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

HILLSIDE RD

Fair

Over: SIGITOWITZ CREEK

01.0 S.W. POTTER RD, Whatcom, WA

Built 1950 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 250

MOUNTAIN VIEW BLVD

Fair

Over: SPANAWAY LAKE

.28 S JCT MLTRY R, Pierce, WA

Built 1952 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 290

ENDICOTT/4000

Fair

Over: PALOUSE RIVER

8.07 MI E ADAMS CNTY LINE, Whitman, WA

Built 1967 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 554

MIDDLE ROAD

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

1.1 S Jct CR34000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1959 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 94

BIG ALKALI/7005

Fair

Over: ALKALI FLAT CREEK

0.77 MI E LITTLE GOOSE DM, Whitman, WA

Built 1962 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 136

JACKSON ROAD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

4.0 S FREEMAN, Spokane, WA

Built 1960 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 64

SMITH SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: COLVILLE GULCH

03.38 N SR 124, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1922 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 100

ALDER CUTOFF RD E

Fair

Over: TACOMA EASTERN RAILROAD

2.5 E JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 1946 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 2,900

MARLIN NORTH ROAD

Fair

Over: CON-NA-WAI CREEK

X NE 0.04 N of 26 NE, Grant, WA

Built 1916 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 23

RINGWOOD ROAD

Fair

Over: NO NAME CREEK

2.29 N SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1935 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 51

LAGERGREN-SUNSHINE

Fair

Over: SOUTH NEMAH RIVER

5.7 NW JCT 4 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1959 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 50

CAMP ONE ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK WILLAPA RIVER

3.1 E JCT 6 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1984 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 375

COULEE-HITE ROAD

Fair

Over: COULEE CREEK

0.4 S LINCOLN ROAD, Spokane, WA

Built 1923 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 266

SOUTH THORP HWY

Fair

Over: YAKIMA RIVER

00.30 SW I-90, Kittitas, WA

Built 1967 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 4,937

JACKSON HWY

Fair

Over: LAUSSIER CR.

4.36 S JCT US 12, Lewis, WA

Built 1926 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 932

HARDING ROAD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.79 SW SR 23, Lincoln, WA

Built 1935 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 17

SECOND ST.

Fair

Over: ASOTIN CREEK

0.0 E FAS RT F021, Asotin, WA

Built 1920 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 500

NE EXHIBITOR RD.

Fair

Over: SALZER CREEK

0.1 W OF NE KRESKY, Lewis, WA

Built 1971 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 1,951

N NATIONAL AVE

Fair

Over: SALZER CREEK

0.1 N OF NE HAMPE, Lewis, WA

Built 1936 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 8,038

OTIS ST

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

OTIS AND MILL CR, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1923 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 2,296

MERRIAM ST

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

MERRIAM AND MILL CR, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1924 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 2,300

BOOTH AVE.

Fair

Over: SAND DITCH

00.05 EAST OF SR260, Adams, WA

Built 1910 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 355

NISHINOMIYA DR

Fair

Over: LOOP DRIVE

01.25 S OF I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1935 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 110

RIVERSIDE DR

Fair

Over: DILLENBAUGH CREEK

RIVERSIDE DRIVE, Lewis, WA

Built 1952 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 3,910

PARK ENTRANCE

Fair

Over: TWANOH CREEK

TWANOH STATE PARK, Mason, WA

Built 2000 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 125

NISQUALLY ENTRANCE

Fair

Over: NISQUALLY RIVER

11.7 MILES NORTHEAST OF N, Pierce, WA

Built 1958 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 2,000

PARADISE CONNECTOR

Fair

Over: PARADISE RIVER

16 MILES NORTHEAST OF NIS, Lewis, WA

Built 1926 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 1,500

SR 3

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.9 N JCT US 101, Mason, WA

Built 1921 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 14,994

WANDERMERE ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER

3.2 N JCT US 2, Spokane, WA

Built 1953 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 5,394

I-90

Fair

Over: COLUMBIA RIVER VANTAGE

26.4 E JCT I-82, Kittitas, WA

Built 1962 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 17,430

MADISON ST

Fair

Over: I-5

1.1 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 30,000

I-5

Fair

Over: NBCD VIADUCT STA 2195

0.8 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 30,675

STRATFORD RD

Fair

Over: SR 17

0.9 N JCT SR 171, Grant, WA

Built 1966 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 14,235

I-90

Fair

Over: SR 23

6.2 E ADAMS CO, Lincoln, WA

Built 1967 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 9,943

I-90

Fair

Over: 3RD AV & W-E RAMP

0.8 E JCT US 2, Spokane, WA

Built 1970 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 100,211

SE 424TH ST

Fair

Over: NEWAUKUM CREEK

0.5 MI W OF SR-169, King, WA

Built 1950 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 1,500

GILLIES RD

Fair

Over: SUMAS RIVER

00.1 S OF ALM RD., Whatcom, WA

Built 1947 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 263

AUVIL/1240

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

1.95 MI S WARNER, Whitman, WA

Built 1976 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 40

LINGER LONGER ROAD

Fair

Over: BIG QUILCENE RIVER

0.45E JCT SR101, Jefferson, WA

Built 1969 Load: 13.9 t ADT: 572

MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

21.9 N JCT SR 231, Lincoln, WA

Built 1948 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 785

US 2

Fair

Over: PINE CANYON & CREEK

1.4 E JCT US 97, Douglas, WA

Built 1949 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 1,823

BIRCH BAY-LYNDEN R

Fair

Over: I-5

4.3 N JCT SR 548, Whatcom, WA

Built 1961 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 10,381

I-90

Fair

Over: CANYON RD & BNSF RR

3.3 E JCT US 97, Kittitas, WA

Built 1968 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 15,014

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: LEWIS RIVER

2 MILES NORTH OF JCT. RD, Skamania, WA

Built 1980 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 179

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: CAMP CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Clallam, WA

Built 1984 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 50

STEINMETZ ROAD

Fair

Over: COLVILLE RIVER

.35 NE HEINE RD., Stevens, WA

Built 1962 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 172

BROWNSTOWN RD. N.

Fair

Over: CANAL - MAIN EXTENSION

00.70 N WEST WAPATO, Yakima, WA

Built 1958 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 113

ENDICOTT/4000

Fair

Over: REBEL FLAT CREEK

27.79 MI E ADAMS CNTY LNE, Whitman, WA

Built 1920 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 672

SE 416TH ST

Fair

Over: NEWAUKUM CREEK

1.1 MI N OF SR-164, King, WA

Built 1950 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 1,592

BONNIEVIEW ROAD

Fair

Over: SVID CANAL

00.10 W WILLOUGHBY, Yakima, WA

Built 1969 Load: 14.3 t ADT: 380

Showing 201-250 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.