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

MOSQUITO LK RD

Good

Over: HUTCHINSON CR

03.1 E. VALLEY HWY, Whatcom, WA

Built 2005 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 818

G RD SW

Good

Over: WEST CANAL

G SW .2 North of 10 SW, Grant, WA

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 511

MYHRE ROAD

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

0.15 E JCT SILVRDLE WY NW, Kitsap, WA

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,886

WASHINGTON WAY

Good

Over: LAKE SACAJAWEA

BETWEEN NICHOLS & KESSLER, Cowlitz, WA

Built 2015 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 9,950

W NW

Good

Over: BNSF RAILROAD

W NW .28 W OF BAIRD SPGS, Grant, WA

Built 2016 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 49

MAYS BRIDGE ROAD

Good

Over: CHEHALIS RIVER

NORTH OF SR 6 MP 37.20, Lewis, WA

Built 2015 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 302

OAT COLES RD

Good

Over: SWIFT CR

0.2 S. OF SOUTH PASS RD, Whatcom, WA

Built 2017 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 223

HUNTLEY/6220

Good

Over: FROG CREEK

4.52 MI SW ENDICOTT, Whitman, WA

Built 2018 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3

LAMAR RD

Good

Over: WINNETT CANYON

02.79 E OF SR 124, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2022 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 86

MAINTENANCE ROAD

Good

Over: ROCKY COULEE WASTEWAY

ROCKY COULEE WASTEWAY, Grant, WA

Built 1949 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 15

SR 27

Good

Over: NO NAME CR

11.5 N JCT SR 270, Whitman, WA

Built 1983 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 2,811

I-5

Good

Over: PORTAGE CREEK

1.9 N JCT SR 531, Snohomish, WA

Built 1970 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 45,883

W-S RAMP

Good

Over: US 395/US 2/RAMP

JCT US 395, Spokane, WA

Built 2011 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 2,888

I-405 N-E RAMP

Good

Over: NORTHUP WAY

4.2 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 2011 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 5,000

CITY STREET

Good

Over: PORT WASH NARROWS

0.6 E JCT SR 303, Kitsap, WA

Built 2011 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 6,537

E FRANCIS AVENUE

Good

Over: FUTURE US 395/RR/PED

4.6 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2013 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 15,600

YAKIMA VALLEY HWY

Good

Over: SNIPES CANAL

00.19 E WEST S.SIDE, Yakima, WA

Built 1960 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 6,400

WELLER CANYON ROAD

Good

Over: WHETSTONE CREEK

0.2 N JCT 2010, Columbia, WA

Built 1991 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 50

GRANT AVE

Good

Over: YAKIMA RIVER

OIEH/GRANDE RD S, Benton, WA

Built 1986 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 3,850

WOLF FORK RD

Good

Over: WOLF FORK

6.8 S JCT 91150, Columbia, WA

Built 2001 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 20

6TH STREET

Good

Over: PATIT CREEK

DAYTON, Columbia, WA

Built 2001 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 50

Old Blewett Road

Good

Over: Peshastin Creek

0.43 Mi. W. of SR97, Chelan, WA

Built 1977 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 54

IRBY ROAD NO. 1175

Good

Over: CRAB CREEK

3.08 N ST 28, Lincoln, WA

Built 2003 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 42

BEAVER POND DR N

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

0.2 N JCT EAGLEMONT DR, Skagit, WA

Built 2001 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 400

Old Blewett Pass

Good

Over: Peshastin Creek

Old Blewett Pass Highway, Chelan, WA

Built 2012 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 54

Westside Calispel

Good

Over: Smalle Creek

2 mile n/o Flowery Trail, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 2015 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 119

MAPLE AVENUE

Good

Over: Roza Canal

0.14 SW HILLCREST DR., Yakima, WA

Built 2019 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 1,060

CASCADE KEY

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

0.19 S JCT 118TH AVE SE, King, WA

Built 2018 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 1,217

SE 14TH STREET

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

SE 14TH ST. & SE 21ST AVE, Clark, WA

Built 2019 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 500

SR 261

Good

Over: TUCANNON RIVER

10.3 N JCT US 12, Columbia, WA

Built 1967 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 474

SR 530

Good

Over: N FK STILLAGUAMISH RIVER

12.7 E JCT SR 9, Snohomish, WA

Built 1949 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 4,108

US 12

Good

Over: RAINEY CREEK OVERFLOW

10.1 E JCT SR 7, Lewis, WA

Built 1957 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 4,752

SR 18

Good

Over: SR 164

1.3 E JCT SR 167, King, WA

Built 1959 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 49,640

SR 18

Good

Over: RAGING RIVER

10.6 E JCT SR 169, King, WA

Built 1962 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 24,754

CUSTER SCHOOL RD

Good

Over: I-5 RAMP

3.0 N JCT SR 548, Whatcom, WA

Built 1962 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,166

HUGHES AVE

Good

Over: I-5

8.5 N JCT SR 548, Whatcom, WA

Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,883

228TH ST SW

Good

Over: I-5 RAMPS

1.0 N JCT SR 104, Snohomish, WA

Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 2,919

I-405

Good

Over: N-W RAMP

3.6 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1965 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 81,296

US 12

Good

Over: TOUCHET RIVER

2.0 E WALLA WAL CO, Columbia, WA

Built 1966 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 4,406

S136TH ST

Good

Over: SR 509

0.8 N JCT SR 518, King, WA

Built 1969 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 7,669

SR 9

Good

Over: E FK NOOKACHAMPS CR

1.4 N JCT SR 538, Skagit, WA

Built 1971 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 6,059

US 195

Good

Over: DAVIS RD

8.9 N WHITMAN CO, Spokane, WA

Built 1972 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 4,652

SOUTH TACOMA WAY

Good

Over: RAMP

12.5 N THURSTON CO, Pierce, WA

Built 1974 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 17,105

SR 525

Good

Over: ALDERWOOD MALL PKWY

0.6 N JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1983 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 64,963

I-182

Good

Over: N DALLAS RD

0.8 E JCT I-82, Benton, WA

Built 1984 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 13,264

MARENGO ROAD

Good

Over: PATAHA CREEK

16.6 E JCT SR 12, Garfield, WA

Built 1984 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 78

SR 124

Good

Over: TOUCHET RIVER

6.3 E JCT SR 125, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1984 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,470

CHRISTENSEN ROAD

Good

Over: I-82

9.9 E JCT I-182, Benton, WA

Built 1984 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 150

NE 124TH ST

Good

Over: RAMP/120TH AVE

5.5 N JCT SR 520, King, WA

Built 1990 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 35,856

SR 16

Good

Over: MULLENIX ROAD

4.5 N PIERCE CO, Kitsap, WA

Built 1994 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 24,259

Showing 5,901-5,950 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.