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 512

Good

Over: 15TH AVE SW

1.1 E JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 1974 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 43,016

SR 507

Good

Over: SKOOKUMCHUCK RIVER

4.5 N JCT I-5, Lewis, WA

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,828

US 12

Good

Over: OVERFLOW CHANNEL

0.4 E GRAYS HBR CO, Thurston, WA

Built 1981 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 8,291

JADWIN AVE

Good

Over: I-182

0.5 E JCT SR 240, Benton, WA

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,715

CNTY RD 100

Good

Over: I-182

1.3 E BENTON CO, Franklin, WA

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,898

US 395 NB

Good

Over: I-182

JCT I-182, Franklin, WA

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,886

JACKSON AVE

Good

Over: SR 16

1.1 N JCT SR 163, Pierce, WA

Built 1984 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,546

I-705 SB S-S RAMP

Good

Over: I-705 SB RAMP STREETS+

0.2 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 19,848

SR 3 NB

Good

Over: SR 16

6.2 N MASON CO, Kitsap, WA

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,690

I-82

Good

Over: KENNEWICK MAIN CANAL

12.1 E JCT SR 22, Benton, WA

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 22,947

SR 504

Good

Over: ELK CREEK

17.1 E JCT SR 504 SP, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 586

US 2

Good

Over: LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER

7.9 E JCT SR 206, Spokane, WA

Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,206

US 97

Good

Over: LATERAL 2 IRR. CANAL

6.5 N JCT SR 22, Yakima, WA

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,724

US 97

Good

Over: LATERAL 2 IRR. CANAL

6.5 N JCT SR 22, Yakima, WA

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,724

SR 504

Good

Over: S. COLDWATER CREEK

24.6 E JCT SR 504 SP, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1994 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 540

SR 544

Good

Over: NOOKSACK RIVER

7.6 E JCT SR 539, Whatcom, WA

Built 1994 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,956

SR 11

Good

Over: CLIFF

11.9 N JCT I-5, Skagit, WA

Built 1999 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,412

SR 20

Good

Over: OBRIEN CREEK

4.1 E JCT SR 21, Ferry, WA

Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 763

NE 6TH ST

Good

Over: 114TH AVE NE I-405

2.6 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,912

SE 200TH

Good

Over: SR 18

2.1 E JCT SR 169, King, WA

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,800

N-N RAMP

Good

Over: I-5

JCT SR 16, Pierce, WA

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 44,341

SB I-5 RAMP

Good

Over: DETENTION VAULT

0.5 N JCT SR 524, Snohomish, WA

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,843

US 12

Good

Over: I-5

7.7 E GRAYS HBR CO, Thurston, WA

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 15,873

SR 520

Good

Over: LAKE WASHINGTON

2.9 E JCT SR 513, King, WA

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 28,189

I-5 NBCD

Good

Over: SKOOKUMCHUCK RIVER

0.7 N JCT SR 507, Lewis, WA

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,670

SR 105

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

10.1 N JCT US 101, Pacific, WA

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,095

SR 520

Good

Over: LAKE WASHINGTON

0.7 E JCT SR 513, King, WA

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,960

SR 290

Good

Over: SPOKANE RIVER

0.8 E JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2023 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,319

I-90 WB

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

20.2 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 16,139

I-90 WB

Good

Over: TALAPUS CR TRIBUTARY

15.7 E JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,193

I-90 WB

Good

Over: TALAPUS CREEK

15.6 E JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 18,193

US 12

Good

Over: WAPATOX CANAL OVERFLOW

0.4 E JCT SR 410, Yakima, WA

Built 1981 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,551

I-5

Good

Over: DILLENBAUGH CREEK

3.8 N JCT SR 508, Lewis, WA

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 59,955

SR 26

Good

Over: WILLOW CR DRAINAGE AREA

11.5 E ADAMS CO, Whitman, WA

Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,913

SR 26

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK CULVERT

12.9 E ADAMS CO, Whitman, WA

Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,913

SR 21

Good

Over: MARLIN HOLLOW RELIEF

11.9 N JCT SR 28, Lincoln, WA

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 245

US 97

Good

Over: TOWN CANAL

0.4 N JCT SR 10, Kittitas, WA

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,686

I-90 WB

Good

Over: TANEUM CR TRIB

11.0 E JCT SR 970, Kittitas, WA

Built 1966 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,344

I-5 SB

Good

Over: FALLOUT SHELTER

2.3 N JCT SR 520, King, WA

Built 1963 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 74,713

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: SUMMIT CREEK

0.4 MILE NORTH OF HWY 12, Lewis, WA

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: ADAMS CREEK

2329 IS N OF 90/23 JCT, Skamania, WA

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

RD. NO. 20

Good

Over: ELLIOTT CREEK

M.P. 33.9 RD. # 20, Snohomish, WA

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 140

ROAD

Good

Over: COOPER RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 50

RAVEN ROOST

Good

Over: MID. FORK LITTLE NACHES

NEAR CROW CREEK CAMP, Yakima, WA

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BARNABY CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Ferry, WA

Built 2019 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10

PIONEER WAY N.

Good

Over: COWICHE CREEK

00.01 S MAHONEY RD, Yakima, WA

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 235

RISTO RD

Good

Over: SALMON CREEK

0.5 W JCT NE227AVE, Clark, WA

Built 1958 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,946

MISSION CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: MISSION CREEK

00.3 S CASHMERE CL, Chelan, WA

Built 1950 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,505

COVE ROAD

Good

Over: MANASTASH CREEK

00.37 N MANASTASH R, Kittitas, WA

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 647

ROTHROCK ROAD

Good

Over: ROZA CANAL

0.60 N HANKS RD, Benton, WA

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 380

Showing 5,401-5,450 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.