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

FAS ROUTE W240

Good

Over: SIMILKAMEEN RIVER

.SENW S13 T40 R25, Okanogan, WA

Built 1973 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 122

SHEFFIELD ROAD

Good

Over: OLD RAILROAD BED

0.69 E GLADE N 901, Franklin, WA

Built 1969 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 507

98 AVE NE

Good

Over: FORBES CREEK

1.5 MI N CENTRAL W, King, WA

Built 1974 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20,400

SWEGLE RD

Good

Over: WALLA WALLA RIVER

00.224N STOVALL RD, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1995 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 54

HARBOR AVE SW

Good

Over: SW Avalon Way & Railroad

SW Spokane St & Admiral, King, WA

Built 2001 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 8,535

NB AIRPORT EXPY

Good

Over: NAE AOA TUNNEL

0.1 MILE N OF S 170TH ST, King, WA

Built 2010 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 34,200

Sullivan Lake Rd

Good

Over: Harvey Creek

9 miles NE Hwy 31 (Ione), Pend Oreille, WA

Built 2018 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 450

GOLF CLUB HILL RD

Good

Over: CHICO CREEK

85 FT E OF CHICO WAY, Kitsap, WA

Built 2019 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 696

S LANDER ST

Good

Over: RR UXING

400 FT EAST OF 1ST AVE S, King, WA

Built 2019 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 1,000

MANN RD

Good

Over: HAYSTACK CREEK

2.6 SE JCT SR2, Snohomish, WA

Built 2021 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 1,166

I-90 WB

Good

Over: NOBLE CREEK

6.9 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 2016 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 17,475

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: SHERMAN CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Ferry, WA

Built 2021 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 20

SLEEPY HOLLOW ROAD

Good

Over: WENATCHEE RIVER

3. W WENATCHEE C.L, Chelan, WA

Built 1988 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 601

NINE CANYON ROAD

Good

Over: CID CANAL

0.28 mi N of ERICKSON RD, Benton, WA

Built 1970 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 604

NEWPORT WAY SW

Good

Over: TIBBETTS CREEK

0.1 MI W OF SR-900, King, WA

Built 2001 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 16,500

GARFLD-FRMGTN/1300

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

9.67 MI SW FARMINGTON, Whitman, WA

Built 2008 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 238

NE Salmon Creel Av

Good

Over: SALMON CREEK

0.2 S OF 134TH ST, Clark, WA

Built 2006 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 3,000

SUNSET HWY

Good

Over: MISSION CR

0.01 W CASHMERE, Chelan, WA

Built 2011 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 3,200

Longfibre Road

Good

Over: Wide Hollow Creek

0.20 S of W Ahtanum Rd, Yakima, WA

Built 2016 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 55

West Uncas Road

Good

Over: Salmon Creek

0.80 E JCT SR101, Jefferson, WA

Built 2018 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 270

SE ISSQ-FALL CTY

Good

Over: WETLAND

.03 MI E OF JCT 247 PL SE, King, WA

Built 2021 Load: 42.4 t ADT: 10,000

I-5

Good

Over: MILITARY RD

2.6 N JCT SR 18, King, WA

Built 1959 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 94,670

I-5 SB TO SR 99 SB

Good

Over: SR 526 EB TO I-5 SB

5.3 N JCT SR 525, Snohomish, WA

Built 1963 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 10,717

SR 202

Good

Over: SAMMAMISH R

0.4 E JCT SR 522, King, WA

Built 1963 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 8,987

ELOCHOMAN VLY RD

Good

Over: ELOCHOMAN RIVER

2.3 N JCT SR 4, Wahkiakum, WA

Built 1963 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 726

I-5

Good

Over: SOUTHCENTER BLVD

5.2 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1965 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 112,452

SR 27

Good

Over: MCCOY CREEK

21.2 N JCT SR 272, Whitman, WA

Built 1964 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,176

SR 529 SPUR

Good

Over: I-5 S-E RAMP

JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1967 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 6,225

SR 410

Good

Over: SLIPPERY CREEK

17.6 E JCT SR 164, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,884

S MAIN ST

Good

Over: I-90

4.6 E JCT I-82, Kittitas, WA

Built 1968 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 2,071

I-5

Good

Over: TERRAIN

3.9 N JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1969 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 4,737

I-405

Good

Over: NE 85TH ST

3.3 N JCT SR 520, King, WA

Built 1971 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 79,078

NE 20TH AVE

Good

Over: I-205

6.0 N JCT SR 500, Clark, WA

Built 1974 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 16,383

SR 20

Good

Over: TRANSMT. OIL PIPELINE

12.1 E ISLAND CO, Skagit, WA

Built 1972 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 18,697

OLD INLAND EMPIRE

Good

Over: I-82

5.7 E YAKIMA CO LN, Benton, WA

Built 1978 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 4,287

SR 509

Good

Over: SO 168TH ST

5.7 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1979 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 28,216

WILSON ROAD

Good

Over: I-82

4.8 E JCT SR 241, Yakima, WA

Built 1980 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 805

I-705

Good

Over: CHEHALIS WESTERN RR

JCT I-5 & SR 7, Pierce, WA

Built 1988 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 14,255

SR 9

Good

Over: S FK NOOKSACK RIVER

5.5 N SKAGIT CO, Whatcom, WA

Built 1987 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 2,122

SHOREWOOD DRIVE

Good

Over: I-90

5.0 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1989 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 16,800

SR 508

Good

Over: TILTON RIVER

25.0 E JCT I-5, Lewis, WA

Built 1988 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,171

SE 188TH ST

Good

Over: SR 18

4.2 E JCT SR 169, King, WA

Built 1996 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 850

STEAMBOAT ISL RD

Good

Over: US 101 & SCHNEIDER CREEK

2.7 S MASON CO, Thurston, WA

Built 1995 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 9,105

SR 18

Good

Over: SR 516

7.2 E JCT SR 164, King, WA

Built 1997 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 14,411

W-S RAMP

Good

Over: N FIRST STREET

0.1 E JCT SR 823, Yakima, WA

Built 1999 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,547

N-N RAMP

Good

Over: US 2

JCT US 2, Spokane, WA

Built 2011 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,655

BURRI RD.

Good

Over: LAKE CR.

3.0 SE CURTIS, Lewis, WA

Built 1988 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 47

PRATER ROAD

Good

Over: PARKE CREEK

00.07 S I-90, Kittitas, WA

Built 1968 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 363

DEKAY ROAD

Good

Over: WEST FORK HOQUIAM RIVER

0.0 W JCT US 101, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1976 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 297

BARKUBIEN RD E

Good

Over: CWA CANAL

1.0 E JCT 214 AV E, Pierce, WA

Built 1975 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,375

Showing 6,651-6,700 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.