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

ROAD 27N04

Fair

Over: BUTT CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Butte, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: MINOT CREEK

01-DN-101-8.14, Del Norte, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,600

REQUA ROAD

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

0.4 MI WEST OF RTE 101, Del Norte, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,110

DUNSMUIR AVENUE

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO UP RR AMTRAK

02-SIS-005-2.65-DMR, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,000

STATE ROUTE 263

Fair

Over: SHASTA RIVER

02-SIS-263-55.03, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,200

STATE ROUTE 96

Fair

Over: STANSHAW CREEK

02-SIS-096-R8.20, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1942 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 330

STATE ROUTE 96

Fair

Over: LUMGREY CREEK

02-SIS-096-93.07, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 650

STATE ROUTE 96

Fair

Over: EMPIRE CREEK

02-SIS-096-93.09, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 800

COPCO RD

Fair

Over: FALL CREEK

0.3 MI W FALL CREEK RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 42

CRAM GULCH RD

Fair

Over: SCHULMEYER GULCH

OLD HWY 99, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 391

WEST ST

Fair

Over: HUMBUG GULCH

0.05 MI S/O MINER ST, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 165

CHINA GRADE ROAD

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

1.9 MI N. EAST HORSE CR., Siskiyou, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

STATE ROUTE 299

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

02-MOD-299-0.93-ADIN, Modoc, CA

Built 1929 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,400

STATE ROUTE 299

Fair

Over: DUTCH FLAT CREEK

02-MOD-299-2.45, Modoc, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,110

ESTES STREET

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK PIT RIVER

0.1 MI N PARKER CREEK RD, Modoc, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 620

CO RD 56

Fair

Over: ALTURAS CREEK

0.50 MI E/O US 395, Modoc, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 800

BALD HILLS ROAD

Fair

Over: KLAMATH RIVER

AT INTERSECTION SR 169, Humboldt, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 43

MCCANN ROAD

Fair

Over: EEL RIVER

E DYERVILLE LOOP RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

STATE PARK ROAD

Fair

Over: UPPER DURPHY CREEK

RICHARDSON GROVE ST. PK., Humboldt, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

LORENZ STREET

Fair

Over: MIDDLE WEAVER CREEK

100 FT S OF SR 299, Trinity, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 125

RUTH-ZENIA ROAD

Fair

Over: VAN DUZEN RIVER

HETTENSHAW ROAD, Trinity, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 88

STATE ROUTE 273

Fair

Over: CHINA GULCH

02-SHA-273-10.97-RDG, Shasta, CA

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 21,400

STATE ROUTE 273

Fair

Over: SULPHUR CREEK

02-SHA-273-17.97-RDG, Shasta, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25,000

HOLIDAY ROAD

Fair

Over: WEST FORK STILLWATER CRK

1.0 MI N OLD OREGON TRAIL, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 54

PLATINA RD

Fair

Over: WILSON CREEK TRIBUTARY

13 MI W GAS PT RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 140

LAKE BLVD

Fair

Over: RICH GULCH

IN SUMMIT CITY, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,024

DERSCH RD

Fair

Over: HAWES GULCH

0.1 MI W OF DESCHUTES RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,140

OAK RUN ROAD

Fair

Over: OAK RUN CREEK

3.9 MI S OAK RUN TO FRN R, Shasta, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 910

MCARTHUR ROAD

Fair

Over: FALL RIVER TRIBUTARY

0.5 MI N OF BROWN RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 779

CANYON CREEK RD

Fair

Over: CANYON HOLLOW CREEK

40FT SW FROM WESTSIDE RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

RADIO LANE

Fair

Over: OREGON GULCH

0.2 MI E EASTSIDE RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,110

PINON AVE

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO GULCH

0.2 MI W OF SR 273, Shasta, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,476

OLD OREGON TRAIL

Fair

Over: OLD OREGON DITCH

1.7 MI N SR 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,458

ASHBY RD

Fair

Over: TOYON CREEK

0.5 MI N PINE GROVE AVE, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

IRON MTN RD

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

1.4 MI N KESWICK DAM RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 114

WILDCAT RD.

Fair

Over: BALDWIN CREEK

0.7 MI N OF BATTLE CR RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 232

MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

0.1 MI E GRAND RIVER AVE, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

DUVAL DRIVE

Fair

Over: CHURN CREEK

0.1 MI W LAKE BLVD, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

HAPPY VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: SPRING GULCH

1.5 MI S CANYON RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,750

S COW CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: TOWNSEND GULCH

4.8 MI NE OF S.R. 44, Shasta, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 40

FRENCH GULCH ROAD

Fair

Over: FRENCH GULCH

2.0 MI NW/O TRINITY MTN R, Shasta, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 60

ASH CR RD

Fair

Over: ASH CREEK TRIBUTARY

4.4 MI E PARKVILLE RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

GIRVAN RD

Fair

Over: BURGAN CREEK

0.9 MI E OF SR 273, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,730

CARLIE DRIVE

Fair

Over: YANK CREEK

0.1 MI S OLD ALTURAS RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 400

C.R. 353

Fair

Over: BROWNELL CREEK

0.2 MI N/E US HWY 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

C.R. 353

Fair

Over: MCCLAY CREEK

1.3 MI NE OF US HWY 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

C.R. 353

Fair

Over: PARKER CREEK

0.5 MI N/W CR 301, Lassen, CA

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

JOHNSTONVILLE RD

Fair

Over: LASSEN CREEK

0.1 MI NW OF US 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1924 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 600

JOHNSTONVILLE RD

Fair

Over: SAND SLOUGH

0.2 MI N OF US 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

C.R. 301

Fair

Over: BAXTER CREEK

1.8 MI NE OF SH 395, Lassen, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,200

Showing 2,551-2,600 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.