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

CENTER ST

Poor

Over: STOCKTON CHANNEL

N OF WEBER ST, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1949 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 7,000

INTERSTATE 280 SB

Poor

Over: AVALON DRIVE

04-SM-280-R22.04-SSF, San Mateo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 50,500

INTERSTATE 280 NB

Poor

Over: AVALON DRIVE

04-SM-280-R22.04-SSF, San Mateo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 50,500

CHOWCHILLA BLVD

Poor

Over: BERENDA SLOUGH

0.2 MI NW AVE 24 1/2, Madera, CA

Built 1931 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 1,446

ROAD 229A

Poor

Over: NORTH FORK WILLOW CREEK

0.2 MI N OF ROAD 222, Madera, CA

Built 1950 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 60

STATE ROUTE 198

Poor

Over: BNSF RY & AMTRAK

06-KIN-198-R18.13-HAN, Kings, CA

Built 1967 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 20,500

STATE ROUTE 198

Poor

Over: KAWEAH RIVER

06-TUL-198-43.92, Tulare, CA

Built 1922 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 1,650

WHISLER ROAD

Poor

Over: POSO CREEK

2.9 MI E STATE HWY 43, Kern, CA

Built 1958 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 950

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Poor

Over: CASTILLO STREET

05-SB-101-R14.19-SB, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1963 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 54,500

WASHINGTON BLVD

Poor

Over: RIO HONDO

0.4MI W/O PARAMOUNT BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1941 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 33,974

STATE ROUTE 299

Poor

Over: PIT RIVER

02-MOD-299-17.95, Modoc, CA

Built 1962 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 1,200

LINCOLN ST

Poor

Over: CHAMPLIN SLOUGH

0.3 MI W TEHAMA VINA RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1964 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 200

LINCOLN STREET

Poor

Over: CHAMPLIN SLOUGH

0.3 MI W TEHAMA VINA ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1969 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 500

FULTON AVE

Poor

Over: MILGEO AVE SR 99 UPRR

10-SJ-099-1.71, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1968 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 950

LOWER SACTO RD

Poor

Over: MOSHER SLOUGH

N. OF MACDUFF AVE, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 19,600

ROLLERI BYPASS RD

Poor

Over: ANGELS CREEK

NORTH OF SR 4, Calaveras, CA

Built 1932 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 8

AVE 25

Poor

Over: ASH SLOUGH

0.5 MI W RD 13, Madera, CA

Built 1954 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 950

LITTLE PANOCHE RD

Poor

Over: PANOCHE CREEK

1 MI N PANOCHE RD, San Benito, CA

Built 1970 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 150

LARSON LANE

Poor

Over: WEST WALKER RIVER

0.3 MI E RTE 395 PM 110, Mono, CA

Built 1952 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 104

LEMON AVE

Poor

Over: SAN JOSE CRK

0.1MI S/O VALLEY BLVD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1968 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 19,603

PUMALO ST

Poor

Over: DEL ROSA CHANNEL

0.1 MI E OF DEL ROSA AVE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1950 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 3,300

STATE ROUTE 86 NB

Poor

Over: BILOXI DITCH

11-IMP-086-56.35, Imperial, CA

Built 1981 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 7,300

STATE ROUTE 86 NB

Poor

Over: IBERIA DITCH

11-IMP-086-56.59, Imperial, CA

Built 1981 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 7,300

NO DATA ENTERED

Poor

Over: NO DATA ENTERED

S21 T1N R6E, Humboldt, CA

Built 1980 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 50

INTERSTATE 5 SB

Poor

Over: WEBER PERSHING FREMONT

10-SJ-005-26.47-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 113,000

INTERSTATE 880

Poor

Over: NORTH FOURTH STREET

04-SCL-880-3.78-SJS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1960 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 165,000

S WALNUT AVE

Poor

Over: RIVERDALE DITCH

0.02 MI S OF RIVERDALE AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1940 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 200

STOCK DR

Poor

Over: EAST WALKER RIVER

0.1 MI E SINCLAIR ST, Mono, CA

Built 1977 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 80

TORO CREEK RD

Poor

Over: TORO CREEK

0.3 MI E SR 1, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1951 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 247

26TH ST

Poor

Over: LOS ANGELES RIV

0.2MI W/O SOTO ST, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1958 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 8,727

THIRD STREET

Poor

Over: ISLAIS CREEK

JUST N/O CARGO WAY, San Francisco, CA

Built 1945 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 50,000

TREASURE ISD RD NB

Poor

Over: TREASURE ISD RD SB

NB TI RD TO 80 WB ON RAMP, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 1,500

SNYDER ROAD

Poor

Over: DELTA-MENDOTA CANAL

0.1 MI W ORCHARD ROAD, Merced, CA

Built 1956 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 150

JENSEN AVE

Poor

Over: STATE ROUTE 41

06-FRE-041-R21.11-FRE, Fresno, CA

Built 1972 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 31,600

OUTER HIGHWAY 10 S

Poor

Over: WILSON CREEK

0.1 MI N/W LIVE OK CYN RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1962 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 1,000

GRAPEFRUIT BLVD

Poor

Over: WHITEWATER RIVER

0.9 MI S/AIRPORT BLVD, Riverside, CA

Built 1970 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 5,074

STATE ROUTE 3

Poor

Over: COFFEE CREEK OVERFLOW

02-TRI-003-67.98, Trinity, CA

Built 1968 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 230

STATE ROUTE 299

Poor

Over: WHISKEY CREEK(WSKYTWN LK

02-SHA-299-14.17, Shasta, CA

Built 1961 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 4,050

TYLER ROAD

Poor

Over: OAT CREEK

0.25 MI N OF PROBERTA RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 1,200

INTERSTATE 80 EB

Poor

Over: BLUE CANYON ROAD

03-PLA-080-53.36, Placer, CA

Built 1959 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 13,500

41ST AVE

Poor

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

03-SAC-099-21.27, Sacramento, CA

Built 1959 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 4,310

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

Poor

Over: LAGUNITAS CREEK

1.9 MI E SR 1 AT OLEMA, Marin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 5,000

S. TRACY BOULEVARD

Poor

Over: OLD RIVER

3 MI NORTH OF S.H. 205, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1956 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 7,008

ALVARADO BLVD

Poor

Over: ALAMEDA FLOOD CNTRL CHNL

0.1 MI S/E LOWRY RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1966 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 28,000

NB RENGSTORFF AVE

Poor

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-SCL-101-49.61-MVW, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1961 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 15,000

FAIR OAKS AVE NB

Poor

Over: SR 237 PERSIAN MOFFETT

04-SCL-237-R3.98-SUNV, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 9,900

PANOCHE ROAD

Poor

Over: TRES PINOS CREEK

6 MI E OF SH 25, San Benito, CA

Built 1963 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 800

MONTE RD

Poor

Over: SALINAS RIVER

0.75 MI N DEL MONTE BLVD, Monterey, CA

Built 1943 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 2,200

BIG SANDY ROAD

Poor

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

2 MI W INDIAN VALLEY RD, Monterey, CA

Built 1969 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 200

KERNVILLE RD

Poor

Over: KERN RIVER

EAST OF BUENA VISTA DR, Kern, CA

Built 1969 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 4,100

Showing 24,951-25,000 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.