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: PALIX RIVER

13.6 N JCT SR 4, Pacific, WA

Built 1991 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 3,048

US 2

Fair

Over: EBEY SLOUGH DRAINAGE

2.3 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1993 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 15,144

SR 503

Fair

Over: ROCK CR

5.4 N JCT SR 503 SPUR, Cowlitz, WA

Built 1996 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,668

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: POWER CANAL

33 MILES EAST OF JCT INTE, Skamania, WA

Built 1957 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 650

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: CURLY CREEK

4.3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF JU, Skamania, WA

Built 1965 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 240

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: LEWIS RIVER

GO EAST FROM COUGAR WA, Skamania, WA

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 99

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: WALUPT CREEK

16.5 MILES SE OF HWY 12 (, Lewis, WA

Built 1965 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 69

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: UPPER YELLOWJACKET CREEK

TAKE HWY 12 TO CISPUS RIV, Skamania, WA

Built 1954 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 30

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: TROUT CREEK

8 1/2 MILES NW OF HWY 141, Skamania, WA

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 30

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: N FK BR WYNOOCHEE RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1957 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 50

LITTLE NACHES ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE NACHES RIVER

ABOVE SALMON FALLS, Yakima, WA

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

JOHNSON CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.8 m N Skookumchuck Rd, Thurston, WA

Built 1977 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 324

ELK CREEK RD.

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

0.6 W DOTY, Lewis, WA

Built 1952 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 202

MENLO SO.FORK ROAD

Fair

Over: RUE CREEK

5.01 S JCT SR 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1991 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 156

PE ELL MCDONALD RD

Fair

Over: HALFWAY CREEK

6.4 E PE ELL, Lewis, WA

Built 1958 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 229

OLSON ROAD

Fair

Over: ZIEGLER CREEK

0.2 S JCT 9340, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1985 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 15

JORDAN RD

Fair

Over: S.F. STILLAGUAMISH RIVER

1.1 N JCT SR 92, Snohomish, WA

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,263

CENTRALIA ALPHA RD

Fair

Over: SALZER CR.

1. SE.CENTRALIA, Lewis, WA

Built 1983 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,732

NICHOLSON ROAD

Fair

Over: LACAMAS CREEK

0.45 N JCT. 56000, Lewis, WA

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 98

REECES HIDEOUT RD

Fair

Over: S.F. SAUK RIVER

0.1 W JCT MT LP HY, Snohomish, WA

Built 1977 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 31

NORTON ROAD

Fair

Over: WILLIAMS CREEK

01.2 W JCT 9641, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1962 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 18

KELLY RD NE

Fair

Over: CHERRY CREEK

5.2 MI E OF SR-203, King, WA

Built 1947 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,561

MOUNTAIN LOOP HWY.

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

23.3 E JCT SR 92, Snohomish, WA

Built 1949 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,621

JOHNS RD E

Fair

Over: WILKESON CREEK

00.66 E JCT SR165, Pierce, WA

Built 1946 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 550

BEAM RD.

Fair

Over: JONES CR.

0.41 E JCT SR.6, Lewis, WA

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 23

TOOLEY ROAD

Fair

Over: SALMON CREEK

2.0 SE TOLEDO, Lewis, WA

Built 1977 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 103

MARINE DRIVE

Fair

Over: JORGENSON SLOUGH

0.8 S SR 532, Snohomish, WA

Built 1967 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 6,375

211TH AVE SE

Fair

Over: WEST FORK WOODS CREEK

10.5 SE JCT SR 92, Snohomish, WA

Built 1985 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 42

SR 194

Fair

Over: UNION FLAT CREEK

14.0 E OF ALMOTA, Whitman, WA

Built 1969 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 412

PEAR ST

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

.3 N JCT. SR 507, Lewis, WA

Built 1942 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,270

W GARFIELD ST RAMP

Fair

Over: 16TH AVE W

W Garfield St & 23rd Ave, King, WA

Built 1992 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 3,800

365 TH DR NE

Fair

Over: TRIB.N.F.STILLAGUAMISH

2.8 NW JCT SR 530, Snohomish, WA

Built 1992 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 167

SUNRISE ROAD

Fair

Over: DEADWOOD CREEK

0.6 miles southwest of jc, Pierce, WA

Built 1929 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,786

LOWER QUEETS VALLE

Fair

Over: SALMON RIVER

1.4 MI. S. OF JCT. HWY. 1, Jefferson, WA

Built 1979 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 75

SR 3

Fair

Over: JOHNS CREEK

6.6 N JCT US 101, Mason, WA

Built 1948 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 15,367

SR 17

Fair

Over: E FOSTER CREEK

9.3 N JCT SR 174, Douglas, WA

Built 1950 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 1,189

I-5

Fair

Over: MCALLISTER CR

2.2 N JCT SR 510, Thurston, WA

Built 1968 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 2,096

JEFFERSON-W RAMP

Fair

Over: PARKING LOT

1.0 E JCT US 195, Spokane, WA

Built 1967 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 5,146

SR 18 E-N RAMP

Fair

Over: I-5 SR 18 RAMPS

JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 2012 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 14,879

NILE ROAD

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

00.02 N RATTLESNAKE, Yakima, WA

Built 1976 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 600

SLATER RD

Fair

Over: NOOKSACK RIVER

02.43 W OF NW DR, Whatcom, WA

Built 1957 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 12,802

TRUAX ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK ROCK CREEK

0.1 W DAVIS ROAD, Spokane, WA

Built 1963 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 435

GLENWOOD HWY

Fair

Over: KLICKITAT RIVER

11.2 N JCT SR142, Klickitat, WA

Built 1991 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 201

SR 401

Fair

Over: BEAN CR

6.9 N JCT US 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1958 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,827

BUTTERMILK BUTTE

Fair

Over: EAST FORK BUTTERMILK CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Okanogan, WA

Built 1992 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 15

TJOSSEM ROAD

Fair

Over: WILSON CREEK

00.08 E CANYON ROAD, Kittitas, WA

Built 1962 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,212

ESHELMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: SWALE CREEK

0.3 S. Jct CR 22000, Klickitat, WA

Built 1977 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 42

SALMON FALLS ROAD

Fair

Over: WASHOUGAL RIVER

3.39 N JCT SR 14, Skamania, WA

Built 1961 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 352

ESTES/5300

Fair

Over: BRANCH FOUR MILE CREEK

0.30 MI SE SR 27, Whitman, WA

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 154

WINE COUNTRY ROAD

Fair

Over: YAKIMA RIVER

.1 S N RIVER RD, Benton, WA

Built 1931 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 6,779

Showing 2,651-2,700 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.