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

US 101

Fair

Over: SUND CREEK

14.3 S JEFFERSON CO, Mason, WA

Built 1925 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 3,700

SR 27

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

18.8 N JCT SR 272, Whitman, WA

Built 1988 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 800

LEWIS BRIDGE ROAD

Fair

Over: WILSON CREEK

6.66 S SR 2, Lincoln, WA

Built 1912 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 26

OCEAN CITY(2ND AV)

Fair

Over: CONNOR CREEK

0.1 W JCT SR 109, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1975 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,007

SE 24TH ST

Fair

Over: WETLAND

0.6 MI E OF 228TH AVE SE, King, WA

Built 1968 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 6,000

HOCTOR ROAD

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

1.0 E JCT SR 97, Klickitat, WA

Built 1985 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 358

BENSON RIDGE LANE

Fair

Over: CARPENTER CREEK

1.2 E I-5 JCT STACKPOLE, Skagit, WA

Built 1983 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 46

FARMINGTON/1000

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

0.03 MI W FRMNGTN CTY LMT, Whitman, WA

Built 1915 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 364

SQUAW/3660

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

1.26 MI SE SPKN CNTY LINE, Whitman, WA

Built 1963 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 57

J NE/Stratford Rd

Fair

Over: EAST LOW CANAL

Stratford Rd .4 N of 16, Grant, WA

Built 1990 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,201

PALISADES RD

Fair

Over: DOUGLAS CREEK

12.21N22E, Douglas, WA

Built 1957 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 358

PALISADES RD

Fair

Over: DOUGLAS CREEK

14.21N22E, Douglas, WA

Built 1957 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 358

NELSON ROAD

Fair

Over: INDEPENDENCE CREEK

12.0 W CENTRALIA, Lewis, WA

Built 1955 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 87

ROCKPORT CASCADE

Fair

Over: ILLABOT CREEK (EAST)

4.2 E JCT SR 530, Skagit, WA

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 262

KELLOGG STREET

Fair

Over: KID CANAL

.10 N W20TH AVE, Benton, WA

Built 1977 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 7,054

DIVISION STREET

Fair

Over: CROWN Z MILL WATER CANAL

0.15 N JCT NW 6AVE, Clark, WA

Built 1960 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,518

FIRST AVENUE

Fair

Over: SALMON CREEK

.3 MI S OF OAK ST, Okanogan, WA

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 260

FREMONT AVE N

Fair

Over: SHIP CANAL

3000 FREMONT AVE N, King, WA

Built 1917 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 29,300

STRANDER BLVD

Fair

Over: GREEN RIVER

0.1 MI W OF SR-181, King, WA

Built 1973 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 10,269

SR 14

Fair

Over: WOODARD CREEK

12.5 E CLARK CO, Skamania, WA

Built 1928 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 4,428

US 12

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

7.9 E LEWIS CO, Yakima, WA

Built 1939 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,895

US 2

Fair

Over: FRENCH CREEK

5.4 E JCT SR 9, Snohomish, WA

Built 1948 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25,292

SR 125

Fair

Over: SPRING VALLEY BRANCH

7.8 N JCT SR 125 SPUR, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1955 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 415

I-5

Fair

Over: MEADOR AVE

2.8 N JCT SR 11, Whatcom, WA

Built 1957 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 35,827

US 395

Fair

Over: 4TH AVE

3.6 N JCT I-82, Benton, WA

Built 1958 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 32,583

I-82

Fair

Over: N FIRST ST / SR 823

1.0 E JCT SR 823, Yakima, WA

Built 1959 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 13,530

I-5 NBCD

Fair

Over: DEARBORN ST

0.1 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1965 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20,967

I-82

Fair

Over: LUTHER ROAD

3.0 E JCT SR 223, Yakima, WA

Built 1981 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 12,977

STRONG ROAD

Fair

Over: WHITE SALMON RIVER

0.8 E JCT SR141, Klickitat, WA

Built 1987 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2

BREAKDOWN RD

Fair

Over: DEADMAN CREEK

3.5 E JCT SR 127, Garfield, WA

Built 1930 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20

NE MINNEHAHA ST

Fair

Over: Clark County Rail Line

0.2 W OF ST JAMES, Clark, WA

Built 1972 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 9,626

NE 142ND AVE

Fair

Over: SALMON CREEK

0.7N NE159 ST, Clark, WA

Built 1958 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 3,093

COUNTY ROAD 4015

Fair

Over: SINLAHEKIN CREEK

3.1 S.9425@ LOOMIS, Okanogan, WA

Built 1973 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 56

ROCKPORT CASCADE

Fair

Over: CASCADE RIVER

0.04 S JCT CASCADE RD, Skagit, WA

Built 1967 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 294

RALSTON-BENGE RD

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

01.76 MI E SR261, Adams, WA

Built 1900 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 62

PING GULCH RD

Fair

Over: PING GULCH

6.5 MI E SR 127, Garfield, WA

Built 1976 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 85

GARFLD-FRMGTN/1300

Fair

Over: BRANCH SILVER CREEK

9.13 MI SW FARMINGTON, Whitman, WA

Built 1975 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 238

11TH STREET

Fair

Over: WYCOFF AVENUE

00.10 MI E JCT SR 3, Kitsap, WA

Built 1963 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 19,840

WALNUT STREET

Fair

Over: OLEQUA CREEK

0.02 W SR 603, Lewis, WA

Built 1973 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,555

R ST SE

Fair

Over: STUCK RIVER

1.4 MI S OF SR-18, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 19,500

STADIUM WAY

Fair

Over: MISSOURI FLAT CREEK

00.05 E JCT SR27, Whitman, WA

Built 1946 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 14,901

OLD REDMOND ROAD

Fair

Over: 138th AVE NE

1.0 MI E OF I-405, King, WA

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 13,100

AVONDALE ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

.4 N JCT 520/202, King, WA

Built 1979 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 34,500

ELLIS ST EXT

Fair

Over: WHATCOM CRK

0.05 N JCT N FOREST/YORK, Whatcom, WA

Built 1981 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 7,900

CAMERON ROAD

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

0.2 S JCT CR 22000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1995 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 83

DALLES MTN ROAD

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

1.0 S JCT CR 22000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1995 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 73

KING TULL ROAD

Fair

Over: SVID CANAL

0.088 E COUNTY LINE, Benton, WA

Built 1956 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 661

INNIS CREEK RD

Fair

Over: SAMISH RIVER

00.2 S. DOREN ROAD, Whatcom, WA

Built 1999 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 106

FARM ACCESS

Fair

Over: WEST CANAL LATERAL W26C

WEST CANAL LATERAL W26C, Grant, WA

Built 1994 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 20

SALMON/BOULDER RD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK BOULDER CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Okanogan, WA

Built 1949 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 158

Showing 1,401-1,450 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.