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

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: LITTLE CREEK

11 1/2 MILES EAST OF JCT, Skamania, WA

Built 1956 Load: 30.0 t ADT: 80

ROAD

Fair

Over: SWIFT CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Whatcom, WA

Built 1981 Load: 30.0 t ADT: 203

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: S FK SKOKOMISH RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Mason, WA

Built 1963 Load: 30.0 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: SULLIVAN CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1964 Load: 30.0 t ADT: 4

SR 14

Fair

Over: CAPE HORN SLIDE

3.3 E CLARK CO, Skamania, WA

Built 1930 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 4,835

Lyons Hill Road

Fair

Over: CHAMOKANE CREEK

0.5 S SPRINGDALE-HUNTERS, Stevens, WA

Built 1974 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 70

HODGSON PRICE ROAD

Fair

Over: BOULDER CREEK

00.01 S BOULDER RD, Ferry, WA

Built 1973 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 20

INGALLS RD.

Fair

Over: LINCOLN CR.

2.10 N JCT 24034, Lewis, WA

Built 1953 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 248

UNIONTWN EAST/9410

Fair

Over: UNION FLAT CREEK

0.30 MI NE SR 195, Whitman, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 571

MOHLER ROAD 34560

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

3.25 W JCT FASG221, Lincoln, WA

Built 1936 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 175

KNAPP ROAD

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

3.40 W SR 28, Lincoln, WA

Built 1978 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 63

ALKI ROAD

Fair

Over: BURNT BRIDGE CREEK

00.26 W NE HAZELDEL, Clark, WA

Built 1985 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 65

FRIDAY CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: FRIDAY CREEK

2.24 N JCT OLD 99 N, Skagit, WA

Built 1977 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 234

HAY-LACROSSE/7000

Fair

Over: ALKALI FLAT CREEK

9.63 MI S SR 26, Whitman, WA

Built 1970 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 107

HAYES ROAD

Fair

Over: CRAB CREEK

0.39 E FAS L221, Lincoln, WA

Built 1933 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 17

CENTERVILLE HWY.

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

0.4 W JCT SR 97, Klickitat, WA

Built 1995 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 244

FLAMING GEYSER RD

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

FLAMING GEYSER STATE PARK, King, WA

Built 2017 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 200

NE 172ND AVENUE

Fair

Over: EAST FORK LEWIS RIVER

JCT LUCIA FALLS RD, Clark, WA

Built 1999 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 3,494

FORT RD.

Fair

Over: USIS CANAL

0.50 W HARRAH RD., Yakima, WA

Built 2001 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 3,020

HUNGRY JCT RD

Fair

Over: CURRIER CREEK

.02 east of Reecer Cr. Rd, Kittitas, WA

Built 2002 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 182

DUGOUT MTN RD

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Okanogan, WA

Built 1981 Load: 30.2 t ADT: 25

FLORA RD

Fair

Over: I-90

3.1 E JCT SR 27, Spokane, WA

Built 1957 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 3,500

I-5

Fair

Over: SR 539 MERIDIAN ST

1.4 N JCT SR 542, Whatcom, WA

Built 1958 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 24,290

W. FRONT ST.

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CR

3.8 N JCT SR 546, Whatcom, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 575

I-5 EXPRESS LANES

Fair

Over: JAMES & CHERRY STREETS

0.8 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 18,166

I-90

Fair

Over: BROWN ROAD

3.8 E JCT SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1967 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 10,436

EAST BRAMHALL ROAD

Fair

Over: WHETSTONE CREEK

0.01 N JCT, Columbia, WA

Built 1967 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 50

CEDAR CREEK RD

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

JCT PUP & CEDAR CK, Clark, WA

Built 1930 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 1,173

UNION FLAT/9020

Fair

Over: UNION FLAT CREEK

4.63 MI SE WAWAWAI-PULLMN, Whitman, WA

Built 1963 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 34

LIND-RALSTON RD

Fair

Over: INTERMITTENT STREAM

1.35 MI E PAHA RD, Adams, WA

Built 1993 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 64

WESLEY RD.

Fair

Over: DRY WASH

00.34 SO EVANS ROAD, Yakima, WA

Built 1960 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 176

ROCKY FORD RD.

Fair

Over: DRAIN

00.34 W MEYERS ROAD, Yakima, WA

Built 1967 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 200

ROCKY FORD ROAD

Fair

Over: CRAB CREEK

4.49 S FAS H220, Lincoln, WA

Built 1973 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 62

SR 821

Fair

Over: SELAH CREEK

2.1 N JCT SR 823, Yakima, WA

Built 1924 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,538

SR 203

Fair

Over: SLOUGH

0.8 N JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1945 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 7,622

SR 203

Fair

Over: SLOUGH

1.3 N JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1945 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 7,622

SR 203

Fair

Over: SLOUGH

2.1 N JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1945 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 7,622

US 101

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

15.1 N JCT SR 109, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1947 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,511

I-90

Fair

Over: E FK ISSAQUAH CR

5.6 E JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1951 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 32,820

SR 105

Fair

Over: OLEARY CREEK

9.5 N JCT SR 105 SP, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1953 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 6,067

SR 512

Fair

Over: I-5

12.7 N THURSTON CO, Pierce, WA

Built 1958 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 74,752

SR 26

Fair

Over: NP RY

15.1 E JCT SR 17, Adams, WA

Built 1959 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,964

SR 18

Fair

Over: GREEN RIVER

2.5 E JCT SR 164, King, WA

Built 1959 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 27,460

I-5

Fair

Over: RAVENNA BLVD

2.3 N JCT SR 520, King, WA

Built 1961 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 88,792

I-90

Fair

Over: GOLF COURSE RD

23.3 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 15,793

I-90

Fair

Over: GOLF COURSE RD

23.3 E JCT SR 906, Kittitas, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 15,793

US 2

Fair

Over: WENATCHEE R

1.3 E JCT US 97, Chelan, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,342

US 2

Fair

Over: WENATCHEE RIVER

1.7 E JCT US 97, Chelan, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,342

SR 20

Fair

Over: HALF BR STA 163

6.1 E SKAGIT CO, Whatcom, WA

Built 1962 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,732

I-5 S-W RAMP

Fair

Over: TERRAIN

5.6 N JCT SR 900, King, WA

Built 1967 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 19,202

Showing 2,251-2,300 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.