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

SR 19

Fair

Over: CHIMACUM CREEK

9.4 N JCT SR 104, Jefferson, WA

Built 1916 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 8,746

X RD NE

Fair

Over: CON-NA-WAI CREEK

2.24 S. of 29 NE, Grant, WA

Built 1927 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 30

LAKE VIEW BLVD

Fair

Over: NOOKACHAMPS CREEK

0.25 S JCT SR9, Skagit, WA

Built 1954 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 690

SUNSET/3360

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

1.98 MI NE PNE CTY-MALDEN, Whitman, WA

Built 1966 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 90

SCHRAG ROAD

Fair

Over: WEBER COULEE

05.35 MI E SR21, Adams, WA

Built 1938 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 41

McKay Alto Road

Fair

Over: WHETSTONE CREEK

0.14 N JCT 2010, Columbia, WA

Built 1970 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 350

COWICHE MILL RD.

Fair

Over: COWICHE CREEK

02.38 W OF SUNSET W, Yakima, WA

Built 1963 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 184

SCHRAG RD

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

00.90 MI E SR21, Adams, WA

Built 1938 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 53

LOGAN AVE N

Fair

Over: CEDAR RIVER

0.4 MI E JCT SR-167, King, WA

Built 1973 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 37,000

MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: NOOKSACK RIVER

AT FRONT ST, Whatcom, WA

Built 1950 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 21,350

SR 509

Fair

Over: THAMES CREEK/PED TRAIL

11.0 N JCT I-705, King, WA

Built 1929 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 3,778

US 101

Fair

Over: SOUTH NEMAH RIVER

3.6 N JCT SR 4, Pacific, WA

Built 1957 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 2,728

SERVICE ROAD

Fair

Over: ICICLE CANAL

0.1 MI ESE OF OFFICE, Chelan, WA

Built 1939 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 10

SR 14

Fair

Over: DUNCAN CR

11.1 E CLARK CO, Skamania, WA

Built 1926 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 4,632

SR 161

Fair

Over: RR & CITY STREETS

0.6 N JCT SR 167, Pierce, WA

Built 1938 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 17,822

US 2

Fair

Over: SULTAN RIVER

7.1 E JCT SR 203, Snohomish, WA

Built 1940 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 22,460

SR 433

Fair

Over: COLUMBIA R @ LONGVIEW

OREGON LINE, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1929 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 20,865

SR 507

Fair

Over: MUCK CREEK

7.8 N JCT SR 702, Pierce, WA

Built 1920 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 10,772

SR 20

Fair

Over: SHIP HBR/GUEMES CHANNEL

7.8N ON SR20 SPUR, Skagit, WA

Built 1959 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 3,227

SR 105

Fair

Over: CHARLEY CR

15.6 N JCT SR 105 SP, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1980 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 6,605

SR 23

Fair

Over: DRY RUN

2.2 N JCT SR 231, Lincoln, WA

Built 1920 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 367

SR 305

Fair

Over: PUGET SOUND @ EAGLE HRBR

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Kitsap, WA

Built 1972 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 9,000

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: EAST FORK CANYON CREEK

24 MILES SOUTH-EAST OF JC, Skamania, WA

Built 1952 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 179

ILLABOT

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Skagit, WA

Built 1987 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 20

ROAD

Fair

Over: PARK CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Whatcom, WA

Built 1955 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 35

ROAD

Fair

Over: SWEDE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Skagit, WA

Built 1982 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 22

ROAD # 55

Fair

Over: CARTER CREEK

2.5 MI SW I-90/55 JCT, King, WA

Built 1993 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 25

HARTS PASS ROAD

Fair

Over: ROBINSON CREEK

1.73 MI UP RD #5400, Okanogan, WA

Built 1955 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 112

ROAD

Fair

Over: STAFFORD CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1958 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 30

GOOSEBERRY SPUR

Fair

Over: HALE PASSAGE

2. SW OF CAGEY RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1950 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,300

K ROAD NW

Fair

Over: LAT. BLK 73

K NW 0.02 N of 11.5 NW, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 153

ORVILLE RD E

Fair

Over: TACOMA EASTERN RAILROAD

4.0 E JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 1954 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 2,025

Deckerville Road

Fair

Over: DECKER CREEK

2.84 W JCT Matlock, Mason, WA

Built 1949 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 149

P ROAD NW

Fair

Over: LAT W39.9E2 BLK 75

P NW 0.4 S of 5 NW, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 274

THOMPSON ROAD

Fair

Over: LAKE CREEK

1.0 NE PACKWOOD, Lewis, WA

Built 1936 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 12

ELBERTON/2400

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK PALOUSE RIVER

2.73 MI E DRY CREEK, Whitman, WA

Built 1969 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 82

AIRPORT RD

Fair

Over: AIRFORCE RD

0.79 S JCT SR 526, Snohomish, WA

Built 1967 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 21,004

SOUTH TOUCHET RD

Fair

Over: SOUTH TOUCHET RIVER

2.7 S JCT 9115, Columbia, WA

Built 1984 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 225

TEN MILE RD

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CR TRIB

00.2 E GUIDE MERIDI, Whatcom, WA

Built 1900 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 841

PETERS RD.

Fair

Over: KIONA CR.

1.13 S JCT SR 12, Lewis, WA

Built 1964 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 244

Beeville Loop Rd

Fair

Over: DRY BED CREEK

0.58 W JCT Beeville Rd, Mason, WA

Built 1954 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 86

HADALLER ROAD

Fair

Over: WINSTON CREEK

5.0 W MOSSYROCK, Lewis, WA

Built 1961 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 438

MARTIN ROAD

Fair

Over: WASTEWAY

12 NW 1.1 E of P, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 392

EAST LINCOLN AVE

Fair

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER

0.7 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1929 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 6,100

FAS 1196

Fair

Over: CHEHALIS RIVER

.1 W JCT I-5, Lewis, WA

Built 1959 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 10,684

LOCUST ST

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

.3 N JCT. SR 507, Lewis, WA

Built 1941 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,362

MT OLYMPUS AVE

Fair

Over: CANAL

0.1 N DISCOVERY, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1969 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 412

MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: Puget Sound & Pacific RR

0.22 MI SW JCT E YOUNG ST, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1940 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 4,878

Steelhead Drive So

Fair

Over: MISSION CREEK

0.04 W Mission Cr Rd, Mason, WA

Built 1990 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 950

WEST REYNOLDS AVE

Fair

Over: COFFEE CREEK

NE CENTRALIA, Lewis, WA

Built 1955 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 10,213

Showing 951-1,000 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.