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

SMITH ST

Fair

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

0.1 KM WEST OF DYER ST, Alameda, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 13,300

SANTA MARIA DR

Fair

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

S/O ALVARADO NILES ROAD, Alameda, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,545

DYER ST

Fair

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

S/O ALVARADO NILES RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25,900

HAMILTON STREET

Fair

Over: ARROYO VIEJO

HEGENBERGER RD MEDIAN, Alameda, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,580

WICKS BLVD

Fair

Over: NO NAME DITCH

1.3 MI S FAIRWAY DR, Alameda, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 9,900

HEGENBERGER RD EB

Fair

Over: ARROYO VIEJO

BTWN SR 185 & HAMILTON, Alameda, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 46,294

BLUEBELL ROAD

Fair

Over: ALTAMONT CREEK TRIBUTARY

1.1 MI NORTH OF I-580, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,300

BLUEBELL ROAD

Fair

Over: ALTAMONT CREEK

1.3 MI NORTH OF I-580, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,300

BROADMOOR ST

Fair

Over: ALTAMONT CREEK

NORTH OF SKIFF RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,800

AIRWAY BLVD

Fair

Over: ARROYO LAS POSITAS

0.1 MI S/O I-580, Alameda, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 21,350

FARNSWORTH ST

Fair

Over: ESTUDILLO CANAL DITCH

N OF BURKHART AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,300

FOLSOM AVE

Fair

Over: TENNYSON FLOOD CNTRL CHN

E OF THACKERAY AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,714

DELAWARE ST

Fair

Over: LAGUNA CREEK

FREMONT BLVD, Alameda, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,500

HUNTWOOD AVE

Fair

Over: ALAMEDA CREEK

JUST S/E INDSTRL PKWY W, Alameda, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 23,978

COLD WATER DR

Fair

Over: CROW CREEK

0.1 MI W/O CROW CANYON RD, Alameda, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 950

INVERNESS ST

Fair

Over: ESTUDILLO CANAL

100 FT N BURKHART AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

DEWEY ST

Fair

Over: ESTUDILLO CANAL

100 FT N BURKHART AVE, Alameda, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

LUCILLE ST

Fair

Over: ARROYO SECO

200 S CHARLOTTE WAY, Alameda, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 840

ESTUDILLO AVE

Fair

Over: SAN LEANDRO CREEK

350 FT S OF SYLVIAN CIRCL, Alameda, CA

Built 1986 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

W LAS POSITAS BLVD

Fair

Over: G-3 CHANNEL

1800 FT S OF FAIRLANDS DR, Alameda, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,545

STONERIDGE DRIVE

Fair

Over: CHABOT CANAL

2000 FT S OF GIBRALTAR, Alameda, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,545

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: I-80 & US 101 RAMPS STRS

04-SF-101-R4.25L-SF, San Francisco, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 59,000

TREASURE ISLAND RD

Fair

Over: SIDEHILL

JEO SHV #2/ JWO SHV #6, San Francisco, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

STATE ROUTE 82

Fair

Over: COLMA CREEK

04-SM-082-22.36-CLM, San Mateo, CA

Built 1913 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 28,500

US 101 ROLLINS RD

Fair

Over: TRANSMISSION CANAL

04-SM-101-16.40-BURL, San Mateo, CA

Built 1928 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 232,000

STATE ROUTE 1

Fair

Over: POMPONIO CREEK

04-SM-001-16.44, San Mateo, CA

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,100

STATE ROUTE 82

Fair

Over: SAN MATEO CREEK

04-SM-082-11.82-SM, San Mateo, CA

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 30,250

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: MARSH CREEK

04-SM-101-3.70-MLP, San Mateo, CA

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 199,000

STATE ROUTE 84

Fair

Over: LA HONDA CREEK

04-SM-084-8.61, San Mateo, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,400

HAVEN AVE

Fair

Over: MARSH SLOUGH

04-SM-000-0.00-MLP, San Mateo, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,400

PESCADERO RD

Fair

Over: ALPINE CREEK

ALPINE RD @ PESCADERO RD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 848

NORFOLK ST

Fair

Over: 16TH AVE CHANNEL

SOUTH OF LODI AVE, San Mateo, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,590

BAYSHORE HWY

Fair

Over: MILLS CREEK

0.5 MI N AIRPORT BLVD, San Mateo, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 18,000

SOUTH CANAL STREET

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF COLMA CREEK

SPRUCE AVE, San Mateo, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,381

OTAY AVE

Fair

Over: LAUREL CREEK

0.05 MI E CURTISS ST, San Mateo, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 140

LATHROP ST

Fair

Over: REDWOOD CREEK

SOUTH OF MAPLE ST, San Mateo, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 9,000

STATE ROUTE 9 NB

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

05-SCR-009-2.11, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,000

WATER ST

Fair

Over: SAN LORENZO RIVER

0.2 MI W OCEAN ST, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,000

MT HERMON RD

Fair

Over: BEAN CREEK

1.8 MI E GRAHAM HILL RD, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,400

OCEAN ST

Fair

Over: BRANCIFORTE CREEK

NEAR DAKOTA AVE, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,000

RIO DEL MAR BLVD

Fair

Over: UP RR

AT SUMMER AVE, Santa Cruz, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,000

STATE ROUTE 152

Fair

Over: KILLDEER CREEK

04-SCL-152-R25.36, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 30,750

STATE ROUTE 237 EB

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 880 & RAMPS

04-SCL-237-R9.30R-MPS, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 62,500

SB LAWRENCE EXPWY

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 237

04-SCL-237-R4.60-SUNV, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 32,000

CRISTO REY DR

Fair

Over: UP RR BRANCH

NEAR FOOTHILL BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

SAN TOMAS EXPWY

Fair

Over: UP RR DELL AVE

WINCHESTER BLVD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 9,500

UVAS RD

Fair

Over: UVAS CREEK

0.6 MI S/O CROY RD, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1928 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,040

ALMADEN EXPWY

Fair

Over: CANOAS CREEK

S/O ALMADEN RD JCT, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 40,560

SAN MARTIN AVE

Fair

Over: E LITTLE LLAGAS CREEK

0.2 MI E/O SH 101, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,080

E MIDDLEFIELD RD

Fair

Over: STEVENS CREEK

NEAR HWY 85, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 18,500

Showing 2,851-2,900 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.