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

77TH AVE SE

Good

Over: I-90

4.2 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1989 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 11,507

SR 410

Good

Over: AMERICAN RIVER

8.8 E PIERCE CO, Yakima, WA

Built 1987 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 810

SR 125

Good

Over: WALLA WALLA RIVER

0.8 N OREGON, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1988 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 16,295

US 2

Good

Over: SLOUGH

6.6 E SNOHOMISH CO, King, WA

Built 1989 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 5,562

20TH ST SE

Good

Over: EBEY SLOUGH

2.0 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1995 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 200

US 101 NB

Good

Over: SIEBERT CREEK

9.8 E JCT SR 117, Clallam, WA

Built 1999 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 10,039

SR 18

Good

Over: JENKINS CREEK

1.1 E JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 2002 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 36,767

SR 525

Good

Over: POSSESSION SOUND

1.9 N JCT SR 526, Island, WA

Built 2003 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,078

SHADY SLOPE RD

Good

Over: US 2

9.5 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2008 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,500

NB US 395

Good

Over: LINCOLN RD

5.3 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2008 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 12,431

I-5

Good

Over: SCATTER CREEK

2.0 N JCT US 12, Thurston, WA

Built 2010 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 66,693

US 395

Good

Over: US 2

9.2 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2011 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 3,581

US 101

Good

Over: S BRANCH BIG CREEK

14.5 N JCT SR 109, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2011 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,511

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BIG CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1973 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: LEBAR CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Mason, WA

Built 1974 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 25

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: N FORK SITKUM RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Clallam, WA

Built 1989 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 50

LAYMAN RD.

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK TIETON

TO DARLAND MTN., Yakima, WA

Built 1985 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 20

WEIMER HILL RD

Good

Over: MEADOW CREEK

6.1 N JCT SR 12, Garfield, WA

Built 1971 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 45

C ST S

Good

Over: CLOVER CREEK

.1 W JCT SR 7, Pierce, WA

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 9,775

PORTER CREEK RD W

Good

Over: CHEHALIS RIVER

0.1 W JCT SR 12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1986 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 713

GARRARD CREEK RD.

Good

Over: S.FORK GARRARD CREEK

5.10 NW.JCT.91008, Lewis, WA

Built 1972 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 175

WICKERSHAM RD

Good

Over: NP RR

00.3 W INNIS CK RD, Whatcom, WA

Built 1955 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 159

SR 509

Good

Over: HYLEBOS CREEK

4.1 N JCT I-705, Pierce, WA

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 22,045

LAKE ALDWELL ROAD

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.1 N JCT SR 101, Clallam, WA

Built 1992 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 59

COOK ROAD

Good

Over: LAKE CREEK

2.0 SE CURTIS, Lewis, WA

Built 1994 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 25

CRESCENT LAKE RD.

Good

Over: SNOQUALMIE RIVER

1.3 W JCT SR 203, Snohomish, WA

Built 1996 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,317

OLD PACIFIC HWY

Good

Over: NISQUALLY RIVER

PIERCE CO LINE, Thurston, WA

Built 1998 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 13,122

SPANAWAY LOOP RD S

Good

Over: COFFEE CREEK

SOUTH SPANAWAY CREEK, Pierce, WA

Built 2004 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 20,300

MAPLE HILL RD S

Good

Over: OWL CREEK

0.04 S ROSE VALLEY (1.28), Cowlitz, WA

Built 1954 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

SOUTH SKAGIT HWY

Good

Over: DAVIS SLOUGH

13.9 E JCT SR-9, Skagit, WA

Built 2014 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 610

PEISSNER RD

Good

Over: ELBOW LAKE CREEK

Peissner Rd at County End, Thurston, WA

Built 2020 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 240

NORTH SHORE ROAD

Good

Over: KESTNER CREEK

5.3 MI. NE OF JCT. HWY. 1, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1990 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 258

ABERDEEN AVE NE

Good

Over: SR 900

0.3 E JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,700

SR 502

Good

Over: DRAINAGE SLOUGH

3.2 E JCT I-5, Clark, WA

Built 2014 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 22,873

I-5

Good

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER/RR/SR 167

0.2 N JCT SR 167, Pierce, WA

Built 2021 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 89,223

SR 508

Good

Over: S FORK NEWAUKUM RIVER

13.7 E JCT I-5, Lewis, WA

Built 2018 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,672

S-W RAMP

Good

Over: I-82

0.2 E JCT US 97, Yakima, WA

Built 2020 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 226

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: MINNOW CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Chelan, WA

Built 2021 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 20

WIDE HOLLOW ROAD

Good

Over: WIDE HOLLOW CREEK

00.12 E OF KNOX RD, Yakima, WA

Built 1961 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,700

CO. RD 68420

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

0.75 W SR 231, Lincoln, WA

Built 1997 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 105

212TH WAY SE

Good

Over: NEWAUKUM CREEK

0.8 MI S GREEN VALLEY RD, King, WA

Built 2000 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,024

DETOUR RD

Good

Over: WALLA WALLA RIVER

0.066 S of SR 12, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2002 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 664

N HENDRICKSON DR

Good

Over: KALAMA RIVER

0.08 S W KALAMA RIVER RD, Cowlitz, WA

Built 2001 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 600

HUDSON ROAD

Good

Over: DRAIN

00.48 EAST OF N. OUTLOOK, Yakima, WA

Built 2007 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 115

SYLVESTER ROAD SW

Good

Over: FOX CREEK

0.7 S SW 160TH, King, WA

Built 2012 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,700

MOTTELER ROAD

Good

Over: CHUMSTICK CREEK

0.2 MI. FROM NORTH ROAD, Chelan, WA

Built 2013 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 41

NE 31ST STREE

Good

Over: MAY CREEK

0.5 MI E OF I-405, King, WA

Built 2018 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: ESQUATZEL CANAL

1.33N JCT R 906(SELPH L.), Franklin, WA

Built 2019 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 4,842

Vantage Highway

Good

Over: Coleman Creek

0.2 mile E Naneum Rd, Kittitas, WA

Built 2020 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 3,851

Latigo Street

Good

Over: Spurgeon Creek

0.15 m S of 89th Ave SE, Thurston, WA

Built 2022 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 40

Showing 6,051-6,100 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.