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

DUCK LAKE LAMONA

Good

Over: DUCK CREEK

3.98 NW SR 28, Lincoln, WA

Built 1997 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 27

HARRINGTON-TOKIO

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

2.5 S JCT SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1997 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 377

HARRINGTON-TOKIO

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

1.97 S JCT SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1997 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 377

COLEMAN ROAD

Good

Over: COLEMAN CREEK

0.4 W 96190, Lincoln, WA

Built 1984 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 50

WOLLWEBER ROAD

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

R.04 MI SW FAS L220, Lincoln, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 50

PFEIFER ROAD

Good

Over: GIBSON DRAW DRAINAGE

0.84 N FAS A221, Lincoln, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 31

HALL CREEK RD

Good

Over: HALL CREEK

13.60 W LYNX CRK RD, Ferry, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 10

HALL CREEK RD

Good

Over: HALL CREEK

15.16 W LYNX CRK RD, Ferry, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 10

MURPHY RD

Good

Over: DEADMAN CREEK

0.27 S DEADMAN CRK RD, Ferry, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 25

Boulder Creek Road

Good

Over: CURLEW CREEK

0.03 Miles East of SR 21, Ferry, WA

Built 2000 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,390

ALMOTA/8000

Good

Over: REBEL FLAT CREEK

1.00 MI S DUNCAN SPRINGS, Whitman, WA

Built 1998 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 428

SMART RD

Good

Over: LIND COULEE

00.71 MI S SR21, Adams, WA

Built 1995 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 21

EMPIRE CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: CURLEW CREEK

0.14 W SR21, Ferry, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 101

WENZEL SLOUGH ROAD

Good

Over: VANCE CREEK

0.34 MI. W. OF 9641, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1964 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 649

DELAMETER RD

Good

Over: MONAHAN CREEK

2.74 W SR411 (MP11.33), Cowlitz, WA

Built 2003 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 750

SAGEBRUSH FLATS RD

Good

Over: DRY WASH

0.1 E of JOHNSON RD, Grant, WA

Built 1993 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 670

SAGEBRUSH FLATS RD

Good

Over: DRY WASH

Sagebrush .1 W of City, Grant, WA

Built 1993 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 734

COLUMBIA RIVER RD

Good

Over: OMAK CREEK

0.77 mi S. Jct. SR155, Okanogan, WA

Built 2006 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 553

WYNOOCHE VALLEY RD

Good

Over: NEIL CREEK

26.0 MILES N. SR12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2008 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 215

HILLS RD

Good

Over: INTERMITTENT STREAM

01.92 MI S WELLSANDT RD, Adams, WA

Built 2009 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 96

NE Ward Road

Good

Over: NE 172nd Ave

0.1 miled east of 172nd A, Clark, WA

Built 2009 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 10,460

16 NE

Good

Over: Crab Creek

16 NE 4.0 W of Stratford, Grant, WA

Built 2010 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 157

SOUTH BANK ROAD

Good

Over: DAVIS CREEK

0.4 N GARRARD CREEK RD, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2011 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 807

Flowery Trail

Good

Over: Windchester Creek

6 miles w of HWY 20, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1999 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 350

LAVENTURE ROAD

Good

Over: MADDOX CREEK

NORTH OF BLACKBURN, Skagit, WA

Built 2010 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 8,735

COLFAX AIRPRT/8010

Good

Over: REBEL FLAT CREEK

0.7 MI SE SR 26, Whitman, WA

Built 2013 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,179

Inchelium Highway

Good

Over: Barnaby Creek

60 S Intersect CR 00010, Ferry, WA

Built 2012 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 762

R NE

Good

Over: Dry Wash

R NE .2 South of 34 NE, Grant, WA

Built 2013 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 262

JACKSON ROAD

Good

Over: OCHLARE CREEK

3.0 MI S. FREEMAN, Spokane, WA

Built 2014 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 125

43rd

Good

Over: Garfield

43rd Ave, Spokane, WA

Built 2016 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,498

BOYER ROAD

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

0.01 MI S JCT 84500, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2016 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 40

NW Carty Road

Good

Over: Gee Creek

1.13 W of NE 10th Ave, Clark, WA

Built 2016 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,097

POLSON CAMP ROAD

Good

Over: BIG CREEK

0.7 MI NE JCT US101, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2016 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 35

JOHNS RIVER ROAD

Good

Over: ATWOOD CREEK

4.3 MI E JCT SR105, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2016 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 183

MALAGA ALCOA HWY

Good

Over: SQUILCHUCK CREEK

620 FROM S.WENATCHEE AVE, Chelan, WA

Built 1954 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 7,038

187th Pl SE

Good

Over: Un-named wetland

1.6 E SR 527, Snohomish, WA

Built 2015 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,032

BARNEY RD

Good

Over: MUDD CREEK

1.3 W OF LOWDEN RD, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2017 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 90

LAKE CHAPLAIN ROAD

Good

Over: WOODS LAKE CREEK

4.7 NE JCT SR2, Snohomish, WA

Built 2017 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 100

SMITHERS AVE S

Good

Over: WETLAND

3.0 MI E OF SR 167, King, WA

Built 2017 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 75

HAWK CREEK RD 5786

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

.04 MI N LYNN RD #58060, Lincoln, WA

Built 2017 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 149

OLD COULEE RD 9433

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

.307 MI S OF CR 41540, Lincoln, WA

Built 2018 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 109

BUSH CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: BUSH CREEK

0.89 NE JCT 78150, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2019 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 396

Port of Tacoma Rd

Good

Over: Port Access Road

1.9 N JCT I-705, Pierce, WA

Built 2001 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 13,900

ROSE VALLEY ROAD

Good

Over: TURNER CREEK

3.78 E OLD 99 S (MP 1.06), Cowlitz, WA

Built 2020 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,800

NE MANLEY ROAD

Good

Over: MANLEY CREEK

NE 249TH ST & NE 254TH ST, Clark, WA

Built 2020 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 1,961

NE 92ND AVE

Good

Over: MANLEY CREEK

NE 244TH ST & NE 249TH ST, Clark, WA

Built 2021 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 600

Main ST

Good

Over: Stormwater Facility

0.01 W JCT 151 PL, King, WA

Built 2021 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 13,683

SAYBROOK DRIVE

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.1 MI S JCT NE W-DUVALL, King, WA

Built 1992 Load: 96.9 t ADT: 3,000

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NORTH FORK TOATS COULEE

NO DATA ENTERED, Okanogan, WA

Built 1973 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NEWBURY CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 2005 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 50

Showing 7,951-8,000 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.