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

Port Auto Access

Good

Over: Lincoln Avenue ditch

S atThorne & Lincoln, Pierce, WA

Built 2011 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 1,000

AMBERJACK AVENUE

Good

Over: CATTAIL LAKE DAM

.32KM SE OF N BOUNDRY RD, Kitsap, WA

Built 2012 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 20

US 395

Good

Over: PARKSMITH DR & RR

7.3 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2012 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 5,804

US 97

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.3 N JCT SR 10, Kittitas, WA

Built 2014 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 2,686

SR 167 FLYOVER

Good

Over: I-405 NB SR 167 NB

JCT I-405 & SR 167, King, WA

Built 2018 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 5,000

I-90 WESTBOUND

Good

Over: KACHESS RIVER

14.8 MI E SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 2022 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 16,546

FS ROUTE NO. 311

Good

Over: S.F. GRANITE CR

SOUTH FORK GRANITE CREEK, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1952 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 40

HARRAH ROAD

Good

Over: USIS CANAL

00.50 N LARUE ROAD, Yakima, WA

Built 1976 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 158

CO RD 29890

Good

Over: PESHASTIN CREEK

00.07E SR 97, Chelan, WA

Built 1983 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 116

COUNTY ROAD 2010

Good

Over: GEORGE CREEK

1.2 MI SO JCT RD 1050, Asotin, WA

Built 1992 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 24

SE 208TH ST

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

4.2 E ISSAQ-HOBART, King, WA

Built 1994 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 200

ROBINSON FORK ROAD

Good

Over: ROBINSON FORK

0.6 S JCT 13890, Columbia, WA

Built 1995 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 25

LANGE/2410

Good

Over: PALOUSE RIVER

1.56 MI N SR 272, Whitman, WA

Built 1997 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 44

2 RD SE

Good

Over: IRRIGATION WASTEWAY

2 SE .2 West of M SE, Grant, WA

Built 1995 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 49

BARKES RD

Good

Over: AGENCY CREEK

0.98 S. OF BRANCH, Yakima, WA

Built 1998 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 140

HAWK CRK RANCH RD

Good

Over: HAWK CREEK

2.37 SW CR 5554, Lincoln, WA

Built 1999 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 125

COUNTY ARTERIAL

Good

Over: POTHOLES CANAL

0.44 E GLADE N 901, Franklin, WA

Built 2003 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 255

Wolf Fork Road

Good

Over: North Touchet River

0.171 Mi SE N touchet, Columbia, WA

Built 2006 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 189

BASS AVENUE

Good

Over: BASS AVE CANAL

0.3 E POINT BROWN AVE, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2005 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 250

SUNSHINE RD/9080

Good

Over: PARADISE CREEK

.07 MI S SR 270, Whitman, WA

Built 2007 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 503

Wenas Rd.

Good

Over: WENAS CREEK

0.02 N ADOBE WAY, Yakima, WA

Built 2012 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 5,300

SOUTH BANK ROAD

Good

Over: CHEHALIS RIVER OVERFLOW

1.4 SW JCT SR 12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2013 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 1,110

WILDCAT WAY

Good

Over: TOWN DITCH

0.17 N JCT E 14TH AVE, Kittitas, WA

Built 2015 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 6,689

MIDDLE SATSOP ROAD

Good

Over: HARSTAD CREEK

5.28 N JCT 97100, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2017 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 1,424

SKAGIT KEY

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

0.06 WEST JCT CASCADE KEY, King, WA

Built 2017 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 340

LeClerc Road South

Good

Over: Indian Creek

7 mi north of US 2, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 2018 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 1,220

FISHING WARS XING

Good

Over: RAMP RR ROAD TERRAIN

0.01 E JCT PORTLAND AVE, Pierce, WA

Built 2019 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 16,500

Smackout Pass Rd

Good

Over: Little Muddy Creek

2 mile w/o Ione, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 2022 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 220

S-PLUM RAMP

Good

Over: EASTSIDE ST SE

1.2 N JCT US 101, Thurston, WA

Built 1957 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 5,737

AUSTIN DRIVE

Good

Over: SR 3

4.5 N JCT SR 304, Kitsap, WA

Built 1966 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 5,602

I-5

Good

Over: MCALLISTER CR

2.2 N JCT SR 510, Thurston, WA

Built 1968 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,132

NB US 395

Good

Over: FARWELL RD

8.9 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2006 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 3,581

NE 116TH ST

Good

Over: RAILROAD

0.1 W I-405, King, WA

Built 2012 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 18,100

I-5 NB HOV LANE

Good

Over: I-5 SB SR 16 W/NB RMPS

0.1 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 2019 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 43,247

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: YELLOWJACKET CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Skamania, WA

Built 2010 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 15

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Whatcom, WA

Built 2010 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: ANDERSON CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Whatcom, WA

Built 2014 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 50

WHITE PINE CREEK

Good

Over: NASON CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Chelan, WA

Built 1980 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 75

MIDDLE VALLEY ROAD

Good

Over: SKAMOKAWA CREEK

0.2 N E. VALLEY RD, Wahkiakum, WA

Built 1960 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 469

CRESTON SOUTH ROAD

Good

Over: SINKING CREEK

6.86 S SR NO 2, Lincoln, WA

Built 1973 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 112

CARLON LOOP RD

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

0.06 N COAL CRK RD (2.47), Cowlitz, WA

Built 1976 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 257

MEYERS RD N IRRIG

Good

Over: SLOUGH

00.78 N OF FRALEY, Yakima, WA

Built 1980 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 6,903

Rainier Blvd. N.

Good

Over: East Fork Issaquah Creek

0.3 MI S OF I-90, King, WA

Built 2004 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 7,500

W RD SE

Good

Over: EAST LOW CANAL

W SE 0.1 S of 8.5 SE, Grant, WA

Built 2005 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 39

Charlton road

Good

Over: Naneum Creek

.09 west of Naneum Rd, Kittitas, WA

Built 2009 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 89

KITTITAS HWY

Good

Over: NANEUM CREEK

0.47 WEST NORTH FERGUSON, Kittitas, WA

Built 2015 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 4,356

Rose Street

Good

Over: Mill Creek

Rose St. and Mill Creek, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2021 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 10,500

NF TEANAWAY RD

Good

Over: NF TEANAWAY RIVER

02.85 NF TEANAWAY RD, Kittitas, WA

Built 2023 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 135

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: VAST CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Clallam, WA

Built 1978 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 30

SR 167

Good

Over: CLARKS CREEK

3.7 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1970 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 26,846

Showing 5,751-5,800 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.