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

TWIN CITIES ROAD

Fair

Over: SNODGRASS SLOUGH

2.0 MI EAST OF RIVER RD, Sacramento, CA

Built 1931 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 4,293

PORTOLA RD

Fair

Over: ALEMBIQUE CREEK

0.25 MI E OF SH 84, San Mateo, CA

Built 1914 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 2,969

DICKENSON FERRY RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH SLOUGH

0.3 MI E QUINLEY AVENUE, Merced, CA

Built 1927 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 339

S TIBURCIO AVE

Fair

Over: GRANT CANAL

0.18 MI S/O MT WHITNEY AV, Fresno, CA

Built 1937 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 210

PANOCHE ROAD

Fair

Over: TRES PINOS CREEK

12 MI W LITTLE PANOCHE RD, San Benito, CA

Built 1960 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 800

STATE ROUTE 245

Fair

Over: WUTCHUMNA DITCH

06-TUL-245-6.39-WLK, Tulare, CA

Built 1939 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 6,800

AVE 220 (WADDELL)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.25 MI EAST OF ROAD 228, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 200

AVE 212 (MIRADOR)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.25 MI EAST OF ROAD 228, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 350

AVE 188 (OLIVE)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.1 MI WEST OF ROAD 232, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 350

ROAD 184

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.1 MI SOUTH OF AVENUE 40, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 225

FIRST ST OC

Fair

Over: ROUTE 118

07-VEN-118-R23.81-SIMV, Ventura, CA

Built 1970 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 15,000

SYCAMORE RD

Fair

Over: BOULDER CREEK

1.61 MI E OF STE RTE 126, Ventura, CA

Built 1932 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 600

INTERSTATE 405

Fair

Over: UP RR AMTRAK METROLINK

07-LA-405-43.42-LA, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1963 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 216,000

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: AVON WASH

9.5 MI E OF CRUCERO RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1930 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 235

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: SOUTH ANTELOPE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Tehama, CA

Built 1935 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 20

WINDING ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK SAND CREEK

06S42-28.2, Madera, CA

Built 1947 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 50

PINE FLAT DAM

Fair

Over: KINGS RIVER D/S OF DAM

27 MI EAST OF FRESNO, Fresno, CA

Built 1956 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 175

RANGE RD

Fair

Over: MISSION CREEK

SW MIS SA DE PADUA S6B, Monterey, CA

Built 1950 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 1

SACRAMENTO AVE

Fair

Over: SACRAMENTO RIVER

AT RIVER AVE, Siskiyou, CA

Built 1965 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 175

ELK RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK ELK RIVER

NE PEPPER ST, Humboldt, CA

Built 1923 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 156

PRICE CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: PRICE CREEK

0.2 MI W/O BLUE SLIDE RD, Humboldt, CA

Built 1940 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 118

CORAM ROAD

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

1.75 MI E OF SHASTA DAM, Shasta, CA

Built 2006 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 50

RD 305 (MAPES RD)

Fair

Over: SUSAN RIVER OVERFLOW #6

1.7 MI E/O RD 304, Lassen, CA

Built 1978 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 100

PINE CREEK RD

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

3.3 MI W/O REEDS CREEK RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1969 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 80

MCCARTY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: MCCARTY CREEK

0.7 MI W LOWERY RD, Tehama, CA

Built 1974 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 30

HEARST-WILLITS RD

Fair

Over: EEL RIVER

5.4 MI N JCT TOMKI RD, Mendocino, CA

Built 1957 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 66

ROAD 67

Fair

Over: BUTTE CREEK

2.7 MI E RD Z, Glenn, CA

Built 1940 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 93

OREGON GULCH RD

Fair

Over: OREGON GULCH

2.8 MI S OF CHEROKEE RD, Butte, CA

Built 1920 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 128

PARK AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHICO CREEK

0.1 MI N OF 11TH ST, Butte, CA

Built 1912 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 18,400

LUTHER RD

Fair

Over: WISE CANAL

JUST EAST HWY 49, Placer, CA

Built 1973 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 8,138

BREWER RD

Fair

Over: COON CREEK

1.5 MI N OF NICOLAUS RD, Placer, CA

Built 1938 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 95

SR 12

Fair

Over: AGUA CALIENTE CREEK

04-SON-012-35.75, Sonoma, CA

Built 1924 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 18,600

VERANO AVE

Fair

Over: SONOMA CREEK

0.7 MI E ARNOLD DR, Sonoma, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 9,700

CHASE ST

Fair

Over: NATHANSON CREEK

0.1 MI E SR 12 SONOMA, Sonoma, CA

Built 1910 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 600

RAILROAD AVE

Fair

Over: CONTRA COSTA CANAL

0.7 MI S SH 4, Contra Costa, CA

Built 1938 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 20,300

STATE ROUTE 120

Fair

Over: DON PEDRO RESERVOIR

10-TUO-120-R19.61, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1971 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 3,800

RAWHIDE RD

Fair

Over: WOODS CREEK

0.05 MI NW OF SR 49, Tuolumne, CA

Built 1920 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 4,149

PORTLAND AVE

Fair

Over: PERMANENTE CREEK

E MIRAMONTE AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1920 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 4,000

LLAGAS AVE

Fair

Over: LLAGAS CREEK

0.8 MI N SAN MARTIN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1925 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 1,780

LLAGAS AVE

Fair

Over: LLAGAS CREEK

0.6 MI N SAN MARTIN AVE, Santa Clara, CA

Built 1925 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 1,780

AVE 216 (CITRUS)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.25 MI EAST OF ROAD 228, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 325

AVE 208 (5TH AVE)

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.25 MI WEST OF ROAD 232, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 250

AVENUE 160

Fair

Over: FRIANT-KERN CANAL

0.75 MI WEST OF ROAD 224, Tulare, CA

Built 1949 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 1,175

BROAD ST

Fair

Over: STENNER CREEK

AT RTE 101, San Luis Obispo, CA

Built 1909 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 4,496

STATE ROUTE 1

Fair

Over: UP RR & AMTRAK

07-VEN-001-21.54, Ventura, CA

Built 1934 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 4,000

TELEGRAPH RD

Fair

Over: SAN GABRIEL RIV

0.2MI W/O I-605 FWY, Los Angeles, CA

Built 1937 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 44,300

MINERAL ROAD

Fair

Over: MOJAVE RIVER

0.1 MI NE/O D STREET, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1928 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 20

NAT TRAILS HWY

Fair

Over: ARLETTA DITCH

9.9 MI E KELBAKER RD, San Bernardino, CA

Built 1943 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 502

SOUTH MELROSE DR

Fair

Over: AGUA HEDIONDA CREEK

0.5 MI S/O SHADOWRIDGE DR, San Diego, CA

Built 1990 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 15,600

SOUTH MELROSE DR

Fair

Over: AGUA HEDIONDA CREEK

0.5 MI S/O SHADOWRIDGE DR, San Diego, CA

Built 1990 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 15,600

Showing 401-450 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.