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 96

Poor

Over: SCOTT RIVER

02-SIS-096-71.23, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1957 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 600

SUISUN VALLEY ROAD

Poor

Over: INTERSTATE 80 & RAMPS

04-SOL-080-13.49-FRFD, Solano, CA

Built 1961 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,641

MIDDLE RD

Poor

Over: ESTERO DE SAN ANTONIO

4.5 MI FROM S.R. 1, Marin, CA

Built 1958 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 40

HIGH ST

Poor

Over: OAKLAND ESTUARY

0.4 MI S/W OF I-880, Alameda, CA

Built 1939 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 19,900

GRANT LINE RD

Poor

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

0.1 MI NE OF I-580, Alameda, CA

Built 1963 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

NB STATE RTE 280

Poor

Over: SERRAMONTE BOULEVARD

04-SM-280-R24.63-DLC, San Mateo, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 89,000

STOCKTON AVE

Poor

Over: SOQUEL CREEK

AT THE ESPLANADE, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1934 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 15,000

EMBARCADERO-SB 101

Poor

Over: SB HIGHWAY 101 RAMP

04-SCL-101-52.11-PA, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,100

AVENUE 17

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

0.25 MI W OF RD 20, Madera, CA

Built 1971 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 250

VALLEY BLVD

Poor

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIV

0.1MI W/O I-605 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1916 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60,420

ANAHEIM-PUENTE RD

Poor

Over: SAN JOSE CRK

0.3MI W/O AZUSA AVE, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,705

ROUTE 40 W BOUND

Poor

Over: NEBO STREET

08-SBD-040-R4.71, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,850

INTERSTATE 40

Poor

Over: MCGINLEY WASH

08-SBD-040-R104.22, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,500

INTERSTATE 40

Poor

Over: MCGINLEY WASH

08-SBD-040-R104.22, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,500

PALOMAR STREET

Poor

Over: INTERSTATE 5

11-SD-005-6.06-CHV, San Diego, CA

Built 1973 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 31,977

EAST RANGE RD

Poor

Over: STORM DRAINAGE

0.70 MI E OF FLAGPOLE MSR, San Bernardino, CA

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

FRONTAGE ROAD

Poor

Over: LONG VALLEY CREEK

01-MEN-101-61.82, Mendocino, CA

Built 1960 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 200

FOREST ROAD 400

Poor

Over: BUNKER GULCH

E OF JCT ROAD 440, Mendocino, CA

Built 1992 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 10

BARTLETT SPRNGS RD

Poor

Over: BARTLETT CREEK

19 MI E OF SR 20, Lake, CA

Built 1950 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 108

WOLF ROAD (CR 10)

Poor

Over: WOLF CREEK

1.2 MI WEST OF ROUTE 49, Nevada, CA

Built 1968 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 6,332

US HIGHWAY 101

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK ROAD

04-SON-101-36.27, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 45,500

MILL STATION RD

Poor

Over: ATASCADERO CR OVERFLOW

0.2 MI E FERGUSON RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1964 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,450

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Poor

Over: CORTE MADERA CR & EB SFD

04-MRN-101-8.47-LKSP, Marin, CA

Built 1959 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 19,700

WALNUT GROVE ROAD

Poor

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER

AT SJ & SAC COUNTY LINE, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1955 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,084

BRIDGE DR PARKWAY

Poor

Over: REDWOOD SHORES LAGOON

EAST OF MARINE PKWY, San Mateo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,000

GLEN CANYON RD

Poor

Over: BRANCIFORTE CREEK

0.1 MI N BRANCIFORTE DR, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1939 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,800

AGNEW RD

Poor

Over: SAN TOMAS AQUINO CREEK

N MISSION COLLEGE BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 5,269

8TH AVE

Poor

Over: NORTH BRANCH KINGS RIVER

0.5 MI N OF CLINTON, Kings, CA

Built 1970 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 600

NEWTON AVE

Poor

Over: TULARE LAKE CANAL

1 MI W 12TH AVE, Kings, CA

Built 1970 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 250

BEALE AVE

Poor

Over: UP RR SUMNER ST KENTUCKY

SOUTH MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1960 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 14,615

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Poor

Over: HAMPSHIRE RD

07-VEN-101-1.62-THOK, Ventura, CA

Built 1966 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 193,000

INTERSTATE 40

Poor

Over: WOODS WASH

08-SBD-040-R104.89, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 7,500

INTERSTATE 40 WB

Poor

Over: GRANITE MOUNTAIN WASH

08-SBD-040-R76.50, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1972 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 16,500

RIVERSIDE AVENUE

Poor

Over: SANTA ANA RIVER

3.1 MI S RTE I-10, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1978 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 13,550

STATE ROUTE 299

Poor

Over: MAD RIVER

01-HUM-299-R1.56, Humboldt, CA

Built 1965 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 4,775

BAKER(OCONNER) RD

Poor

Over: BRICKYARD CREEK

0.3 MI N WALNUT ST, Tehama, CA

Built 1960 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 3,000

C. R. 29

Poor

Over: CHICKAHOMINY SLOUGH

2.53 MI W OF C. R. 88, Yolo, CA

Built 1917 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 150

I 280

Poor

Over: SAN JOSE & SICKLES AVE

04-SF-280-R0.71-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 166,000

BRIDGE DR PARKWAY

Poor

Over: REDWOOD SHORES LAGOON

EAST OF MARINE PKWY, San Mateo, CA

Built 1971 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 2,600

OLYMPIC BLVD

Poor

Over: ROUTE 5

07-LA-005-14.16, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1951 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 25,800

LIVE OAK AVE

Poor

Over: SAW PIT WASH

75FT E/O PECK RD, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1952 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 24,644

INTERSTATE 40

Poor

Over: WOODS WASH

08-SBD-040-R104.90, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1970 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 7,500

COHASSET HWY

Poor

Over: STATE ROUTE 99

03-BUT-099-R34.25-CHC, Butte, CA

Built 1966 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 27,008

INTERSTATE 80 EB

Poor

Over: SR 20 UP RR BNSF AMTRAK

03-NEV-080-R59.44, Nevada, CA

Built 1963 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 5,875

CYPRESS ROAD

Poor

Over: MARSH CREEK

0.05 MI EAST OF SR 4, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1964 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 9,415

SR 120 WB

Poor

Over: MCKINLEY AVE

10-SJ-120-R2.29, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1995 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 37,500

ROUTE 580

Poor

Over: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR WY

04-ALA-580-45.25-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1961 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 198,000

SCARONI RD

Poor

Over: MAJORS CREEK

0.2 MI W OF SR 1, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1970 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 10

N THORNE AVE

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK CANAL

AT NIELSEN AVE, Fresno, CA

Built 1925 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 1,696

UNION ROAD

Poor

Over: SAN BENITO RIVER

EAST CIENEGA RD, San Benito, CA

Built 1959 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 11,000

Showing 25,401-25,450 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.