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

FLOWING WELLS ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST HIGHLINE CANAL

4.0 MI E/O SR 111, Imperial, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

NECKEL ROAD

Fair

Over: CENTRAL MAIN CANAL

50 FT E/O AUSTIN RD, Imperial, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 630

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

04-MRN-101-1.19-SAUS, Marin, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 53,000

CARLSBAD BLVD

Fair

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK

0.3MI S/O VISTA WAY, San Diego, CA

Built 1914 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 19,173

IRR BIA RTE 3

Fair

Over: TULLY CREEK

3KM NW MARTIN FERRY BRIDG, Humboldt, CA

Built 1972 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 10

IRR BIA RTE 11

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

16 KM NW OF HOOPA, Humboldt, CA

Built 1977 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 10

IRR BIA RTE 18

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

1.5KM S MARTIN FERRY BD., Humboldt, CA

Built 1977 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 40

IRR BIA RTE 235

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK TULE RIVER

AT AGENCY, Tulare, CA

Built 1994 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,500

IRR BIA RTE 248

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK TULE RIVER

7 KM NE OF AGENCY, Tulare, CA

Built 1994 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 30

AUTO TOUR ROUTE

Fair

Over: MAIN DRAIN

W .8 MI ON REFUGE ROAD, Colusa, CA

Built 1976 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 25

Dale Road

Fair

Over: N. Branch Kopta Slough

1.2 mi. N & W of Gardiner, Tehama, CA

Built 1993 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 30

ROAD

Fair

Over: MID FK APPLEGATE

NO DATA ENTERED, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1951 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 50

GENERALS HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STONY CREEK

0.1 MILES WEST OF STONY C, Fresno, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 200

JFK DRIVE

Fair

Over: BRANDY CREEK

4.7 miles SW of Hwy. 299, Shasta, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 100

ACCESS ROAD

Fair

Over: DRY DITCH

0.01 MILES NORTH OF PERIM, Solano, CA

Built 1954 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1

BASILONE ROAD

Fair

Over: SANTA MARGARITA RIVER

0.3 MILE NW OF VANDEGRIFT, San Diego, CA

Built 2000 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 10,550

AGER ROAD

Fair

Over: OREGON SLOUGH

0.45 MI S RESERVOIR RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1980 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 841

CARIBOU RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK SALMON RIVER

4 MI S CECILVILLE RD, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 100

US HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 211

01-HUM-101-64.29, Humboldt, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 20,400

STATE ROUTE 3

Fair

Over: MULE CREEK

02-TRI-003-48.53, Trinity, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 865

VAN DUZEN ROAD

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

12.5 MI SOUTH SR 36, Trinity, CA

Built 1977 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 578

INTERSTATE 5 NB

Fair

Over: OBRIEN ROAD

02-SHA-005-R32.16R, Shasta, CA

Built 1968 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 9,150

RIVERSIDE ROAD

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

0.1 MI E/O I-5 FRONT RD, Shasta, CA

Built 1940 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 234

WYNDHAM LN

Fair

Over: A.C.I.D. CANAL

AT EASTSIDE ROAD, Shasta, CA

Built 1980 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 650

STATE ROUTE 70

Fair

Over: BIG GRIZZLY CREEK

02-PLU-070-R78.64, Plumas, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 3,400

CHANDLER ROAD

Fair

Over: SPANISH CR & GREENHRN CR

INTERSECT OAKLAND CAMP RD, Plumas, CA

Built 1953 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 520

REEVES CANYON ROAD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

4.5 MI W US 101, Mendocino, CA

Built 1980 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 105

COUNTY RD NO.6

Fair

Over: TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL

0.2 MI E OF RD N, Glenn, CA

Built 1965 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 213

LOWER HONCUT RD

Fair

Over: NORTH HONCUT CREEK

4.3 MI E OF SH 70, Butte, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,059

RIVER RD

Fair

Over: GRASSY BANKS SLOUGH

2.03 MI N OF ORD FERRY RD, Butte, CA

Built 1930 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,256

AFTON RD

Fair

Over: CHEROKEE CANAL

0.4 MI E/O WICKMAN RD, Butte, CA

Built 1959 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 513

ELK MTN RD

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW CHANNEL

1.38 MI N OF SR 20, Lake, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,061

PLEASANT GROVE RD

Fair

Over: BEAR RIVER

0.4 MI N/O BEAR RIVER DR, Sutter, CA

Built 1961 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 2,081

BISHOP ROAD

Fair

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CANAL

0.2 MI E OF KENT RD, Sutter, CA

Built 1950 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 95

STATE ROUTE 174

Fair

Over: UP RR BNSF RY & AMTRAK

03-PLA-174-0.62-CFX, Placer, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 4,950

INTERSTATE 80

Fair

Over: LONG RAVINE

03-PLA-080-35.10, Placer, CA

Built 1958 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 26,500

BELL ROAD

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 80

03-PLA-080-R21.13, Placer, CA

Built 1973 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 10,936

JOINER PARKWAY SB

Fair

Over: AUBURN RAVINE

0.1 MI N/O MOORE ROAD, Placer, CA

Built 1988 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 7,292

GUERNEVILLE RD

Fair

Over: LAGUNA DE SANTA ROSA

1.8 MI E/O SR 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 1957 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 8,400

NEELEY ROAD

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

1 MI W SR 116, Sonoma, CA

Built 2006 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 3,000

BYRNES RD

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

1.5 MI S KILKENNY RD, Solano, CA

Built 1977 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 655

HEDGE AVE

Fair

Over: MORRISON CREEK

0.1 MI N ALDER AVE, Sacramento, CA

Built 1979 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 1,200

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: MILLER CREEK

04-MRN-101-15.35, Marin, CA

Built 1952 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 151,000

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: LINCOLN AVE-N101 ON RAMP

04-MRN-101-12.19-SRF, Marin, CA

Built 1938 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 180,000

CLAY ST / NAVE DR

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-MRN-101-16.64-NVTO, Marin, CA

Built 1964 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 7,310

CORRAL HOLLOW RD

Fair

Over: ROUTE 580

10-SJ-580-8.15, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 2,500

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: BUENA VISTA UC

10-SJ-005-27.28-STKN, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 113,000

LOWER SACRAMENTO R

Fair

Over: MOKELUMNE RIVER OVERFLOW

0.7 MI N TURNER RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1969 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 9,943

CAROLYN WESTON BLV

Fair

Over: FRENCH CAMP SLOUGH

0.7 MI WEST OF MANTHEY RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1997 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 16,700

ALDER LANE

Fair

Over: SULLIVAN CREEK

0.1 MI N MEADOW BROOK DR, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1960 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 250

Showing 3,251-3,300 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.