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 #68

Fair

Over: BRANCH HUNTER CREEK

JUST WEST OF RD F, Glenn, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 180

COUNTY ROAD 39

Fair

Over: SHEEP CORRAL CREEK

0.2 MI. EAST OF CR D, Glenn, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 491

COUNTY ROAD 39

Fair

Over: WILSON CREEK

0.75 MI EAST OF CR D, Glenn, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 491

STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: CAT TAIL SLOUGH

03-BUT-099-5.34, Butte, CA

Built 1910 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 13,400

STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: LINE CANAL

03-BUT-099-0.01, Butte, CA

Built 1917 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 15,300

RICHVALE HWY

Fair

Over: JUNCTION DRAW

03-BUT-099-13.16, Butte, CA

Built 1918 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,000

MIDWAY RD

Fair

Over: MOULTON SLOUGH

3 MI N RICHVALE RD, Butte, CA

Built 1918 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,630

GRAND AVE

Fair

Over: RUDY CREEK

W OF 14TH ST., Butte, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,219

GRIDLEY COLUSA HWY

Fair

Over: SCHOHR DRAIN

0.6 MI E/O COLUSA CO LINE, Butte, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,139

PENTZ ROAD

Fair

Over: HORSETHIEF CANYON

1 MI W WHEELOCK ROAD, Butte, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,469

FIRST ST

Fair

Over: HAMILTON SLOUGH

0.2 MI S/O B ST IN BIGGS, Butte, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 80

JOHNSON CLAN AVE

Fair

Over: LIVE OAK SLOUGH

0.2 MI W/O LARKIN RD, Butte, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 110

AFTON RD

Fair

Over: MAIN DRAIN

3 MI E/O AGUAS FRIAS RD, Butte, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 513

COAL CANYON ROAD

Fair

Over: GOLD RUN CREEK

EAST OF TABLE MOUNTAIN RD, Butte, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

AGUAS FRIAS ROAD

Fair

Over: WESTERN CANAL-PRATT LATL

1.5 MI NORTH OF NELSON RD, Butte, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 423

WESTSIDE RD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE BRANCH CARMAN CRK

5.9 MI N SR 89 & 49, Sierra, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 670

MORGAN VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: COPSEY CREEK

1.0 MI E SR 29 & SR 53, Lake, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,800

E HGHLND SPRING RD

Fair

Over: HIGHLAND CREEK

0.1 MI S HIGHLAND SPGS RD, Lake, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 618

MARTIN ST

Fair

Over: FORBES CREEK

0.6 MI EAST OF SR 29, Lake, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,046

KONOCTI

Fair

Over: SCHINDLER CREEK

0.05 MI W KEYES BLVD, Lake, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 320

KONOCTI VIEW

Fair

Over: CLEAR LAKE OAKS CHANNEL

0.05 MI W LAKELAND ST, Lake, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

BLUE HERON COURT

Fair

Over: CLEAR LAKE OAKS CHANNEL

0.05 MI SE ISLAND CIRCLE, Lake, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

BLUE HERON COURT

Fair

Over: CLEAR LAKE OAKS CHANNEL

0.05 MI NW ISLAND CIRCLE, Lake, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 60

STATE ROUTE 20

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

03-COL-020-8.05, Colusa, CA

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,950

SITES-LODOGA RD

Fair

Over: GRAPEVINE CREEK

14.6 MI W/O 1-5, Colusa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 285

OLD 99W

Fair

Over: STONE CORRAL CREEK OVFL

0.9 MI S OF WADLEIGH RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,976

OLD 99W

Fair

Over: FUNKS CREEK OVERFLOW

0.2 MI N WADLEIGH RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 642

WHITE ROAD

Fair

Over: PETROLEUM CREEK

0.7 MI E OF GREVIE RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 56

OREGON HILL RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE OREGON CREEK

6.5 MI N JCT MARYSVILE RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 62

LINDA AVE

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE CANAL

.1 MI N/O N BEALE RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,400

LOMA RICA RD

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

1.1 MI SW FRUITLAND RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,760

VIERRA RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH HONCUT CREEK

0.3 MI S OF LA PORTE RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

LA PORTE ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH HONCUT CREEK

2 MI SW OF WILLOW GLEN RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 390

PLEASANT GROVE RD

Fair

Over: AUBURN RAVINE

2 MI N OF HOWSLEY RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,136

PLEASANT GROVE RD

Fair

Over: COON CREEK

12.1 MI N/O RIEGO RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,487

PLEASANT GROVE RD

Fair

Over: YANKEE SLOUGH

16.1 MI N/O RIEGO RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,180

CATLETT RD

Fair

Over: EASTSIDE DRAINAGE CANAL

PACIFIC AVE, Sutter, CA

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 718

PACIFIC AVENUE

Fair

Over: EASTSIDE DRAINAGE CANAL

1/2 MI S CATLETT RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 269

PLACER RD

Fair

Over: YANKEE SLOUGH

0.8 MI S/O BEAR RIVER RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 90

PASEO RD

Fair

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CANAL

0.8 MI EAST OF ST RTE 99, Sutter, CA

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 75

ENCINAL RD

Fair

Over: LIVE OAK SLOUGH

0.2 MI W OF LARKIN RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 335

BLOYD RD

Fair

Over: LIVE OAK SLOUGH

0.2 MI E MADDEN AVE, Sutter, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16

BOGUE RD

Fair

Over: SUTTER CO EXTENSION CNL

0.5 MI W TOWNSHIP RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 509

LARKIN RD

Fair

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CANAL

0.7 MI S/O PASEO RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,405

CISCO ROAD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 80

03-PLA-080-R63.52, Placer, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 650

BOWMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

NEAR DRY CREEK RD, Placer, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,838

LAKE ARTHUR RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

6.0 MI E RTE 49, Placer, CA

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,486

DRY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.35 MI W PLACER HILLS RD, Placer, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,870

STATE ROUTE 121

Fair

Over: YELLOW CREEK

04-SON-121-6.52, Sonoma, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,150

SR 12 EB

Fair

Over: S101-E12 CONNECTOR RAMP

04-SON-012-R15.90-SRO, Sonoma, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 36,500

Showing 2,651-2,700 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.