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 599

Good

Over: 133RD ST

0.3 N JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1966 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 22,020

HOME ACRES RD

Good

Over: EBEY ISLAND VIADUCT

0.7 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1968 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 1

STIMSON RD

Good

Over: I-5

4.6 N JCT SR 528, Snohomish, WA

Built 1970 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 11,032

SR 243

Good

Over: LOWER CRAB CR

19.6 N JCT SR 24, Grant, WA

Built 1970 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 5,987

SR 530

Good

Over: ASHTON CREEK

24.0 E JCT SR 9, Snohomish, WA

Built 1970 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 3,290

SR 542

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

12.9 E JCT SR 547, Whatcom, WA

Built 1971 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 1,251

I-90

Good

Over: WAHL RD

3.2 E JCT SR 21, Adams, WA

Built 1972 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 5,814

SMITH RD

Good

Over: I-5

5.3 N JCT SR 539, Whatcom, WA

Built 1972 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 4,737

YAKIMA VALLEY HWY

Good

Over: I-82

4.0 E JCT SR 22, Yakima, WA

Built 1978 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 2,913

SR 509

Good

Over: DES MOINES MEMORIAL

5.8 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1979 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 28,216

SR 4

Good

Over: GERMANY CREEK

4.6 E WAHKIAKUM CO, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1980 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 4,665

I-182

Good

Over: ARGENT ROAD

4.8 E BENTON CO, Franklin, WA

Built 1984 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 29,238

SR 409

Good

Over: GARDEN SLOUGH

1.6 N FERRY DOCK, Wahkiakum, WA

Built 1982 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 884

I-82

Good

Over: DALLAS RD

2.0 E JCT I-182, Benton, WA

Built 1985 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 5,014

US 2

Good

Over: W BRANCH LITTLE SPOKANE

14.7 E JCT SR 206, Spokane, WA

Built 1984 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 10,361

S 15TH ST

Good

Over: N-N RAMP

1.1 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1987 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 3,690

SR 24

Good

Over: ROZA CANAL

8.8 E JCT I-82, Yakima, WA

Built 1984 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 3,262

SR 4

Good

Over: SALMON CREEK

2.4 E JCT SR 401, Pacific, WA

Built 1986 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 2,130

66TH AVE S

Good

Over: I-405

0.8 N JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1990 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 12,000

US 97

Good

Over: SATUS CREEK

2.4 N KLICKITAT CO, Yakima, WA

Built 1992 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 3,968

I-405

Good

Over: CEDAR RIVER

0.9 N JCT SR 515, King, WA

Built 1994 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 84,707

SR 18

Good

Over: CAREY CREEK TRIBUTARY

3.9 E JCT SR 169, King, WA

Built 1995 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 15,143

US 101 S-N RAMP

Good

Over: WETLAND

5.7 S JCT SR 102, Mason, WA

Built 2008 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 1,151

SR 524

Good

Over: NORTH CREEK TRIB

4.1 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 2007 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 17,978

NB I-5

Good

Over: INSPECTION LANES/BLDGS

0.2 N JCT SR 548, Whatcom, WA

Built 2009 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 1,143

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: UPPER MUDDY RIVER

15.1 MILES FROM THE JUNCT, Skamania, WA

Built 1989 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 282

ROAD

Good

Over: FOURTH OF JULY CREEK

7.7 MI N OF HWY 2/65 JCT, Snohomish, WA

Built 2004 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 44

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: SPOON CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1968 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 15

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: SOUTH SITKUM RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Clallam, WA

Built 1982 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: DEEP CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Yakima, WA

Built 2011 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 30

McCUTCHEON RD E

Good

Over: FENNEL CREEK

1.59 E JCT SR162, Pierce, WA

Built 1951 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 2,725

SHERMAN VALLEY RD

Good

Over: WADDELL CREEK

0.75 m N of Waddell Cr Rd, Thurston, WA

Built 1982 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 352

COMA ROAD

Good

Over: BRIM CREEK

2.0 W VADER, Lewis, WA

Built 1960 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 66

SUMNER BUCKLEY HWY

Good

Over: CWA CANAL

1.5 W JCT SR 410, Pierce, WA

Built 1978 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 2,675

UNDI ROAD

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

1.15M E SR101, Clallam, WA

Built 1978 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 66

FAIRFAX FOREST RD

Good

Over: EVANS CREEK

2.9 SE SR165, Pierce, WA

Built 1975 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 300

SCHOOL LAND ROAD

Good

Over: OVERFLOW CHANNEL

1.5NW ROCHESTER, Thurston, WA

Built 1981 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 381

SW ADMIRAL WAY

Good

Over: RAVINE FAIRMOUNT AVE

Fairmount Ave SW, King, WA

Built 1949 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 32,000

Schaffer Park Rd

Good

Over: EAST FORK SATSOP RIVER

1.29 E Matlock Brady rd, Mason, WA

Built 1993 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 376

NORTH NEMAH RD

Good

Over: WILLIAMS CREEK

7.1 N JCT 4 AND 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1999 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 238

BEAR CR - DEWATTO

Good

Over: DEWATTO RIVER

9.56 W OF BELFAIR HWY, Mason, WA

Built 2008 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 79

Ash Way

Good

Over: Swamp Creek

0.6 SW JCT i-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 2009 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 7,698

CHANDLER ROAD

Good

Over: CHEHALIS RIVER

1.O E DOTY, Lewis, WA

Built 2010 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 500

Deegan Road West

Good

Over: Coffee Creek

2.35 E Shelton Matlock Rd, Mason, WA

Built 2020 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 187

Spokane St Viaduct

Good

Over: E MARGINAL WY 1ST 4TH

S Spokane St & E Marginal, King, WA

Built 2012 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 42,350

SR 20

Good

Over: BONAPARTE CREEK

7.7 E JCT US 97, Okanogan, WA

Built 2001 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,377

SR 16

Good

Over: FUTURE HOV LANES

JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 2014 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 44,341

I-5

Good

Over: RR & REYNOLDS RD.

1.6 N JCT SR 507, Lewis, WA

Built 2013 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 34,801

SR 167 NB

Good

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER

6.4 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 2015 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 17,755

SR 6

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.9 E PACIFIC CO, Lewis, WA

Built 2015 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 1,561

Showing 6,151-6,200 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.