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

SR 112

Good

Over: CREEK

16.5 E MAKAH RES, Clallam, WA

Built 1936 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,687

SR 203

Good

Over: SLOUGH

17.2 N JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1945 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 10,190

SR 508

Good

Over: GHEER CREEK

7.6 E JCT I-5, Lewis, WA

Built 1947 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,269

I-5

Good

Over: S 259TH PL

5.6 N JCT SR 18, King, WA

Built 1960 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 100,551

SR 522

Good

Over: NORTH CR & GILLMAN TRAIL

5.9 E JCT SR 104, King, WA

Built 1960 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 12,224

SR 112

Good

Over: CLALLAM RIVER

19.0 E MAKAH RES, Clallam, WA

Built 1960 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,752

TRAFFIC AVE

Good

Over: SR 410 RAMPS

0.5 E JCT SR 167, Pierce, WA

Built 1967 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 10,448

SR 522

Good

Over: NORTH CR & GILLMAN TRAIL

5.9 E JCT SR 104, King, WA

Built 1968 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 11,871

SR 520

Good

Over: 130TH AVE NE

1.0 E JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1970 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 43,146

I-5

Good

Over: PILCHUCK CREEK

2.0 N JCT SR 530, Snohomish, WA

Built 1973 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 39,983

SR 520

Good

Over: NE 24TH ST

1.9 E JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1972 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 43,146

SR 27

Good

Over: I-90

17.7 N JCT SR 278, Spokane, WA

Built 1978 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 14,755

US 101

Good

Over: WALLACUT RIVER

2.6 N JCT SR 103, Pacific, WA

Built 1979 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,920

TRIGGER AVE

Good

Over: SR 3

1.0 N JCT SR 303, Kitsap, WA

Built 1979 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 5,355

SR 14

Good

Over: WIND RIVER

27.6 E CLARK CO, Skamania, WA

Built 1985 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 3,917

US 101

Good

Over: NORTH RIVER

7.3 N PACIFIC CO, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1986 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,914

I-5

Good

Over: METRO ACCESS

0.9 N JCT SR 523, King, WA

Built 1990 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 185,905

NE 134TH ST

Good

Over: I-5 RAMPS

5.0 N JCT SR 500, Clark, WA

Built 1994 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 20,950

SR 305

Good

Over: PUGET SOUND @ EAGLE HRBR

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Kitsap, WA

Built 2006 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 3,052

SR 397 / AINSWORTH

Good

Over: SOUTH 4TH AVE / BNSF RR

0.9 N FRANKLIN CO, Franklin, WA

Built 2007 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,541

SR 202

Good

Over: SAMMAMISH R

0.4 E JCT SR 522, King, WA

Built 2019 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,987

WILGUS ROAD

Good

Over: ROZA CANAL

00.10 N EVANS ROAD, Benton, WA

Built 1973 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 150

128 ST E

Good

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER

.64 E JCT SR162, Pierce, WA

Built 1987 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 5,375

MILL CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

8.7 SE JCT 6 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1992 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 79

GARDEN STREET

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

00.30N SR 12, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1988 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 79

I RD SW

Good

Over: WAHLUKE BRANCH CANAL

I SW .5 N of Wahluke Rd, Grant, WA

Built 1969 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 106

HINZERLING ROAD

Good

Over: SVID CANAL

0.25 S KING TULL, Benton, WA

Built 1975 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,614

8 ROAD NE

Good

Over: EAST LOW CANAL BLK 40

8 NE .3 East of N NE, Grant, WA

Built 1989 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 92

BEAVER CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: ELOCHOMAN RIVER

0.04 E SR 407, Wahkiakum, WA

Built 1963 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 192

PLEASANT VALLEY RD

Good

Over: STEARNS CREEK

3.0 SW.NAPAVINE, Lewis, WA

Built 1982 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 407

7TH STREET

Good

Over: PATAHA CREEK

0.1 S US 12 ON 7TH, Garfield, WA

Built 1977 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 75

WASHINGTON STREET

Good

Over: CID CANAL

.73 S JCT 1ST AVE, Benton, WA

Built 1967 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,954

SOUTH YAKIMA AVE

Good

Over: S TAC WAY/CENTER ST/NP R

0.1 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1961 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 10,550

GRADE STREET

Good

Over: COWEEMAN RIVER

0.3 W. OF I-5, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1990 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,675

363 AVE SE

Good

Over: WALLACE RIVER

0.1 S JCT SR 2, Snohomish, WA

Built 1993 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 302

MILL CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

10.2 SE JCT 6 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1994 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 51

W Branch LeClerc C

Good

Over: West Branch LeClerc Cr

1 mile n/o LeClerc Crk Rd, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1993 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 33

138TH PL NE

Good

Over: TRIB QUILCEDA CREEK

1.4 MI E INT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1994 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 446

MILL CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

7.1 SE JCT 6 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1995 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 143

WESLEY KING RD

Good

Over: MILL CR

0.04 NE MILL CR RD, Pacific, WA

Built 1994 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 10

RUE CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: RUE CREEK

3.41 S JCT SR 6, Pacific, WA

Built 1996 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 70

LYMAN HAMILTON HWY

Good

Over: MUDDY CREEK

0.3 M W HAMILTON, Skagit, WA

Built 1955 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 198

GREER/2130

Good

Over: THORN CREEK

.08 S. OAKESDALE RD, Whitman, WA

Built 1997 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 20

WRIGHT BLISS RD NW

Good

Over: EAST FORK ROCKY CREEK

0.6 MI. NORTH ELGIN, Pierce, WA

Built 1999 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 3,025

MOUNTAIN LOOP HWY

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3.0 SE DARRINGTON, Snohomish, WA

Built 1960 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 724

PARVIN/5000

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

8.99 MI E SR 195, Whitman, WA

Built 2001 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 55

0 SW

Good

Over: WALUKE BRANCH CANAL

O SW 0.1 N of 23 SW, Grant, WA

Built 1983 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 210

NORTH NEMAH ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH NEMAH RIVER

7.6 N JCT 4 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 2005 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 338

NE 116TH STREET

Good

Over: SAMMAMISH RIVER

0.5 MI W OF SR-202, King, WA

Built 2006 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,200

MCNEILLY RD/6240

Good

Over: FROG CREEK

5.10 MI SW ENDICOTT RD, Whitman, WA

Built 2007 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 53

Showing 5,151-5,200 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.