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

HATTON RD

Fair

Over: HATTON COULEE

1.75 MI E of Lind Hatton, Adams, WA

Built 1915 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3

HOKO OZETTE ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG RIVER

12.75, Clallam, WA

Built 1971 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 190

OLD HWY 99 NORTH

Fair

Over: FRIDAY CREEK

4.3 N JCT COOK RD., Skagit, WA

Built 1956 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,682

MARCH POINT ROAD

Fair

Over: PETROLEUM PIPELINES

1.6 N JCT SR 20, Skagit, WA

Built 1960 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 678

STEAMBOAT IS. RD.

Fair

Over: TOTTEN INLET

STEAMBOAT ISLAND, Thurston, WA

Built 1982 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 146

ALADDIN RD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

02.16 N JCT SR 20, Stevens, WA

Built 1960 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,442

SEABURY/0150

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK PINE CREEK

2.50 MI NW SR 27, Whitman, WA

Built 1967 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 124

MOUNTAIN LOOP HWY

Fair

Over: BACKMAN CREEK

2.9 SE JCT SR 530, Snohomish, WA

Built 1979 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 812

SEATTLE BLVD

Fair

Over: SOUND TRANSIT TUNNEL

Seattle Blvd EO 4th Ave S, King, WA

Built 1910 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 22,000

12 AVE S

Fair

Over: DEARBORN ST

12th Ave S & Dearborn St, King, WA

Built 1917 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 22,000

CEDAR ST

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

.3 N JCT. SR 507, Lewis, WA

Built 1947 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 295

EASTLAKE AVE NE

Fair

Over: NE PACIFIC ST

3800 Eastlake Ave, King, WA

Built 1930 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 35,000

EASTLAKE AVE NE

Fair

Over: NE 40TH ST BURKE GILMAN

3800 Eastlake Ave, King, WA

Built 1930 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 37,000

N 17TH STREET

Fair

Over: FISHTRAP CREEK

AT LIBERTY, Whatcom, WA

Built 1975 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,140

CO. RD. 90100

Fair

Over: DECKER CREEK

6.4 MI SO MATLOCK, Mason, WA

Built 1996 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 588

196 - 200 STREET

Fair

Over: GREEN RIVER

0.8 MI W OF SR-18, King, WA

Built 1998 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 17,406

US 195

Fair

Over: PALOUSE RIVER

0.7 N JCT SR 272, Whitman, WA

Built 1931 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 6,470

US 12

Fair

Over: PATIT CREEK

8.4 E WALLA WAL CO, Columbia, WA

Built 1933 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 2,207

I-90

Fair

Over: SR 26

0.4 E KITTITAS CO, Grant, WA

Built 1961 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 17,430

US 12

Fair

Over: LAKE CR

18.4 E JCT SR 131, Lewis, WA

Built 1963 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 2,566

I-5

Fair

Over: COLONY RD

8.8 N JCT SR 11, Skagit, WA

Built 1963 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 23,247

SR 281

Fair

Over: WEST CANAL

0.6 N JCT I-90, Grant, WA

Built 1964 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 5,451

I-5

Fair

Over: TERRAIN

5.2 N JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 94,901

FS ROUTE NO. 312

Fair

Over: UPPER W. BRANCH

UPPER WEST BRANCH, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1954 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 50

SCHRAG RD

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

00.08 MI E MOODY, Adams, WA

Built 1938 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 143

NACHES WENAS ROAD

Fair

Over: WAPATOX CANAL

00.02 NW CLEMAN DR, Yakima, WA

Built 1957 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 994

MILLER ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE PEND OREILLE RIVE

.40 S ARTMAN-GIBSON RD., Stevens, WA

Built 1960 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 40

NE 182ND AVE

Fair

Over: SALMON CREEK

0.1S NE RISTO RD, Clark, WA

Built 1960 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 7,554

MCNEILLY/6240

Fair

Over: REBEL FLAT CREEK

0.11 MI W ENDICOTT, Whitman, WA

Built 1965 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 272

SOUTH SKAGIT HWY

Fair

Over: CUMBERLAND CREEK

11.5 E JCT SR 9, Skagit, WA

Built 1961 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 635

CENTERVILLE HWY

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

10.7 W JCT SR 97, Klickitat, WA

Built 1977 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 270

DOUGLAS ROAD

Fair

Over: CORBETT CREEK

0.95 S SR 174, Lincoln, WA

Built 1960 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 65

TUCANNON ROAD

Fair

Over: TUCANNON RIVER

5.7 SE JCT SR 126, Columbia, WA

Built 1974 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 200

GOODWIN RD

Fair

Over: SWIFT CR

00.3 N MASSEY RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1934 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 1,443

SOUTH ST

Fair

Over: S FORK PALOUSE RIVER

0.2MI W 270&STADWAY, Whitman, WA

Built 1982 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 1,004

SR 285

Fair

Over: S WENATCHEE AVE

0.2 N DOUGLAS CO, Chelan, WA

Built 1973 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 47,049

FIFTH AVENUE

Fair

Over: SALMON CREEK

.07 S OF TYEE ST, Okanogan, WA

Built 1970 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 260

W NORTH BEND WAY

Fair

Over: RIBARY CREEK

3.1 MI E OF I-90, King, WA

Built 1941 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 6,500

LEE RD

Fair

Over: WASTEWAY EL68 STA 264+67

00.74 MI EAST SR17, Adams, WA

Built 1986 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 765

SR 7

Fair

Over: OHOP SLOUGH

3.5 N JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 1922 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,712

MITCHELL AVE

Fair

Over: SR 166

4.0 E JCT SR 16, Kitsap, WA

Built 1945 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 5,187

SR 14

Fair

Over: QUARRY RD

3.5 E JCT I-205, Clark, WA

Built 1957 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 56,595

I-90

Fair

Over: HANGMAN CREEK

0.4 E JCT US 195, Spokane, WA

Built 1963 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 44,287

I-5

Fair

Over: INTERURBAN AVE

0.1 N JCT SR 599, King, WA

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 84,881

ELK HEIGHTS

Fair

Over: I-90

7.8 E JCT SR 970, Kittitas, WA

Built 1965 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 321

I-5

Fair

Over: TOUTLE RIVER

2.1 N JCT SR 504, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1969 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 22,640

I-5

Fair

Over: TOUTLE RIVER

2.1 N JCT SR 504, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1969 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 22,640

SR 522

Fair

Over: SAMMAMISH RIVER

JCT I-405, King, WA

Built 1968 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 27,537

I-5

Fair

Over: HUNTINGTON AVE

8.1 N JCT SR 4, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1975 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 25,718

YOUNG/6170

Fair

Over: ALKALI CREEK

2.89 MI SW UNION FLAT CRK, Whitman, WA

Built 1977 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 174

Showing 1,701-1,750 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.