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

YGNACIO VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: GALINDO CREEK

0.05 MI W ALBERTA WY, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,000

KIRKER PASS RD

Fair

Over: MOUNT DIABLO CREEK

0.2 MI N CLAYTON RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,000

VANDERSLICE AVE

Fair

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

0.2 MI N RUDGEAR RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 400

PERADA DR

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

0.1 MI E CITRUS AVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,100

RISDON ROAD

Fair

Over: SDM CHANNEL

0.25 MI SW OAK GROVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 450

CLAUDIA DR

Fair

Over: HOLBROOK CHANNEL

0.1 MI N HOLBROOK, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 200

HILLCREST AVE

Fair

Over: GILLIPPI GULCH

0.2 MI N OF E 18TH ST, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,000

BOYD RD

Fair

Over: E. FORK GRAYSON CREEK

0.3 MI W CONTRA COSTA BL, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,400

SAN MIGUEL ROAD

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

0.2 MI NW TREAT BLVD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,944

TREAT BLVD

Fair

Over: GALINDO CREEK

0.3 MI S CLAYTON RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 28,708

HAWTHORNE DR

Fair

Over: RODEO CREEK

0.04 MI W VAQUEROS AVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,237

LA HONDA RD

Fair

Over: SAN PABLO CREEK

0.1 MI N SAN PABLO DAM RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1949 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 552

DAINTY ROAD

Fair

Over: MARSH CREEK

800 E MINNESOTA AVE, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,200

TUNBRIDGE RD

Fair

Over: SYCAMORE CREEK

AT SYCAMORE VALLEY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 400

COTTONWOOD DRIVE

Fair

Over: GRAYSON CREEK

0.1 MI W CONTRA COSTA BL, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,000

PITTSB-ANTIOCH HWY

Fair

Over: KIRKER CREEK

0.6 MI E OF HARBOR ST, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,610

NEWELL AVE

Fair

Over: TICE CREEK

200 FT W. OF S. MAIN ST, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 17,100

STATE ROUTE 120

Fair

Over: SO SAN JOAQUIN IRR CANAL

10-SJ-120-21.17, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 18,200

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: CARLTON AVE

10-SJ-005-27.66-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 113,000

EIGHT MILE ROAD

Fair

Over: PIXLEY CREEK

AT WEST LANE., San Joaquin, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,064

WEST LANE

Fair

Over: PIXLEY SLOUGH

0.7 MI N/O EIGHT MI RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,583

WEST LANE

Fair

Over: WOODBRIDGE S MAIN CANAL

0.7 MI S ARMSTRONG RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 13,343

AIRPORT WAY

Fair

Over: S BR WEBER CREEK

1.2 MI N FRENCH CAMP RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,754

JACK TONE ROAD

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

1.2 MI N LONE TREE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,761

COLLIER RD

Fair

Over: DRAIN DITCH

0.3 MI E OF SOWLES RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,084

ELLIOTT RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK OVERFLOW

1 MI N OF LIBERTY RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,120

ANGIER RD

Fair

Over: PIXLEY SLOUGH

0.4 MI N LIVE OAK RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 127

FURRY RD

Fair

Over: PIXLEY SLOUGH

0.7 MI N LIVE OAK RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 220

MICKE GROVE RD

Fair

Over: PIXLEY SLOUGH

0.5 MI S ARMSTRONG RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,079

STAGECOACH ROAD

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

0.1 MI N OF MARIPOSA RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,300

SEXTON RD

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

1.9 MI N OF S.H. 120, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 203

ARCH ROAD

Fair

Over: WEBER CREEK

0.3 MI W OF NEWCASTLE, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,200

PEARSON ROAD

Fair

Over: PIXLEY CREEK

0.6 MI N EIGHT MILE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 415

LOWER SACRAMENTO R

Fair

Over: WINEDRAW SLOUGH

JUST SOUTH EIGHT MILE RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,122

STATE ROUTE 12

Fair

Over: LIME CREEK

10-CAL-012-12.15, Calaveras, CA

Built 1939 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,000

STATE ROUTE 4

Fair

Over: WATERMAN CREEK

10-CAL-004-17.60, Calaveras, CA

Built 1941 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,900

HOGAN DAM ROAD

Fair

Over: COSGROVE CREEK

0.1 MI E JCT SR 26, Calaveras, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,089

SHEEP RANCH RD

Fair

Over: MCKINNEY CREEK

0.4 MI SE MTN RANCH RD, Calaveras, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 801

MILTON ROAD

Fair

Over: HUNTINGTON CREEK

1.6 MI NW ROCK CK RD MLTN, Calaveras, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

MILTON RD

Fair

Over: S GULCH CREEK

2.6 MI NW ROCK CK RD MLTN, Calaveras, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

COPPER COVE DRIVE

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

1 MI W OBYRNE FERRY RD, Calaveras, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

OLIVE ORCHARD RD

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

300 WEST OF SR 26, Calaveras, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,567

STATE ROUTE 120

Fair

Over: ALKALI CREEK

10-TUO-120-11.29, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 16,000

LA GRANGE RD

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

0.3 MI NE/O STAN CO LINE, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,703

CLARK FORK ROAD

Fair

Over: ARNOT CREEK

6.0 MI NORTH EAST SR 108, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 41

CRYSTAL FALLS DR

Fair

Over: SULLIVAN CREEK

2.0 MI N OF LANGEWAY RD, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,266

STATE ROUTE 185

Fair

Over: SAN LEANDRO CREEK

04-ALA-185-5.82-SLN, Alameda, CA

Built 1901 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25,000

I 80 EB

Fair

Over: UTILITY TUNNEL & PUC

04-ALA-080-2.00-OAK, Alameda, CA

Built 1939 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 133,000

BALDWIN ST

Fair

Over: ELMHURST CREEK

E/O HEGENBERGER RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 38,929

UNION CITY BLVD

Fair

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

0.3 MI N/O WHIPPLE RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 23,000

Showing 2,801-2,850 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.