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 112

Good

Over: CLALLAM RIVER

18.5 E MAKAH RES, Clallam, WA

Built 1970 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 1,752

142ND PL SE

Good

Over: I-90 RAMPS CITY STREET

1.2 E JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1976 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 1,250

I-82

Good

Over: COUNTY RD/OLD US 12

5.5 E JCT SR 22, Yakima, WA

Built 1978 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 12,118

US 101 SB

Good

Over: DESCHUTES PARKWAY

5.8 E JCT SR 8, Thurston, WA

Built 1987 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 30,207

SR 304 W-S RAMP

Good

Over: SR 3

JCT SR 3, Kitsap, WA

Built 1991 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 13,079

SR 26

Good

Over: US 395

JCT US 395, Adams, WA

Built 1995 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 2,424

US 12

Good

Over: NACHES RIVER

34.2 E LEWIS CO, Yakima, WA

Built 1996 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 2,557

CENTER DR-FT LEWIS

Good

Over: TRUCK RAMP

3.3 N THURSTON CO, Pierce, WA

Built 1997 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 125

I-90

Good

Over: SPRAGUE AVE

4.3 E JCT US 2, Spokane, WA

Built 2001 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 50,328

N-N RAMP

Good

Over: I-5

3.1 N JCT SR 527, Snohomish, WA

Built 2006 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 9,613

SHADY SLOPE ROAD

Good

Over: US 395

7.8 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2008 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 4,265

SR 539

Good

Over: TEN MILE CREEK

5.8 N JCT I-5, Whatcom, WA

Built 2008 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 19,199

SR 539

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

5.9 N JCT I-5, Whatcom, WA

Built 2008 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 19,199

SR 542

Good

Over: NOOKSACK TRIBUTARY

1.5 E JCT SR 9, Whatcom, WA

Built 2010 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 5,182

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BIG CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Lewis, WA

Built 2007 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 99

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: PELVY CREEK

FROM CHELATCHIE PRAIRIE T, Skamania, WA

Built 1982 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 10

ROAD

Good

Over: TWIN CAMPS CREEK

6.3 MI W OF TACOMA PASS, King, WA

Built 1966 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 14

HANNEGAN RD

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

00.2 S BEARD RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1954 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 9,411

BURROWS ROAD

Good

Over: JESSIE SLOUGH

0.8 W JCT SR 109, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1987 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 130

TELEGRAPH ROAD

Good

Over: COON CREEK

3.0 SW TOLEDO, Lewis, WA

Built 1954 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 102

W LAKE PLEASANT RD

Good

Over: LAKE CREEK

00.38 N JCT US101, Clallam, WA

Built 1993 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 293

FAIRFAX FOREST RD

Good

Over: POCH CREEK

5.1 SE JCT SR 165, Pierce, WA

Built 1996 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 300

ORVILLE RD E

Good

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER

3.4 S JCT SR 162, Pierce, WA

Built 1998 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 5,225

NE 130TH AVENUE

Good

Over: SR 500/PADDEN PARKWAY

0.6 E JCT SR 503, Clark, WA

Built 2001 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 3,165

23RD DR SE

Good

Over: WETLAND

0.2 E JCT SR 527, Snohomish, WA

Built 2003 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 144

FARM TO MARKET RD

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

0.1 N SR 20, Skagit, WA

Built 1999 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 3,124

NORTH FORK RD.

Good

Over: AHTANUM CREEK N. FORK

7.4 mile W of S Fork rd, Yakima, WA

Built 2018 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 225

SR 14

Good

Over: SR 500 / UNION ST

8.6 E JCT I-205, Clark, WA

Built 2012 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 22,123

SR 112

Good

Over: JANSEN CREEK

5.2 E MAKAH RES, Clallam, WA

Built 2016 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 865

SR 101

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

34.3 N JCT SR 113, Clallam, WA

Built 2023 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 4,013

MC DANIEL LAKE RD

Good

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

TO MC DANIEL LAKE, Yakima, WA

Built 1998 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 30

COTTONWOOD CRK RD

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

1.29 NW SR 2, Lincoln, WA

Built 1995 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 120

BOWERS ROAD

Good

Over: WHISKEY CREEK

BOWERS RD, Kittitas, WA

Built 2006 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 511

SOUTH PASS RD

Good

Over: SAAR CREEK

01.3 SW KENDALL RD, Whatcom, WA

Built 2016 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 867

ROBERTS RD

Good

Over: ANDERSON CR

0.2 N of Goshen Road, Whatcom, WA

Built 2019 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 150

SOUTH FORK MILL CR

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK MILL CREEK

2.31 E JCT ALADDIN RD., Stevens, WA

Built 2020 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 64

YOUNG STREET

Good

Over: PUGET SOUND & PACIFIC RR

0.1 MI N JCT MAIN ST, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2002 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 1,100

OFF RAMP 4th AVE

Good

Over: SOUTH SPOKANE STREET

4th Ave S & Spokane St Vi, King, WA

Built 2010 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 24,000

US 195

Good

Over: OLD RAILROAD GRADE

0.5 N JCT SR 23, Whitman, WA

Built 1958 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 4,027

SR 124

Good

Over: COUNTY RD

27.5 E JCT US 12, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1962 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 1,471

SR 3

Good

Over: CHICO WAY NW

6.3 N JCT SR 304, Kitsap, WA

Built 1971 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 27,574

PIONEER HWY

Good

Over: BIG DITCH

0.23 E JCT MILLTOWN ROAD, Skagit, WA

Built 1987 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 9,442

SR 509

Good

Over: MILWAUKEE WAY

1.6 N JCT I-705, Pierce, WA

Built 1996 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 29,150

SR 21

Good

Over: BNRR

0.2 N JCT US 395, Adams, WA

Built 1995 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 994

I-5 SB HOV

Good

Over: KLICKITAT DR

JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1996 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 6,574

I-5 HOV LANES

Good

Over: I-405 NB RAMPS

5.2 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1996 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 6,776

88TH STREET NE

Good

Over: QUILCEDA CR

1.6 N JCT SR 528, Snohomish, WA

Built 1996 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 27,672

US 2

Good

Over: EBEY ISLAND

0.7 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 2001 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 39,701

US 2

Good

Over: BARCLAY CREEK

25.0 E JCT SR 203, Snohomish, WA

Built 2003 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 5,659

US 101

Good

Over: NOLAN CREEK

18.8 N GRAYS HBR CO, Jefferson, WA

Built 2004 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 1,183

Showing 7,251-7,300 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.