State profile · Below median Poor share

Washington 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 Washington.

8,474
Public bridges
50.1%
Good condition
5.5%
Poor condition

Washington has 8,474 public highway bridges in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, and 462 of them are rated Poor.

That is 5.5% 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 24 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

8,474

Public highway bridges in Washington

Good Condition

50.1%

4,246 bridges rated 7-9

0.1pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

5.5%

462 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-2.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

Washington vs national bridge condition

Washington - Good condition share 50.1%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Washington - Poor-condition share 18.2%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Washington 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: Washington has 8,474 bridges and a 5.5% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #24 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 (%) WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%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%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%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%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: Washington has 8,474 bridges and a 5.5% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #24 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.

Washington 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

8,474 29th of 54 higher than 25 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 Washington

The highlighted point is Washington: 8,474 bridges and 5.45% in Poor condition, rank #24 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Washington on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Kansas: 24,894 bridges · 5.26% Poor
  • 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

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Washington

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 8,474 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Washington’s inventory

State agency holds 39.9% of the 8,474 public highway bridges filed under Washington in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Washington’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 12.8% of the 8,474 bridges with a recorded original year in Washington. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Washington50.1%44.4%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Washington (FHWA NBI)

Counties (39)

Adams 187 Asotin 29 Benton 167 Chelan 149 Clallam 151 Clark 218 Columbia 86 Cowlitz 160 Douglas 40 Ferry 53 Franklin 134 Garfield 54 Grant 306 Grays Harbor 363 Island 7 Jefferson 99 King 1238 Kitsap 115 Kittitas 308 Klickitat 90 Lewis 419 Lincoln 180 Mason 133 Okanogan 161 Pacific 120 Pend Oreille 71 Pierce 472 San Juan 13 Skagit 254 Skamania 120 Snohomish 500 Spokane 307 Stevens 75 Thurston 205 Wahkiakum 36 Walla Walla 195 Whatcom 354 Whitman 347 Yakima 558

Washington 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 Washington on the same metric.

KS

Kansas

5.26% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$24,894

AR

Arkansas

5.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,974
Selected

WA

Washington

5.45% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,474

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

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Washington

Six lowest-condition bridges in Washington, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

STATE ROUTE 509

Poor

Over: PUYALLUP WATERWAY RR

2.5 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1911 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2,400

I-82

Poor

Over: WASTEWATER NUMBER 3

8.4 E JCT US 97, Yakima, WA

Built 1980 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 28,146

Fish War Mem X-ing

Poor

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER

0.2 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 15,255

POST STREET

Poor

Over: SPOKANE RIVER

00.6 N OF I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1917 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,685

W Galer Street

Poor

Over: Private Road

Magnolia Seattle, King, WA

Built 1929 Load: 0.0 t

SILVER CK RD 00670

Poor

Over: NINE MILE CREEK

19.05 E SR 21, Ferry, WA

Built 1958 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 47

All Bridges in Washington

ALTERGOTT/2420

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

02.48 NE SR 272, Whitman, WA

Built 1998 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 41

STEPHENSON RD.

Good

Over: AGENCY CREEK

0.21 S. OF W. STEPHENSON, Yakima, WA

Built 1998 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 525

RIVERIA ROAD

Good

Over: RIVERIA GULCH

1ST RIVERIA CROSSING, Columbia, WA

Built 1999 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 80

NORTH FORK RD.

Good

Over: AHTANUM CREEK N. FORK

9.50 NW AHTANUM RD., Yakima, WA

Built 2000 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 158

MOJONNIER RD

Good

Over: WALLA WALLA RIVER

0.051 N BEET RD, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2001 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 1,115

ROSENOFF RD

Good

Over: DRY WASH

0.55 MI W of Paha-Packard, Adams, WA

Built 1995 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 243

RAGON/2200

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.03 MI E SR 195, Whitman, WA

Built 2004 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 50

CALLOWAY RD

Good

Over: EAST LOW CANAL

01.32 MI E FOX RD, Adams, WA

Built 2006 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 41

COUNTY ROAD 2090

Good

Over: TEN MILE CRK

0.07 MI SE JCT 2850, Asotin, WA

Built 2011 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 501

SAND CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

2.8 W JCT MOX CHEHALIS RD, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2018 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 15

US 101

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

43.2 N JCT SR 109, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1956 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 1,153

70TH AVE E

Good

Over: HYLEBOS CREEK

1.0 N JCT SR 99, Pierce, WA

Built 1962 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 15,300

SR 20

Good

Over: RUBY CREEK

9.8 E JCT SR 31, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1985 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 886

I-5

Good

Over: I-705 SR 7 RAMPS RR

1.3 N JCT SR 16, Pierce, WA

Built 2016 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 72,576

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK TRIB.

.51 MILES FROM RD. #11, Whatcom, WA

Built 2003 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: COLD CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 2010 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 2

BOOKER RD

Good

Over: WASTEWAY

01.49 MI N SR26, Adams, WA

Built 1985 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 1,481

LYONS FERRY RD

Good

Over: DRY HOLLOW

7.267 N SR 124, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1988 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 335

PLAZA WAY

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

00.057 N BRADEN RD, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1982 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 3,145

BEACON/7140

Good

Over: ALKALI FLAT CREEK

4.09 MI SE CAMP, Whitman, WA

Built 1980 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 25

VALLEY VIEW ROAD

Good

Over: CID CANAL

00.35 NE SR-12, Benton, WA

Built 1967 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 288

CEDAR BRAE ROAD

Good

Over: NASON CREEK

00.15W SR207, Chelan, WA

Built 1986 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 1,945

BASELINE WEST

Good

Over: LAT. BLK 73

Baseline .1 East of V NW, Grant, WA

Built 1987 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 650

OLD RIVER ROAD

Good

Over: NACHES RIVER

00.57 W SR 410, Yakima, WA

Built 1973 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 299

5 TH STREET

Good

Over: PATAHA CREEK

0.1 S SR12 ON 5TH, Garfield, WA

Built 1977 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 75

SE OAK ROAD

Good

Over: BURLEY CREEK

3.5 N PIERCE COUNTY, Kitsap, WA

Built 1991 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 47

TALBOTT RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

0.223N LW DRY CREEK, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1997 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 17

MCMANAMON RD

Good

Over: Lower Crab Creek

00.06 MI NW SOLBECK RD, Adams, WA

Built 2001 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 1,024

MCDONALD RD.

Good

Over: WIP Canal

.37 W of Harrah Drain Rd, Yakima, WA

Built 2006 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 108

MAINTENANCE ROAD

Good

Over: WEST CANAL

DRY COULEE SIPHON 1 OUTLE, Grant, WA

Built 1946 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5

MAINTENANCE ROAD

Good

Over: WEST CANAL

Dry Coulee Siphon 2 Outle, Grant, WA

Built 1946 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5

MAINTENANCE ROAD

Good

Over: Potholes Canal

Ringold Wasteway, Franklin, WA

Built 1952 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 15

SR 127

Good

Over: DEADMAN CREEK

9.1 N JCT US 12, Garfield, WA

Built 1969 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 905

US 101

Good

Over: BARNES CREEK

23.8 N JCT SR 113, Clallam, WA

Built 1986 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,898

US 12

Good

Over: KLICKITAT CREEK

4.0 E JCT SR 122, Lewis, WA

Built 1937 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 6,490

SR 18

Good

Over: SOOS CR

6.7 E JCT SR 164, King, WA

Built 1959 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 25,223

I-5

Good

Over: S M ST

0.5 N JCT SR 16, Pierce, WA

Built 1959 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 131,030

SR 20

Good

Over: SKAGIT R

9.6 E SKAGIT CO, Whatcom, WA

Built 1960 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,502

I-5 S-W N-W RAMPS

Good

Over: AIRPORT WAY

4.1 N JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 12,879

SR 167

Good

Over: 4TH AVE N

1.1 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 59,986

SR 167

Good

Over: 4TH AVE N

1.1 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 59,986

I-405

Good

Over: 9TH AVE SE

0.4 N JCT SR 527, Snohomish, WA

Built 1968 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 45,734

SR 522

Good

Over: US 2 & BN RR

10.5 E JCT SR 9, Snohomish, WA

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 13,832

I-90

Good

Over: S FK SNOQUALMIE RIVER

6.4 E JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 18,493

SR 512

Good

Over: 15TH AVE SW

1.1 E JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 1973 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 43,016

I-5

Good

Over: SR 501/MILL PLAIN BLVD

0.7 N JCT SR 14, Clark, WA

Built 1979 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 51,367

I-5

Good

Over: SR 501/MILL PLAIN BLVD

0.7 N JCT SR 14, Clark, WA

Built 1981 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 51,367

S BERMUDA RD

Good

Over: I-82

4.8 E JCT I-182, Benton, WA

Built 1983 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 918

S-E RAMP

Good

Over: I-182

1.0 E JCT SR 240, Benton, WA

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 8,397

SR 240 W-W RAMP

Good

Over: I-182

4.0 E JCT SR 224, Benton, WA

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 14,569

Showing 5,051-5,100 of 8,474 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 Washington's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Washington 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. Washington 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.