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

123RD. S.W.

Good

Over: BLACK RIVER

0.37m W of Littlerock Rd, Thurston, WA

Built 1986 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 229

BRUCE RD

Good

Over: CALIFORNIA CR

00.2 N. BAY RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1923 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 643

NE 15TH AVENUE

Good

Over: BURNT BRIDGE CREEK

500 FT N OF SR 500, Clark, WA

Built 1984 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 2,958

Mullen Road

Good

Over: CREEK

.7 mi. W of Marvin Rd, Thurston, WA

Built 1999 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 7,703

CONRAD ROAD

Good

Over: SUTTER CREEK

0.59 E JCT SR20, Skagit, WA

Built 2011 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 23

ROAD

Good

Over: THORP CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1979 Load: 52.7 t ADT: 10

US 12

Good

Over: SATSOP R OVERFLOW

4.8 E JCT SR 107, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1965 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 11,538

I-90

Good

Over: RESORT CREEK

4.8 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 2012 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 17,475

I-90

Good

Over: RESORT CREEK

4.8 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 2015 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 17,475

15TH AVE NE

Good

Over: THORNTON CR RAVINE

10411 15th Ave NE, King, WA

Built 1949 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 9,189

WASHOUGAL RIVER RD

Good

Over: WASHOUGAL RIVER

.3 E JCT SR14, Clark, WA

Built 1993 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 6,484

SPRUCE CREEK RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.01 W MILL CRK RD (1.00), Cowlitz, WA

Built 2004 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 350

Adams Rd

Good

Over: Lateral block 73

Adams at 11.5 NW, Grant, WA

Built 2017 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 589

BIGELOW GULCH ROAD

Good

Over: FORKER ROAD

3.2 MI E OF ARGONNE RD, Spokane, WA

Built 2018 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 7,019

BIA Route 1102

Good

Over: WA-ATCH RIVER

3 KM SW OF NEAH BAY, Clallam, WA

Built 2010 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 300

KRAMER PARKWAY

Good

Over: I-90

5.7 E JCT SR 27, Spokane, WA

Built 2023 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 1,717

GAFFNEY ROAD 3606

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

1.52 N JCT SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1930 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 65

CASCADE RIVER RD

Good

Over: HARD CREEK

12.7 E JCT SR 20, Skagit, WA

Built 1997 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 84

North Road

Good

Over: Chumstick Creek

North Road, Chelan, WA

Built 2009 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 1,168

MANASTASH ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH FORK CREEK

4.74 WEST COVE ROAD, Kittitas, WA

Built 2016 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 270

SOUTH BANK ROAD

Good

Over: GADDIS CREEK

0.53 S JCT 96540, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2017 Load: 53.1 t ADT: 832

I-90

Good

Over: BIG CR

20.6 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 1962 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 16,139

SR 20

Good

Over: BACON CREEK

13.3 E JCT SR 530, Skagit, WA

Built 1972 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 1,971

SR 506

Good

Over: OLEQUA CREEK

4.9 E COWLITZ CO, Lewis, WA

Built 1981 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 1,590

I-705 N-W RAMP

Good

Over: 15TH ST-PLRR I-705

0.9 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1987 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 10,307

NE 51ST STREET

Good

Over: SR 520

3.9 E JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1987 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 14,591

SR 167 OFF RAMP NB

Good

Over: SPRINGBROOK CREEK

1.8 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1986 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 8,606

US 101

Good

Over: SALMON CREEK

7.8 S CLALLAM CO, Jefferson, WA

Built 1986 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 13,287

W-N I-90 RAMP

Good

Over: PEDESTRIAN-BIKE PATH

0.6 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1988 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 7,337

SE 28TH ST

Good

Over: I-90 E-S RAMP

4.4 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1992 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 9,120

SR 124

Good

Over: COPPEI CREEK

9.3 E JCT SR 125, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1994 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 1,478

SR 9

Good

Over: HARVEY CK RD / HARVEY CK

1.4 N JCT SR 530, Snohomish, WA

Built 2008 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 7,017

SR 542

Good

Over: HIGH CREEK

2.0 E JCT SR 547, Whatcom, WA

Built 2016 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 2,961

I-90 EB

Good

Over: TALAPUS CREEK

15.6 E JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1972 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 18,193

WADDELL CREEK RD.

Good

Over: STONEY CREEK

00.3W DELPHI Rd, Thurston, WA

Built 1976 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 1,531

RICH ROAD

Good

Over: DESCHUTES RIVER

0.2 m E of Old Hwy 99, Thurston, WA

Built 1981 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 3,843

DELPHI ROAD SW

Good

Over: MCLANE CREEK

0.9 m S of SR101 overpass, Thurston, WA

Built 1993 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 2,686

DELEZENNE ROAD

Good

Over: DELEZENNE CREEK

03.7 S JCT 96412, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1993 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 24

MOON ROAD

Good

Over: OVERFLOW CHANNEL

.27 S JCT SR12, Thurston, WA

Built 1998 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 1,003

SNOHOMISH-MONRO RD

Good

Over: FRENCH CREEK

1.8 S JCT SR2, Snohomish, WA

Built 2000 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 4,129

INNIS CREEK RD

Good

Over: INNIS CREEK

WEST HWY 9, Whatcom, WA

Built 2007 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 110

UPPER HOH ROAD

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

6.95 E JCT SR 101, Jefferson, WA

Built 2016 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 877

ROAD

Good

Over: SWAMP CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Whatcom, WA

Built 1984 Load: 53.6 t ADT: 80

RD. NO. 4030

Good

Over: MALLARDY CREEK

M.P. 0.1 RD. NO. 4030, Snohomish, WA

Built 1978 Load: 53.6 t ADT: 34

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: WASHOUT CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1989 Load: 53.6 t ADT: 25

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: E BR W FK HUMPTULIPS

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1989 Load: 53.6 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: SLIDE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1989 Load: 53.6 t ADT: 25

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: ROCKY RUN

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1993 Load: 53.6 t ADT: 60

Caples Road

Good

Over: SALMON CREEK

5.4 N JCT SR 503, Clark, WA

Built 1923 Load: 53.8 t ADT: 1,640

OAK STREET

Good

Over: OKANOGAN RIVER

0.09 SW SR 215, Okanogan, WA

Built 2003 Load: 53.8 t ADT: 4,100

Showing 7,351-7,400 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.