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

FOLEY RD

Fair

Over: LATERAL EL68 328+26.61

0.5 MI W OF SR 17, Adams, WA

Built 1988 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 216

L WEST/5210

Fair

Over: BRANCH FOUR MILE CREEK

1.28 MI NE SR 27, Whitman, WA

Built 1915 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 10

9 RD NW

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION LATERAL

9 NW .01 W of S, Grant, WA

Built 1953 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 309

SMITHSON ROAD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

00.06 E SR 97, Kittitas, WA

Built 1932 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 39

OLD BARN RD/5230

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

0.05 MI N VIOLA, Whitman, WA

Built 1900 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 6

COUNTRYMAN/3185

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

1.12 MI N SR 23, Whitman, WA

Built 1922 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 50

BOLLENBAUGH HILLRD

Fair

Over: WEST FORK WOODS CREEK

3.5 NE JCT SR 2, Snohomish, WA

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,378

STALEY/9030

Fair

Over: STALEY CREEK

1.89 MI SW JOHNSON, Whitman, WA

Built 1971 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 51

COAL CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

1.8 E CHEHALIS, Lewis, WA

Built 1976 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,047

ENDICOTT/4000

Fair

Over: REBEL FLAT CREEK

8.76 MI E ADAMS CNTY LINE, Whitman, WA

Built 1975 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 554

R RD NW

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION LAT.

R NW 0.9 N of 12 NW, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 250

SHOREY RD

Fair

Over: NEWAUKUM RIVER

0.83 SE JCT SR 6, Lewis, WA

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,826

PITTS CEMETRY/5690

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

0.01 MI N TATE CUT OFF, Whitman, WA

Built 1900 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 10

NACHES HIGHWAY OLD

Fair

Over: NACHES-SELAH CANAL

01.29 N&E OF SR-410, Yakima, WA

Built 1957 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 245

Martin Rd

Fair

Over: WASTEWAY

12 NW .1 West of R, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 29

STATE ST

Fair

Over: S FORK PALOUSE RIVER

0.08 N JCT SR 270, Whitman, WA

Built 1981 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 4,272

SW ADMIRAL WAY

Fair

Over: SCHMITZ BLVD RAVINE

5500 SW Admiral Way, King, WA

Built 1935 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 12,500

ROOSEVELT WAY NE

Fair

Over: NE CAMPUS PARKWAY

4100 Roosevelt Way NE, King, WA

Built 1949 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 24,500

45TH AVE NE

Fair

Over: THORNTON CREEK

45th Ave NE & NE 97th St, King, WA

Built 1949 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,500

ROBINSON STREET

Fair

Over: NOOKSACK SLOUGH

0.06 E EVERSON RD, Whatcom, WA

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 10

MARINE DRIVE

Fair

Over: STURGEON CREEK

0.8 NW JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1988 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 16,436

PARK ENTRANCE ROAD

Fair

Over: LAKE SYLVIA

LAKE SYLVIA STATE PARK, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1976 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,000

N Wildwood Rd

Fair

Over: Irrigation Canal

0.2 N W Wapato Road, Yakima, WA

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 125

PARADISE CONNECTIO

Fair

Over: EDITH CREEK

18.0 miles northeast of N, Pierce, WA

Built 1926 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 500

STEVENS CANYON ROA

Fair

Over: RAVINE

12.2 miles west of jct. U, Lewis, WA

Built 1955 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,500

SOL DUC HOT SPRING

Fair

Over: SOL DUC RIVER

12.5 MI. SE OF JCT. HWY., Clallam, WA

Built 1974 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 100

I-90

Fair

Over: YAKIMA RIVER

24.1 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 1917 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 16,953

SR 10

Fair

Over: DRY CR

16.2 E JCT SR 970, Kittitas, WA

Built 1930 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,639

SR 11

Fair

Over: GN RY COLONY CREEK

9.2 N JCT I-5, Skagit, WA

Built 1931 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 2,412

SR 11

Fair

Over: PADDEN CREEK

5.7 N SKAGIT CO, Whatcom, WA

Built 1932 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 10,546

DELPHI RD

Fair

Over: US 101

1.8 E JCT SR 8, Thurston, WA

Built 1958 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 2,631

S TACOMA WAY

Fair

Over: I-5 RAMP

12.1 N THURSTON CO, Pierce, WA

Built 1958 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 17,105

I-5 NB

Fair

Over: JAMES CHERRY REVERS

1.2 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 58,575

I-5

Fair

Over: NE 155TH ST

0.5 N JCT SR 523, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 93,295

I-5

Fair

Over: NE 155TH ST

0.5 N JCT SR 523, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 93,295

I-5

Fair

Over: INTERURBAN AVE

0.1 N JCT SR 599, King, WA

Built 1966 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 84,881

I-5 NB

Fair

Over: TERRAIN

5.8 N JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1966 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 94,901

I-5 RAMP

Fair

Over: TERRAIN

5.5 N JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 5,855

BEACON AVE S

Fair

Over: SO RYAN WY

0.5 MI E OF I-5, King, WA

Built 1971 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 379

MCDONALD RD.

Fair

Over: USIS CANAL

00.51 W SO WAPATO, Yakima, WA

Built 1956 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 325

BAY VIEW-EDISON RD

Fair

Over: SAMISH SLOUGH

0.4 W JCT FARM TO MARKET, Skagit, WA

Built 1965 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 1,026

ROLOFF RD

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

0.8 E SR261, Adams, WA

Built 1953 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 13

WEST SATSOP ROAD

Fair

Over: STILL CREEK

02.3 N JCT 9725, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1971 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 184

BLUESTEM ROAD

Fair

Over: CRAB CREEK

12.59 SE SR 28, Lincoln, WA

Built 1940 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 114

DISTRICT LINE ROAD

Fair

Over: CHANDLER CANAL

00.126 NW of OIEH, Benton, WA

Built 1953 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 306

MEEKER/7130

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

0.07 MI S SR 26, Whitman, WA

Built 1980 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 40

SUKO RD

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

00.09 MI N LIND-RALSTON, Adams, WA

Built 1949 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 12

LIND-HATTON RD

Fair

Over: INTERMITTENT STREAM

00.76 MI SW SR21, Adams, WA

Built 1957 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 164

WILHELM/0060

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

0.33 MI SW WATERMAN, Whitman, WA

Built 1970 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 35

N. KENTUCK TRAILS

Fair

Over: LATAH CREEK

05.0 N WAVERLY, Spokane, WA

Built 1961 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 143

Showing 1,251-1,300 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.