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

OREGON ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH FORK DRAGOON CRK

0.5 MI E OF SPOTTED RD., Spokane, WA

Built 2012 Load: 76.5 t ADT: 132

NW WOODBINE WAY

Good

Over: TRAIL - MARY AVE NW

1500 NW WOODBINE WAY, King, WA

Built 1928 Load: 76.8 t ADT: 1,000

N-W RAMP

Good

Over: I-5

0.3 N OREGON, Clark, WA

Built 1983 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 7,294

SB SR16 RMP CENTER

Good

Over: SR 16 RAMP

1.9 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 2006 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 12,755

US 2

Good

Over: US 97

JCT US 97, Chelan, WA

Built 2008 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 11,851

LeClerc Rd North

Good

Over: Cee Cee Ah Creek

4.93 M N of Kings Lake Rd, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1999 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 900

JIM CREEK RD

Good

Over: JIM CREEK

6.0 E JCT SR 530, Snohomish, WA

Built 2022 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 228

14TH AVE

Good

Over: I-5

1.2 N JCT US 101, Thurston, WA

Built 1986 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 8,842

E-NS RAMP

Good

Over: NE RAMP

0.1 E JCT I-205, Clark, WA

Built 2004 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 10,766

SR 99

Good

Over: DETENTION VAULT

0.9 N JCT SR 509, King, WA

Built 2010 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 38,696

LOOMIS TRAIL RD

Good

Over: DAKOTA CR

00.3 E SUNRISE ROAD, Whatcom, WA

Built 2006 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 604

SOUTH BAY DR

Good

Over: BRANNIAN CREEK

01.0 SW BLUE CANYON, Whatcom, WA

Built 2008 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 542

SR 6

Good

Over: FRONIA CREEK

6.5 E PACIFIC CO, Lewis, WA

Built 2019 Load: 79.4 t ADT: 2,463

EASTLAKE AVE

Good

Over: I-5 RAMPS

2.4 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1963 Load: 79.7 t ADT: 14,621

NE 18TH ST

Good

Over: I-205

2.3 N JCT SR 14, Clark, WA

Built 1974 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 11,445

N-E RAMP

Good

Over: 4TH AVE S

0.2 W JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 2003 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 7,545

FOREMAN ROAD

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

0.9 W JCT MOX CHEHALIS RD, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2018 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 104

SR 523 / NE 145TH

Good

Over: I-5

0.9 E JCT SR 99, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 26,131

NW SAMMAMISH ROAD

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY 170

0.5 M WEST OF SR-900, King, WA

Built 2008 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 13,500

DAVIS/4015

Good

Over: UNNAMED DRAINAGE

7.03 MI SW SR 23, Whitman, WA

Built 1999 Load: 82.3 t ADT: 3

"R" Road NE

Good

Over: Field Runoff

R NE 0.1 North of 29 NE, Grant, WA

Built 2012 Load: 82.3 t ADT: 265

SR 510 (MARVIN RD)

Good

Over: I-5

JCT I-5, Thurston, WA

Built 2001 Load: 82.5 t ADT: 33,081

NE ANDRESEN RD

Good

Over: I-205

2.6 N JCT SR 500, Clark, WA

Built 1972 Load: 83.4 t ADT: 10,000

SR 16

Good

Over: SR 163/PEARL ST

JCT SR 163, Pierce, WA

Built 2006 Load: 83.4 t ADT: 36,070

PETTYBONE ST N

Good

Over: UPPER DRY CREEK

0.05 N SR 12, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2014 Load: 84.2 t ADT: 300

SR 520

Good

Over: PKWY & SAMMAMISH RIVER

4.9 E JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1995 Load: 84.4 t ADT: 40,791

SB I-5 RAMP

Good

Over: DILLENBAUGH CREEK

3.8 N JCT SR 508, Lewis, WA

Built 2009 Load: 84.4 t ADT: 2,702

SW NEVADA ST

Good

Over: LONGFELLOW CREEK

SW Nevada St & 28th Ave, King, WA

Built 1988 Load: 84.4 t ADT: 400

WASHINGTON STREET

Good

Over: SOUTH CHANNEL SPOKANE R

0.75 N OF I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1973 Load: 85.2 t ADT: 13,092

SR 240 RAMP

Good

Over: I-182 RAMP

4.0 E JCT SR 224, Benton, WA

Built 1984 Load: 85.3 t ADT: 14,569

PENINSULA DRIVE

Good

Over: I-90

0.6 E JCT SR 171, Grant, WA

Built 2001 Load: 85.3 t ADT: 231

STEVENS STREET

Good

Over: SPOKANE RIVER

0.75 N OF I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1973 Load: 85.3 t ADT: 10,462

MATSEN RD

Good

Over: ALDER CREEK

2.6 N JCT CR45000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1996 Load: 85.5 t ADT: 152

NE 8TH STREET

Good

Over: KELSEY CREEK

0.01 E JCT 132ND AVE NE, King, WA

Built 2018 Load: 85.9 t ADT: 21,950

COVINGTON WAY SE

Good

Over: SR 18

7.1 E JCT SR 164, King, WA

Built 1997 Load: 86.2 t ADT: 4,000

ANNONEN RD

Good

Over: OLEQUA CK

1.0 n vader, Lewis, WA

Built 2002 Load: 86.2 t ADT: 47

51ST AVENUE NE

Good

Over: QUILCEDA CREEK

1.3 MI E INT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 2008 Load: 86.2 t ADT: 7,619

US 2

Good

Over: US 97 ALT EUCLID AVE

JCT US 97 ALT, Chelan, WA

Built 1979 Load: 87.1 t ADT: 11,870

ANDERSON ROAD

Good

Over: SLOUGH

0.23 SOUTH SR-12, Thurston, WA

Built 2003 Load: 87.1 t ADT: 3,226

ANDERSON RD

Good

Over: DRAIN CHAN

0.46 SOUTH SR-12, Thurston, WA

Built 2003 Load: 87.1 t ADT: 3,226

W-NE

Good

Over: NORTHUP CREEK

0.1S GR COULEE HILL RD, Grant, WA

Built 1985 Load: 88.8 t ADT: 56

MULKEY/4330

Good

Over: UNNAMED DRAINAGE

4.59 MI E ENDICTT-ST JOHN, Whitman, WA

Built 2010 Load: 89.1 t ADT: 60

SR 261

Good

Over: PATAHA CREEK

0.2 N JCT US 12, Columbia, WA

Built 1971 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 535

SR 6

Good

Over: FORK CREEK

12.2 E JCT US 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1918 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 1,780

SR 14

Good

Over: E-6TH RAMP

6.3 E JCT I-205, Clark, WA

Built 1965 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 28,335

I-5

Good

Over: I-5 DRAINAGE

3.8 N SNOHOMISH CO, Skagit, WA

Built 1970 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 70,523

I-5

Good

Over: KALAMA RIVER

10.8 N JCT SR 503, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1971 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 36,886

I-90

Good

Over: SPOKANE BRIDGE RD

9.6 E JCT SR 27, Spokane, WA

Built 1972 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 29,778

15TH ST SW

Good

Over: SR 167

2.3 N PIERCE CO, King, WA

Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 25,000

EVERGREEN PARKWAY

Good

Over: US 101

2.4 E JCT SR 8, Thurston, WA

Built 1975 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 6,213

Showing 7,801-7,850 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.