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

RD 158

Fair

Over: KAWEAH RIVER

0.8 MI N OF AVE 296, Tulare, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,650

D 168

Fair

Over: OUTSIDE CREEK

0.1 MI N OF AVE 246, Tulare, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,200

AVE 412

Fair

Over: ALTA CANAL

0.7 MI E OF RD 144, Tulare, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,300

ROAD 108 (DEMAREE)

Fair

Over: TULARE IRRIG DIST CANAL

0.5 MI SOUTH OF AVE 272, Tulare, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,600

BEN MADDOX WAY

Fair

Over: PACKWOOD CREEK

AT WALNUT AVE, Tulare, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,400

CYPRESS MT DR

Fair

Over: KLAU CREEK

1.6 MI SW OF KLAU, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25

AIRPORT RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.75 MI N OF SR 46, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,260

STENNER CREEK RD

Fair

Over: STENNER CREEK

0.05 MI N SR 1, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

ASUNCION ROAD

Fair

Over: TROUT CREEK

0.25 MI NE EL CAMINO REAL, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 371

LINDEN AVE

Fair

Over: SANTA MARGARITA CREEK

0.05 MI W EL CAMINO REAL, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 341

NACIMIENTO LAKE DR

Fair

Over: SAN MARCOS CREEK

0.05 MI S SAN MARCOS RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,973

CALLE JOAQUIN

Fair

Over: PREFUMO CREEK

0.1 MI NE LOS OSOS VLY RD, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,000

MURRAY ST

Fair

Over: STENNER CREEK

SANTA ROSA ST, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,000

STATE ROUTE 166

Fair

Over: SAN EMIGDIO CREEK

06-KER-166-12.52, Kern, CA

Built 1929 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,300

STATE ROUTE 155

Fair

Over: POSO CREEK

06-KER-155-38.79, Kern, CA

Built 1943 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

STATE ROUTE 99 NB

Fair

Over: LERDO CANAL

06-KER-099-32.42, Kern, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 90,000

STATE ROUTE 178

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

06-KER-178-13.78, Kern, CA

Built 1922 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,350

STATE ROUTE 99

Fair

Over: LERDO CANAL

06-KER-099-R43.90L, Kern, CA

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 61,000

STATE ROUTE 178

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

06-KER-178-R2.42-BKD, Kern, CA

Built 1986 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 75,000

STATE ROUTE 155

Fair

Over: TILLIE CREEK OVERFLOW

06-KER-155-R60.88, Kern, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,300

STATE ROUTE 155

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

06-KER-155-64.92, Kern, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,600

STATE ROUTE 14 SB

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 58

09-KER-014-19.00, Kern, CA

Built 2003 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,800

UNION AVENUE

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH CANAL

0.05MI N/O BELLE TERRACE, Kern, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 29,000

WALKER BASIN RD

Fair

Over: RANCHERIA CREEK

1.17 MI W PIUTE MOUNTN RD, Kern, CA

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 180

OLD RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT

0.5 MI NORTH OF RTE 166, Kern, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,301

6TH STREET

Fair

Over: SANDY CREEK

SOUTH OF ASH STREET, Kern, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,500

OLIVE DRIVE

Fair

Over: CANAL LATERAL 29

EAST OF STATE RD, Kern, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20,000

OLIVE DRIVE

Fair

Over: BEARDSLEY CANAL

0.1 MI W AIRPORT DR, Kern, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 13,000

ROBERTS LANE

Fair

Over: BEARDSLEY CANAL

NORTH OF OLIVE DRIVE, Kern, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 9,000

34TH STREET

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

WEST OF UNION, Kern, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,689

BELLE TERRACE WAY

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

EAST OF H STREET, Kern, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,133

PLANZ ROAD

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

EAST OF SOUTH H ST, Kern, CA

Built 1952 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,700

PACHECO ROAD

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

EAST OF SOUTH H ST, Kern, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,600

COLUMBUS AVE

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

0.2 MI W UNION AVE, Kern, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,425

4TH STREET

Fair

Over: SANDY CREEK

SOUTH OF ASH STREET, Kern, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,560

EMMONS PARK DRIVE

Fair

Over: SANDY CREEK

SOUTH OF ASH STREET, Kern, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 500

TERRACE WAY

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

200 E CHESTER AVE, Kern, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,960

WILLIAMS ST

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

350 FT S MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,300

ROBINSON ST

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

SOUTH OF MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,300

MILLER ST

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

0.1 MI S MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 6,300

GAGE ST

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

0.1 MI S MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,300

TULARE ST

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

SOUTH OF MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,300

VERNAL PLACE

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

0.1 MI N TERRACE WAY, Kern, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,015

SOUTH GATE DR

Fair

Over: KERN ISLAND CANAL

EAST OF SOUTH H ST, Kern, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,500

BEALE AVENUE

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

SOUTH MONTEREY STREET, Kern, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,000

HALEY ST

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

SOUTH MONTEREY ST, Kern, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,876

MOUNTAIN VIEW RD

Fair

Over: EAST SIDE CANAL

0.1 MI W OF VINELAND ROAD, Kern, CA

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 290

STATE ROUTE 166

Fair

Over: CUYAMA RIVER

05-SB-166-R34.95, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,500

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: WINCHESTER CREEK

05-SB-101-27.16, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1929 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 32,000

GLEN ANNIE ROAD

Fair

Over: GLEN ANNIE CREEK

0.29 MI S HOLLISTER AVE, Santa Barbara, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 8,229

Showing 3,051-3,100 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.