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

W. SNOQ VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: TUCK CREEK

JCT W SNOQ VALLEY RD, King, WA

Built 1999 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 5,973

US 12

Fair

Over: GIBSON CREEK

8.6 E JCT SR 8, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1937 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 5,708

FORT ROAD

Fair

Over: TOPPENISH CREEK

0.36 E BARKES, Yakima, WA

Built 1954 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,146

SR 17

Fair

Over: ROCKY FORD CR

12.7 N JCT SR 171, Grant, WA

Built 1955 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 9,713

US 101

Fair

Over: SALMON CR

0.6 N PACIFIC CO, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1929 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 4,284

SR 26

Fair

Over: SR 24

9.4 E GRANT CO, Adams, WA

Built 1956 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 7,237

DES MOINES MEM DR

Fair

Over: SR 99

1.9 N JCT SR 599, King, WA

Built 1959 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 11,989

NEILSON RD

Fair

Over: INTERMITTENT STREAM

00.15 MI N SR395, Adams, WA

Built 1925 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 28

MARION DRAIN RD.

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

00.10 W. OSPREY RD., Yakima, WA

Built 1974 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 95

WILTZIUS/3030

Fair

Over: PACKER CREEK

9.63 MI SE STONER, Whitman, WA

Built 1980 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 86

OLSON ROAD 96190

Fair

Over: NO NAME CREEK

5.60 N FAS L220, Lincoln, WA

Built 1978 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 119

ENDICOTT/4000

Fair

Over: REBEL FLAT CREEK

11.08 E ADAMS CNTY LINE, Whitman, WA

Built 1979 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 554

NORTH DEADMAN RD

Fair

Over: NORTH DEADMAN CREEK

15.4 N JCT SR 12, Garfield, WA

Built 1962 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 234

5TH AVENUE

Fair

Over: WHISKEY CREEK

5TH AVE & MERCER CR, Kittitas, WA

Built 1979 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 5,324

IRR BIA RTE 26

Fair

Over: NORTH MOCLIPS RIVER

15 KM N.E. OF MOCLIPS, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1965 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 375

SR 203

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

8.2 N JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1945 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 9,561

SR 501

Fair

Over: GEE CREEK

2.2 S JCT I-5, Clark, WA

Built 1965 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 5,676

SR 6

Fair

Over: ST PARKS TRAIL (PLUVIUS)

21.8 E JCT US 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1922 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,561

US 12

Fair

Over: SLOUGH

2.6 E GRAYS HBR CO, Thurston, WA

Built 1926 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 11,343

US 2

Fair

Over: STREAM

7.0 E SNOHOMISH CO, King, WA

Built 1937 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 5,562

SR 4

Fair

Over: GRAYS RIVER

14.6 E JCT SR 401, Wahkiakum, WA

Built 1938 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,124

US 12

Fair

Over: SNAKE RIVER & BNRR

2.9 E JCT I-182, Franklin, WA

Built 1950 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 12,949

I-5

Fair

Over: SALZER CREEK

2.2 N JCT SR 6, Lewis, WA

Built 1951 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 75,731

SR 107

Fair

Over: SLOUGH

7.6 N JCT US 101, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1953 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 4,320

I-5

Fair

Over: SKAGIT RIVER

0.7 N JCT SR 538, Skagit, WA

Built 1955 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 76,218

I-5

Fair

Over: SR 538

1.3 N JCT SR 536, Skagit, WA

Built 1955 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 59,518

SR 18

Fair

Over: PEASLEY CANYON RD

1.9 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 101,558

ALABAMA ST

Fair

Over: I-5

3.5 N JCT SR 11, Whatcom, WA

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 17,997

I-5

Fair

Over: S96TH ST

0.6 N JCT SR 512, Pierce, WA

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 86,615

13TH ST RICE

Fair

Over: I-5

5.5 N JCT SR 508, Lewis, WA

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 5,901

SR 112

Fair

Over: LYRE RIVER

23.5 E JCT SR 113, Clallam, WA

Built 1959 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 825

SR 300

Fair

Over: UNION RIVER

2.9 E STATE PARK, Mason, WA

Built 1960 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 11,840

SR 300

Fair

Over: MISSION CREEK

0.3 E STATE PARK, Mason, WA

Built 1963 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 7,194

THORP HWY

Fair

Over: I-90

15.2 E JCT SR 970, Kittitas, WA

Built 1966 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,925

SR 20 EXTENSION

Fair

Over: FRIDAY HBR-SAN JUAN CHAN

NE END SAN JUAN ISL, San Juan, WA

Built 1968 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 2,587

I-82

Fair

Over: LMUMA CREEK

11.8 E JCT SR 821, Kittitas, WA

Built 1970 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 9,724

SR 26

Fair

Over: ALKALI FLAT CREEK

0.3 E JCT SR 127, Whitman, WA

Built 1972 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 2,836

I-90

Fair

Over: S FK SNOQUALMIE R

6.3 E JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1974 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 18,182

BETHEL RD

Fair

Over: SR 16

5.6 N PIERCE CO, Kitsap, WA

Built 1977 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 6,064

I-5

Fair

Over: DILLENBAUGH CREEK

6.8 N JCT SR 508, Lewis, WA

Built 1952 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 65,022

US 97

Fair

Over: AHTANUM CRK RR & ROADS

14.5 N JCT SR 22, Yakima, WA

Built 1981 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 9,753

SR 27

Fair

Over: WIR RAILROAD

10.5 N JCT SR 272, Whitman, WA

Built 1980 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,215

I-5

Fair

Over: NP RY & DILLENBAUGH CR

6.1 N JCT SR 508, Lewis, WA

Built 1954 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 72,086

E BROADWAY AVE

Fair

Over: I-90

4.9 E JCT US 2, Spokane, WA

Built 1986 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 15,367

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: CISPUS RIVER

16 1/2 MILES SE OF JCT. H, Lewis, WA

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 69

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: WYNOOCHEE RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1968 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 100

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: BIG QUILCENE RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Jefferson, WA

Built 1962 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: GREY WOLF RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Clallam, WA

Built 1966 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 25

ROAD

Fair

Over: DURST CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1966 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 25

ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK MANASTASH CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1975 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 100

Showing 1,851-1,900 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.