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

DAY ISL BRIDGE RD

Fair

Over: DAY ISLAND LAGOON

.6 W JCT GRDVW DR, Pierce, WA

Built 1957 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,229

PANGBORN RD

Fair

Over: FISH TRAP CR

0.1 W ASSINK RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1954 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 700

JIM DAVIS/3400

Fair

Over: THORN CREEK

0.02 MI S THORN CREEK, Whitman, WA

Built 1963 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 25

DELTA LINE RD

Fair

Over: DAKOTA CR

00.2 S HAYNIE RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1965 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,500

I AVENUE

Fair

Over: GUEMES CHANNEL

0.41 N JCT SR 20, Skagit, WA

Built 1925 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 500

GUEMES ISLAND ROAD

Fair

Over: GUEMES CHANNEL

GUEMES ISLAND, Skagit, WA

Built 1981 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 500

ENTIAT RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: ENTIAT RIVER

02.76W JCT SR 97, Chelan, WA

Built 1941 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,583

ALM LANE

Fair

Over: COLVILLE RIVER

.16 E of Heine Rd., Stevens, WA

Built 1971 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 350

KLICKER MTN RD

Fair

Over: BLUE CREEK

00.1E BLUE CR RD, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1976 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 25

LEE RD

Fair

Over: LATERAL EL68 328+26.61

1.0 MI W SR 17, Adams, WA

Built 1988 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 2,069

YAKIMA VALLEY HWY

Fair

Over: SULPHUR CREEK WASTEWAY

00.07 SE OF FACTORY, Yakima, WA

Built 1970 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 15,000

SOUTH TOUCHET ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH TOUCHET RIVER

0.1 S JCT 9115, Columbia, WA

Built 1997 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 515

WOODIN AVE

Fair

Over: CHELAN RIVER

34.8 N JCT US 2, Chelan, WA

Built 1927 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 3,024

SANDS ROAD

Fair

Over: CALIFORNIA CREEK

0.5 W VALLEYFORD, Spokane, WA

Built 1990 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 229

EB I-90

Fair

Over: LAKE WASHINGTON

2.3 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1940 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 63,053

SR 20

Fair

Over: CANOE PASS

0.2 E ISLAND CO, Skagit, WA

Built 1935 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 18,339

SR 542

Fair

Over: GALENA CREEK

30.8 E JCT SR 547, Whatcom, WA

Built 1946 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 608

SR 22

Fair

Over: DRAIN CANAL

5.5 E JCT SR 223, Yakima, WA

Built 1956 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 1,624

I-5

Fair

Over: PORTAL WAY

7.3 N JCT SR 539, Whatcom, WA

Built 1963 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 17,069

US 12

Fair

Over: CORN CREEK

2.4 E JCT SR 122, Lewis, WA

Built 1967 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 4,729

US 12

Fair

Over: SYLVIA CR NP RY

9.7 E JCT US 101, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1968 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 10,767

I-90

Fair

Over: MERCER SLOUGH

6.8 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1970 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 3,203

SR 534

Fair

Over: I-5

JCT I-5, Skagit, WA

Built 1970 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 7,864

I-5

Fair

Over: C&C RY & N PACIFIC AVE

2.2 N JCT SR 4, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1976 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 30,149

I-5

Fair

Over: C&C RY & COUNTY RD

2.2 N JCT SR 4, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1976 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 30,149

FAIRFAX FOREST RD

Fair

Over: TOLMIE CREEK

6.1 SE JCT SR 165, Pierce, WA

Built 1939 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 300

YAKIMA VALLEY HWY

Fair

Over: S.V.I.D. CANAL

00.05 N.OF E.ZILLAH, Yakima, WA

Built 1958 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 1,385

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: POTHOLES EAST CANAL

3.69S JCT R 608, Franklin, WA

Built 1954 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 2,148

LANEY ROAD 21040

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

2.84 E FAS 994, Lincoln, WA

Built 1970 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 53

STRATFORD ROAD

Fair

Over: CRAB CREEK

Stratford .2 N of 10 NE, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 1,464

ROSALIA/0025

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

S ROSALIA CTY LIMITS, Whitman, WA

Built 1930 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 521

FIR ISLAND ROAD

Fair

Over: SO FK SKAGIT RIVER

1.0 W JCT INTERSTATE 5, Skagit, WA

Built 1972 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 4,719

North Shore Rd

Fair

Over: RENDSLAND CREEK

4.48 W of Belfair Tahuya, Mason, WA

Built 1950 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 526

LATERAL A RD.

Fair

Over: USIS CANAL

00.99 N PROGRESSIVE, Yakima, WA

Built 1939 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 3,637

COTTONWOOD CANYON

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

00.12 N OF STEIN RD, Yakima, WA

Built 1974 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 1,512

AVONDALE PL NE

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

4.75 MI E OF SR-405, King, WA

Built 1950 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 135

BRIDGE CR ROAD

Fair

Over: SAN POIL RIVER

00.2 E JCT SR 21, Ferry, WA

Built 1960 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 290

KINNER ROAD

Fair

Over: NO NAME CREEK

7.04NGRNTCOFAST139, Lincoln, WA

Built 1935 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 135

LAT C RD.

Fair

Over: USIS CANAL

00.04 S BRANCH ROAD, Yakima, WA

Built 1963 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 644

MORROW ROAD

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

0.3 S BAAB ROAD, Spokane, WA

Built 1997 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 23

ELLSWORTH WDS RD

Fair

Over: MUCK CREEK

GRID COORD ET302056, Pierce, WA

Built 1950 Load: 19.8 t ADT: 10

FARM ACCESS

Fair

Over: WEST CANAL LATERAL W26C

WEST CANAL LATERAL W26C, Grant, WA

Built 1994 Load: 19.9 t ADT: 20

15TH STREET

Fair

Over: PATAHA CR

0.1 E JCT US 12, Garfield, WA

Built 1925 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 680

E MARINA WAY

Fair

Over: COLUMBIA RIVER

HOOD RIVER, Klickitat, WA

Built 1924 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 14,900

US 395

Fair

Over: COLVILLE RIVER

0.9 N JCT SR 231, Stevens, WA

Built 1921 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 8,380

US 101

Fair

Over: SOL DUC RIVER

10.0 N JCT SR 110, Clallam, WA

Built 1941 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,352

SR 25

Fair

Over: SPOKANE RIVER

23.4 N JCT US 2, Lincoln, WA

Built 1941 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 882

SR 4

Fair

Over: COWLITZ R / RR / SR 411

0.1 E JCT SR 411 SP, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1951 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 17,928

US 101

Fair

Over: WEST FORK HOQUIAM RIVER

10.0 N JCT SR 109, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1934 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 2,126

FERRY TRAFFIC

Fair

Over: PUGET SOUND @ SEATTLE

W END MARION ST, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 12,000

Showing 801-850 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.