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

NE BURTON RD

Good

Over: BURNT BRIDGE CREEK

0.1 E OF NE 86TH AVE, Clark, WA

Built 2005 Load: 65.3 t ADT: 18,282

EIGHT MILE CREEK

Good

Over: MOUNTAINEER CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Chelan, WA

Built 2003 Load: 65.4 t ADT: 250

LINCOLN CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH FORK LINCOLN CREEK

11.0 W CENTRLIA, Lewis, WA

Built 2016 Load: 65.4 t ADT: 218

US 12

Good

Over: TOUCHET NORTH RD

12.0 E JCT US 730 SPUR, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2022 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 7,642

CRYSTAL MNT BLVD

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

4.67 E JCT 410, Pierce, WA

Built 2016 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 675

SR 502

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

4.6 E JCT I-5, Clark, WA

Built 2015 Load: 66.1 t ADT: 23,865

CRYSTAL MNT BLVD

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

3.4 E JCT SR410, Pierce, WA

Built 2015 Load: 66.1 t ADT: 675

Thorndyke Road

Good

Over: Thorndyke Creek

4.71 S JCT SOUTH POINT RD, Jefferson, WA

Built 2022 Load: 66.1 t ADT: 492

US 101

Good

Over: PERRY CR

0.6 S JCT SR 8, Thurston, WA

Built 1958 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 25,346

SR 231

Good

Over: CRAB CREEK

15.9 N JCT SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1984 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 278

RAMP

Good

Over: COLLECTOR DISTRIBUTOR

2.4 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 2004 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 10,323

NB US 395

Good

Over: FAIRVIEW RD

6.3 N JCT I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 2009 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 6,216

HOLMAN RD NW

Good

Over: 8TH AVE NW

Holman Rd NW & 8th Ave NW, King, WA

Built 1975 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 30,500

KERNAHAN RD E

Good

Over: NISQUALLY RIVER

.85 S JCT SR 706, Pierce, WA

Built 1994 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 625

MCELFRESH ROAD SW

Good

Over: ZEKNOR CREEK

0.17 m W of Zenkner Vally, Thurston, WA

Built 1995 Load: 66.2 t ADT: 79

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: POISON CREEK

T8N R9E SEC.18 NW 1/4, Skamania, WA

Built 2000 Load: 66.3 t ADT: 20

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: EAST FORK BIG CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1972 Load: 66.3 t ADT: 50

SR 97

Good

Over: BUTLER CREEK

8.8 N JCT SR 142, Klickitat, WA

Built 2012 Load: 66.7 t ADT: 4,337

US 101

Good

Over: FISHER CREEK

3.1 N GRAYS HBR CO, Jefferson, WA

Built 2020 Load: 66.7 t ADT: 1,092

WINE COUNTRY ROAD

Good

Over: YAKIMA RIVER

0.128 MI S OF NORTH RIVER, Benton, WA

Built 2005 Load: 66.7 t ADT: 6,735

I-5

Good

Over: HENDERSON BLVD

1.2 N JCT US 101, Thurston, WA

Built 1957 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 137,442

SHERMAN ST

Good

Over: I-90

0.4 E JCT US 2, Spokane, WA

Built 1970 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 7,800

I-182 W-W RAMP

Good

Over: GEO. WASHINGTON WAY

4.0 E JCT SR 224, Benton, WA

Built 1984 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 14,569

SR 410

Good

Over: MORSE CREEK

5.5 E PIERCE CO, Yakima, WA

Built 1987 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 925

SR 528

Good

Over: ALLEN CREEK

0.6 E JCT SR 529, Snohomish, WA

Built 1988 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 21,220

SR 20

Good

Over: BONAPARTE CR

4.6 E JCT US 97, Okanogan, WA

Built 2000 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 1,780

KARTCHNER ST

Good

Over: US 395

1.0 N JCT I-182/SR 397, Franklin, WA

Built 2003 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 4,813

US 12

Good

Over: TIETON RIVER

25.5 E LEWIS CO, Yakima, WA

Built 2010 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 2,265

SR 92

Good

Over: LITTLE PILCHUCK CREEK

2.7 E JCT SR 9, Snohomish, WA

Built 2018 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 12,468

KELLEY ROAD

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK SATSOP RIVER

00.2 NW JCT 7365, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1997 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 150

SUNRISE RD

Good

Over: DAKOTA CR

00.4 N. JESS ROAD, Whatcom, WA

Built 2005 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 1,149

SUNRISE RD

Good

Over: S FORK DAKOTA CR

00.2 N. JESS ROAD, Whatcom, WA

Built 2005 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 1,149

288 ST E

Good

Over: SOUTH CREEK

1.38 E JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 2008 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 925

WEST WYNOOCHE ROAD

Good

Over: GEISSLER CREEK

2.5 N. JCT US12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2020 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 447

CRUMB ROAD

Good

Over: HIGHLAND CREEK

0.17 NW JCT HWY 12, Lewis, WA

Built 2022 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 15

ROAD

Good

Over: EIGHTMILE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Chelan, WA

Built 2003 Load: 67.2 t ADT: 200

COUNTY ARTERIAL

Good

Over: EAST LATERAL 85

0.56 S JCT SR 260, Franklin, WA

Built 2007 Load: 67.7 t ADT: 44

JBLM ACCESS CORRID

Good

Over: E. LINCOLN/PERIMETER RD

BARNES BLDV, Pierce, WA

Built 2015 Load: 67.7 t ADT: 18,000

US 97

Good

Over: GN RR-COUNTY ROAD

4.1 N JCT SR 20, Okanogan, WA

Built 1964 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 7,166

WERNER/LOXIE EAGAN

Good

Over: SR 3

0.7 N JCT SR 304, Kitsap, WA

Built 1972 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 13,643

PARK RD HYAK DORM

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

HYAK MAINTENANCE, Kittitas, WA

Built 1996 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 58

SR 16

Good

Over: SOUTH 12TH STREET

3.0 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 2006 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 48,124

41ST ST NE

Good

Over: I-5

4.1 N JCT SR 527, Snohomish, WA

Built 2006 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 33,594

WASHINGTON STREET

Good

Over: SPOKANE RIVER

0.85 N OF I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1985 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 23,554

419th Ave SE

Good

Over: May Creek

0.7 NE JCT SR 2, Snohomish, WA

Built 2009 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 215

SE LAKE WALKER RD

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

3.5 MI W OF SR-169, King, WA

Built 2023 Load: 68.7 t ADT: 350

154TH ST NW

Good

Over: SR 16

2.0 N JCT SR 302, Pierce, WA

Built 1977 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 1,625

US 2

Good

Over: US 97 ALT EUCLID AVE

JCT US 97 ALT, Chelan, WA

Built 1979 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 11,870

US 2 RAMP

Good

Over: US 2 WB SR 204

2.4 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1993 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 8,853

US 2

Good

Over: ALPINE CREEK

13.7 E SNOHOMISH CO, King, WA

Built 1998 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 4,915

Showing 7,701-7,750 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.