAL

1.0 MI N OF AVENUE 56, Tulare, CA

Built 1942 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 175

YANONALI STREET

Poor

Over: LAGUNA DRAINAGE CHANNEL

0.1 MI EAST OF GARDEN ST, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1994 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 8,100

ACTUALLY RD 28N03

Poor

Over: INDIAN CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Plumas, CA

Built 1965 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 50

ROAD 28N03

Poor

Over: INDIAN CREEK

INDIAN CREEK, Plumas, CA

Built 1965 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 50

ALBEE CK CAMP

Poor

Over: ALBEE CREEK

HUMBOLDT REDWOOD ST. PK., Humboldt, CA

Built 1986 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 10

PENTZ ROAD

Poor

Over: BERRY CANYON

3.1 MI EAST OF SR 99, Butte, CA

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 7,146

STATE ROUTE 49

Poor

Over: SALMON CREEK

03-SIE-049-R32.90, Sierra, CA

Built 1964 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 800

W580-CENTRAL OFF

Poor

Over: CENTRAL AVE

04-CC-580-0.04-RCH, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1991 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 4,300

DIABLO ROAD

Poor

Over: SAN RAMON CREEK

0.2 MI WEST OF I-680, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1966 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 21,350

TWO BAR RD

Poor

Over: TWO BAR CREEK

2.7 MI E OF SR 9, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1959 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 200

STATE ROUTE 99 SB

Poor

Over: BEAR CREEK

10-MER-099-16.38-MER, Merced, CA

Built 1962 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 25,500

VINEYARD CANYON RD

Poor

Over: CHOLAME CREEK

0.1 MI W SLACKS CANYON RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1950 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 210

SR 1

Poor

Over: BIG SYCAMORE CREEK

07-VEN-001-4.54, Ventura, CA

Built 1938 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 11,600

JOHNSON ROAD

Poor

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

1.2 MI S OF PALMDALE RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1971 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,835

SILVERADO CANYN RD

Poor

Over: SILVERADO CANYON CREEK

4.9 MI. E/O SANTIAGO ROAD, Orange, CA

Built 1947 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,000

INTERSTATE 10 EB

Poor

Over: COACHELLA CANAL

08-RIV-010-R60.40-COA, Riverside, CA

Built 1947 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 11,250

32017

Poor

Over: BUCKEYE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Mono, CA

Built 1960 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 50

CRYSTAL SPRGS CAMP

Poor

Over: WEST FORK CARSON RIVER

0.1 MILE SOUTH OF S.H. 88, Alpine, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 275

SWANTON RD

Poor

Over: BIG CREEK

3 MI NW OF SR 1, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 500

OREGON EXPRESSWAY

Poor

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-52.01-PA, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 43,000

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Poor

Over: NIELS HANSON RD

10-STA-005-14.94, Stanislaus, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 18,000

STATE ROUTE 140

Poor

Over: MILES CREEK

10-MPA-140-3.64, Mariposa, CA

Built 1928 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 4,650

OAK DR

Poor

Over: OLD TOPANGA CRK

0.1MI N/O OLD TOPANGA RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1928 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 870

CHAPMAN STREET

Poor

Over: HOPPOW CREEK

WEST OF ROUTE 101/169 SEP, Del Norte, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

OLD HWY 99 W

Poor

Over: MOORE CREEK

1.2 MI N GLENN CO LINE, Tehama, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,922

OLD HWY 99 W

Poor

Over: BRANNIN CREEK

5.7 MI N GLENN CO LINE, Tehama, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,799

LAMBERT LANE

Poor

Over: ROBINSON CREEK

0.1 MI W OF SR 128, Mendocino, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 379

COUNTY ROAD Z

Poor

Over: ANGEL SLOUGH

0.8 MI N OF CO RD #67, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 176

E 5TH AVE (CHICO)

Poor

Over: LINDO CHANNEL

AT E. LINDO AVENUE, Butte, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,848

WESTSIDE RD

Poor

Over: SOUTH BRANCH CARMAN CRK

NORTH OF CALPINE AREA, Sierra, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 670

WESTSIDE RD

Poor

Over: NORTH BRANCH CARMAN CRK

6.1 MI N SR 89 & 49, Sierra, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 670

OLD 99W

Poor

Over: STONE CORRAL CREEK

0.6 MI N MXWL-SITES RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1927 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,976

FOUR MILE RD

Poor

Over: LOGAN CREEK

0.7 MI N OF DELEVAN RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 31

CLARK RD

Poor

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CNL S BRNCH

0.1 MI W OF MADDEN RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 690

SNYDER LN

Poor

Over: CRANE CRK (SNYDER)

0.7 MI N ROHNERT PARK EXP, Sonoma, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,500

SEAVEY RD

Poor

Over: NO NAME CREEK

0.4 MI W SPRING HILL RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

SANTA ROSA AVENUE

Poor

Over: COLGAN CREEK

SOUTH OF COLGAN AVENUE, Sonoma, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 29,487

ST FRANCIS DR

Poor

Over: GALINDO CREEK

0.1 MI E OAK GROVE RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 450

SECOND AVE SOUTH

Poor

Over: GRAYSON CREEK

JUST W CONTRA COSTA BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,419

CAMINO SOBRANTE

Poor

Over: SAN PABLO CREEK

75 FT E CAMINO PABLO, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,514

JERSEY ISLAND RD

Poor

Over: DUTCH SLOUGH

1.5 MILES N OF CYPRESS RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1949 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 188

NORTH LAKE DRIVE

Poor

Over: LAKE ALHAMBRA

AT EAST 13TH ST, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,500

Showing 24,851-24,900 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.