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

MOUNT BALDY RD

Fair

Over: SAN ANTONIO CREEK

0.4 MI N/E LA-SBD CO LINE, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,500

STATE ROUTE 57

Fair

Over: BNSF RY SPUR TRACK

12-ORA-057-16.63-PLCN, Orange, CA

Built 1969 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 271,000

N133-N405 CONNECTR

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 405 & RAMP

12-ORA-133-8.34-IRVN, Orange, CA

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 8,416

INTERSTATE 10 WB

Fair

Over: GARNET CREEK

08-RIV-010-32.00, Riverside, CA

Built 1955 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 42,500

INTERSTATE 10 EB

Fair

Over: GARNET CREEK

08-RIV-010-32.35, Riverside, CA

Built 1955 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 42,500

INTERSTATE 10 WB

Fair

Over: WEST BURIED MTN WASH

08-RIV-010-R77.97, Riverside, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 11,250

INTERSTATE 10 EB

Fair

Over: SADDLE GULCH

08-RIV-010-R79.58, Riverside, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 11,250

LA RUE ST

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 60

08-RIV-060-8.81, Riverside, CA

Built 1962 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 980

N163-N5 CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: SR 163 & S5-N163 CONN

11-SD-163-0.88-SD, San Diego, CA

Built 1962 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 5,900

INTERSTATE 8 EB

Fair

Over: CARRIZO CREEK

11-SD-008-R72.28, San Diego, CA

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 8,150

ORANGE AVENUE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 805

11-SD-805-4.41-CHV, San Diego, CA

Built 1971 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 43,000

CHINQUAPIN AVE

Fair

Over: INTERSTATE 5

11-SD-005-R49.12-CBD, San Diego, CA

Built 1970 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 8,400

INTERSTATE 15 NB

Fair

Over: MESA ROCK RD

11-SD-015-R34.89, San Diego, CA

Built 1978 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 70,000

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: 2ND GULCH STREAM

NO DATA ENTERED, Tehama, CA

Built 1955 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 20

U.S. HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: EEL RIVER & NCRRA

01-HUM-101-R48.69, Humboldt, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 5,900

US HIGHWAY 101 NB

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

01-HUM-101-74.60, Humboldt, CA

Built 1988 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 16,200

BLUE SLIDE RD

Fair

Over: HOWE CREEK

JCT HOWE CREEK ROAD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1978 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 346

STATE ROUTE 299

Fair

Over: WEAVER CREEK

02-TRI-299-56.50, Trinity, CA

Built 1953 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 5,375

STATE ROUTE 32

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

02-TEH-032-21.45, Tehama, CA

Built 1939 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,100

JELLYS FERRY RD

Fair

Over: UNNAMED GULCH

3.1 MI E OF I-5, Tehama, CA

Built 1960 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,971

EAST PERKINS ST

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

01-MEN-101-R24.53-UKI, Mendocino, CA

Built 1964 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 17,350

COMPTCHE-UKIAH RD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK ALBION RIVER

13.4 MI E JCT SR 1, Mendocino, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,316

SR 70

Fair

Over: MONTGOMERY STREET

03-BUT-070-14.61-OVL, Butte, CA

Built 1963 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 20,100

DAYTON-DURHAM HWY

Fair

Over: BUTTE CREEK

0.8 MI E MIDWAY RD, Butte, CA

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 3,013

ALEXANDER AVE

Fair

Over: SUTTER-BUTTE CANAL

N EVANS-REIMER RD, Butte, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 50

LODOGA-STONYFRD RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE STONY CREEK

0.1 MI E OF GOAT MT RD, Colusa, CA

Built 1956 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 324

MARYSVILLE RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK (COLLINS LAKE)

0.4 MI E WILLOWS GLEN RD, Yuba, CA

Built 1963 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 2,860

INTERSTATE 80 WB

Fair

Over: SOUTH YUBA RI & S YUBA D

03-PLA-080-67.87, Placer, CA

Built 1959 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 13,500

INTERSTATE 80 WB

Fair

Over: SOUTH YUBA RIVER

03-PLA-080-R64.08L, Placer, CA

Built 1964 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 13,500

SODA SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: ONION CREEK

6.6 MI S SODA SPRINGS, Placer, CA

Built 1975 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 187

WOODCREEK OAKS BL

Fair

Over: S BR PLEASANTS GROVE CR

0.7 MI S OF BLUE OAKS BL, Placer, CA

Built 1999 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 11,528

US HIGHWAY 101

Fair

Over: COPELAND CREEK

04-SON-101-13.51-RNPK, Sonoma, CA

Built 1956 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 92,000

WILLOWSIDE RD

Fair

Over: SANTA ROSA FL CON CHAN

1 MI S OF GUERNEVILLE RD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 832

OLD MONTE RIO ROAD

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

0.3 MI SW CHERRY ROAD, Sonoma, CA

Built 1960 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 100

REDWOOD AVE

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

NEAR CAMP MEEKER, Sonoma, CA

Built 1980 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 50

LINCOLN AVENUE

Fair

Over: STATE ROUTE 29

04-NAP-029-12.04-NAP, Napa, CA

Built 1967 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 5,259

RAGATZ LANE

Fair

Over: YOUNTVILLE OVERFLOW

0.7 MI NE WASHINGTN ST, Napa, CA

Built 1940 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 161

INTERSTATE 5

Fair

Over: BUCKEYE CREEK

03-YOL-005-R28.58, Yolo, CA

Built 1968 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 15,000

PLEASANT VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: PUTAH CREEK

COUNTY LINE SOLANO/YOLO, Yolo, CA

Built 1957 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,396

MACE BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: UP BNSF AMTRAK BIKE PATH

NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80, Yolo, CA

Built 1960 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 25,104

INTERSTATE 80 WB

Fair

Over: DAVIS STREET

04-SOL-080-R26.00-VAC, Solano, CA

Built 1963 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 70,500

CENT WAY PITTMAN

Fair

Over: GREEN VALLEY CREEK

NEAR I-80 & I-680, Solano, CA

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 3,980

AUBURN BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

0.1 MI N ANTELOPE RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 24,723

U.S. HIGHWAY 50 EB

Fair

Over: CAMERON PARK DR

03-ED-050-6.57, El Dorado, CA

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 31,500

ROWLAND BOULEVARD

Fair

Over: U.S. HIGHWAY 101

04-MRN-101-R20.19-NVTO, Marin, CA

Built 1974 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 6,000

SR 24 EB RAMP

Fair

Over: PLEASANT HILL ROAD

04-CC-024-R7.66-LFYT, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1971 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 11,450

CANAL RD

Fair

Over: CONTRA COSTA CANAL

0.2 MI E BAILEY RD, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1969 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 10,900

MCKINLEY RD

Fair

Over: FRENCH CAMP SLOUGH

0.3 MI NE FRENCH CAMP RD, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 3,303

ESCALON-BELLOTA RD

Fair

Over: LITTLEJOHNS CREEK

0.3 MI SOUTH OF S.H. 4, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1948 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 3,681

WEST LANE

Fair

Over: MOSHER SLOUGH

0.5 MI N HAMMER LANE, San Joaquin, CA

Built 1966 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 27,300

Showing 4,051-4,100 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.