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

NILE ROAD

Fair

Over: NACHES RIVER

00.19 W 0F SR 410, Yakima, WA

Built 1969 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 695

OCR 3683

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

0.72 NO.JCT.SR155, Okanogan, WA

Built 1958 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 92

DEVONSHIRE RD

Fair

Over: WYNOOCHEE RIVER

0.6 S JCT SR12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1969 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 861

KNOELL ROAD

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

3.46 W SR 28, Lincoln, WA

Built 1972 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 37

HARRAH ROAD

Fair

Over: WAPATO CANAL

00.10 N EVANS ROAD, Yakima, WA

Built 1960 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,072

SE EVERGREEN WAY

Fair

Over: GIBBONS CREEK

1.9 E JCT SR 140, Clark, WA

Built 1940 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,637

HILLSIDE RD

Fair

Over: FALLS CREEK

01.9 W VALLEY HWY, Whatcom, WA

Built 1969 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 194

WOODS ROAD

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

1.0 S JCT CR 22000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1986 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 16

SWAN ROAD

Fair

Over: SNIPES CANAL

00.01 N SNIPES CANL, Yakima, WA

Built 1957 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,250

PALOUSE-ALBN/5420

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

0.14 MI W SR 27, Whitman, WA

Built 1980 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 103

BULLFROG ROAD

Fair

Over: CLE ELUM RIVER

00.40 N I-90, Kittitas, WA

Built 1965 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 3,565

PIONEER AVENUE

Fair

Over: MISSION CREEK

0.1 MI W DIVISION, Chelan, WA

Built 1936 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 3,900

2ND STREET

Fair

Over: SPANGLE CREEK

0.1 E OLD SR 195, Spokane, WA

Built 1983 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 266

1ST STREET

Fair

Over: SPANGLE CREEK

0.1 E OLD SR 195, Spokane, WA

Built 1983 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 384

OLD CASCADE HWY

Fair

Over: MALONEY CREEK

0.5 MI S OF SR-2, King, WA

Built 1982 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 450

ALDERSON RD

Fair

Over: TERRELL CREEK

0.01 W BIRCHBAY DR, Whatcom, WA

Built 1987 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 2,184

UECKER ROAD

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

0.2 S JCT CR 22000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1995 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 22

LATERAL 1 RD.

Fair

Over: USIS CANAL

0.12 BEFORE RIGGS RD., Yakima, WA

Built 2001 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 566

I-90

Fair

Over: MOSES LAKE

23.8 E JCT SR 281, Grant, WA

Built 1958 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 14,251

I-90

Fair

Over: VIADUCT STA 1396 US 2

1.3 E JCT US 195, Spokane, WA

Built 1967 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 97,890

I-90

Fair

Over: MERCER SLOUGH

6.4 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1970 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 31,000

ROAD

Fair

Over: BECKLER RIVER

7.3 MI N OF HWY 2/65 JCT, Snohomish, WA

Built 1953 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 44

BEND ROAD

Fair

Over: POTHOLES EAST CANAL

0.57N JCT 200, Franklin, WA

Built 1956 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 40

COUNTY ROAD

Fair

Over: SCOOTENEY WASTEWAY

.02E JCT R 229, Franklin, WA

Built 1956 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 69

SOUTH BANK ROAD

Fair

Over: CHEHALIS R OVERFLOW

1.0 S JCT SR 12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1965 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 2,917

FAS ROUTE 9221

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD 9221

.NW SE S4 T34 R25, Okanogan, WA

Built 1969 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 61

SQUAW/3660

Fair

Over: SQUAW CREEK

1.15 MI SE SPKN CNTY LINE, Whitman, WA

Built 1979 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 57

PINECTY-MALDN/3000

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

12.19 MI NE SR 23, Whitman, WA

Built 1974 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 268

SCHOONOVER RD

Fair

Over: MILWAUKEE COULEE

6.90 MI N ROSENOFF RD, Adams, WA

Built 1956 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 33

ABERNATHY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: ABERNATHY CREEK

4.34 N OF SR 4 (MP 48.32), Cowlitz, WA

Built 1962 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 200

FARMINGTON/1000

Fair

Over: HANGMAN CREEK

0.05 MI S GOLF COURSE, Whitman, WA

Built 1916 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 406

HATTON RD

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

00.99 MI W SR21, Adams, WA

Built 1927 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 21

NE 239TH ST

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.5 W OF NE72 AVE, Clark, WA

Built 1935 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 1,526

NORTH THORP HWY

Fair

Over: YAKIMA RIVER

00.82 SE SR-10, Kittitas, WA

Built 1936 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 237

B ROAD NW

Fair

Over: WEST CANAL BLK 701

B NW .2 N of 18 NW, Grant, WA

Built 1975 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 714

SOUTH BANK ROAD

Fair

Over: CHEHALIS RIVER

1.7 SW JCT SR 12, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1930 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 921

NE 12TH ST

Fair

Over: PARKING LOT

NE 12TH & 124TH NE, King, WA

Built 1971 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 18,028

Fish War Mem X-ing

Fair

Over: TERRAIN

0.2 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1925 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 15,000

N E 23RD AVE

Fair

Over: ROCKWELL CREEK

0.1 N OF 134TH STREET, Clark, WA

Built 2004 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 6,785

DAM ACCESS

Fair

Over: WILDCAT CREEK WA

TIETON DAM WA, Yakima, WA

Built 1998 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 10

SR 169

Fair

Over: GREEN R

5.3 N JCT SR 164, King, WA

Built 1932 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 11,098

SR 155

Fair

Over: COLUMBIA RIVER

0.2 N GRANT CO, Douglas, WA

Built 1935 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 4,738

SR 4

Fair

Over: HALF BR W OF BUNKER HILL

4.1 E WAHKIAKUM CO, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1930 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 4,665

US 101

Fair

Over: HOH RIVER

25.1 N GRAYS HBR CO, Jefferson, WA

Built 1931 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,456

US 12

Fair

Over: BLACK RIVER

16.3 E JCT SR 8, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1932 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 7,443

US 2

Fair

Over: PROCTOR CREEK

16.2 E JCT SR 203, Snohomish, WA

Built 1933 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 6,711

SR 542

Fair

Over: FOSSIL CREEK

15.8 E JCT SR 547, Whatcom, WA

Built 1934 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,251

US 12

Fair

Over: TOUCHET R

11.7 E JCT US 730 SPUR, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1900 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 7,642

SR 409

Fair

Over: COLUMBIA R PUGET ISLAND

2.8 N FERRY DOCK, Wahkiakum, WA

Built 1938 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,925

SR 155

Fair

Over: DEVILS CREEK

16.8 N JCT US 2, Grant, WA

Built 1949 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 959

Showing 1,051-1,100 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.