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

SURPRISE VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: BARE CREEK

1.8 MI S OF MODOC C.L., Lassen, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 400

STATE ROUTE 36

Fair

Over: SEVEN MILE CREEK

02-TEH-036-48.60, Tehama, CA

Built 1933 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,025

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: GAY CREEK

02-TEH-005-R0.11, Tehama, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,300

GYLE ROAD

Fair

Over: MC CLURE CREEK

3.8 MI E OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 645

FORWARD ROAD

Fair

Over: CROSS COUNTRY DITCH

0.2 MI E MANTON RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 496

RAWSON ROAD

Fair

Over: TRUCKEE CREEK

1.1 MI N OF GYLE RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 223

OLD HWY 99 W

Fair

Over: SOUR GRASS CREEK

2.5 MI N GLENN CO LINE, Tehama, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,922

OLD HWY 99 W

Fair

Over: RICE CREEK

4.2 MI N GLENN CO LINE, Tehama, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,799

BOWMAN RD

Fair

Over: ADAMS CREEK

1.0 MI WEST OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,172

NEWVILLE RD

Fair

Over: ORLAND IRRIGATION CANAL

GLENN COUNTY LINE EAST, Tehama, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 900

CORNING ROAD

Fair

Over: THOMES CREEK BRANCH

0.7 MI E PASKENTA RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,640

RAWSON RD

Fair

Over: MCCLURE CREEK

0.6 MI N OF GYLE RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 216

GALLAGHER AVE

Fair

Over: CORNING CANAL

0.5 MI E RAWSON RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

LOWREY ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK ELDER CREEK

9.95 MI N PASKENTA ROAD, Tehama, CA

Built 1942 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

SHERWOOD BLVD

Fair

Over: LOS MOLINOS CREEK

0.2 MI N TEHAMA VINA RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 970

MERRILL ROAD

Fair

Over: MERRILL SLOUGH

WEST OF WISCONSIN AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 90

RAWSON RD

Fair

Over: JACKSON CREEK

1 MI SOUTH OF CHARD AVE, Tehama, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 252

PETTYJOHN RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK GUYRE CREEK

4.2 MI W OF VESTAL RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 40

STATE ROUTE 70

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK FEATHER RIVER

02-PLU-070-6.99, Plumas, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,345

STATE ROUTE 70

Fair

Over: GREENHORN CREEK

02-PLU-070-47.74, Plumas, CA

Built 1941 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,425

HARRIET LN

Fair

Over: MID FK FEATHER RIV OVRFL

1.4 MI S DYSON LN, Plumas, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 125

N ARM ESIDE RD

Fair

Over: PETERS CREEK

3.8 MI NE OF BECKWRTH-GRD, Plumas, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

01-MEN-101-81.43, Mendocino, CA

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,200

STATE ROUTE 253

Fair

Over: SODA CREEK

01-MEN-253-3.47, Mendocino, CA

Built 1925 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,300

OAK ST

Fair

Over: ORRS CREEK

1 MI S GIBSON ST, Mendocino, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,599

BRANSCOMB RD

Fair

Over: WINDEM CREEK

19.45 MI E FROM SH 1, Mendocino, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 406

RUDDCK-CUNNINHM RD

Fair

Over: HILDRETH CREEK

0.35 MI S HOWELL CREEK RD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 619

TOMKI RD

Fair

Over: ROCKY CREEK

0.46 MI N CR 237, Mendocino, CA

Built 1933 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 512

TOMKI RD

Fair

Over: MOSSY CANYON CREEK

3.82 MI N CR 237, Mendocino, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 393

POWER HOUSE RD

Fair

Over: BUSCH CREEK

0.3 MI N GIBSON LN, Mendocino, CA

Built 1948 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 440

SANFORD RANCH ROAD

Fair

Over: MC CLURE CREEK

0.5 MI N JCT WTH FAU 5222, Mendocino, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 777

GEYSERS RD/CR 101A

Fair

Over: ASH CREEK

0.6 MI SE OF US HWY 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1932 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 650

FOREST ROAD 600

Fair

Over: CASPAR CREEK

SOUTH OF JCT WITH RD 620, Mendocino, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10

STATE PARK ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE RIVER

VAN DAMME STATE PARK, Mendocino, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25

STATE ROUTE 162

Fair

Over: CENTRAL IRRIGATION CANAL

03-GLE-162-67.21, Glenn, CA

Built 1925 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,050

STATE ROUTE 162

Fair

Over: NYE CREEK

03-GLE-162-51.69, Glenn, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 530

ROAD D

Fair

Over: GLENN-COLUSA CANAL

0.6 MI N/O ROAD 68, Glenn, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 268

COUNTY RD 306

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

1.58 MI N COLUSA CO LINE, Glenn, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

COUNTY RD D

Fair

Over: N FK WILLOW CREEK

3.6 MI N OF S.H. 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 491

COUNTY ROAD #25

Fair

Over: BRANCH WALKER CREEK

0.2 MI W CO RD H, Glenn, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 378

ROAD 57

Fair

Over: SWALLOW DRAIN

1.0 MI W RD V, Glenn, CA

Built 1945 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 45

ROAD V

Fair

Over: PROVIDENT CANAL

JUST S OF HWY 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1949 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 168

ROAD D

Fair

Over: SHOAT DRAW

0.9 MI S/O ROAD 65, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 280

CO RD R

Fair

Over: QUINT CANAL

0.2 MI S STATE HWY 162, Glenn, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25

CO RD #99W

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK OVERFLOW

0.2 MI N CO RD #45, Glenn, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,678

CO RD 99W

Fair

Over: EAST FORK WILSON CREEK

0.2 MI N CO RD #43, Glenn, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,678

ROAD #200

Fair

Over: STONY CREEK IRRG CANAL

6.45 MI W OF I-5, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

ROAD #313

Fair

Over: WATSON CREEK

0.1 MI W OF RD #306, Glenn, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25

ROAD 42

Fair

Over: EAST FORK WILSON CREEK

JUST W OF HWY 99W, Glenn, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 79

ROAD WW

Fair

Over: DRAIN DITCH

N OF C.R. # 92 F, Glenn, CA

Built 1947 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11

Showing 2,601-2,650 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.