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

POWERHOUSE ROAD

Good

Over: COWICHE CREEK

00.09 S NACHES HGTS, Yakima, WA

Built 1930 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 7,000

GAP ROAD

Good

Over: ROZA CANAL

00.65 N HANKS ROAD, Benton, WA

Built 1970 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 517

ORAL SMITH/2590

Good

Over: NORTH FORK PALOUSE RIVER

0.01 MI NE DRAPER-BROWN, Whitman, WA

Built 1975 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 20

THORPE ROAD

Good

Over: CRAB CREEK

0.02 N FHS L220, Lincoln, WA

Built 1900 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 11

48 ST E

Good

Over: SQUALLY CREEK

0.42 EAST JCT WALLER ROAD, Pierce, WA

Built 1937 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 625

S RD SE

Good

Over: IRRIGATION LATERAL

S SE 0.4 S of SR 170, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 196

ASHUE RD.

Good

Over: WAPATO CANAL

01.00 S W WAPATO RD, Yakima, WA

Built 1961 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 738

OLD SR #26/7205

Good

Over: PALOUSE RIVER

3.12 MI NE ADAMS CNTY LNE, Whitman, WA

Built 1940 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 146

PARVIN/5000

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK PALOUSE RIVER

3.28 MI E SR 195, Whitman, WA

Built 1992 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 50

CAMP ONE ROAD

Good

Over: WILLAPA RIVER NORTH FORK

5.0 SE JCT 6 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1991 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 332

STEPHENSON RD.

Good

Over: DRY WASH

00.22 S.BRANCH RD., Yakima, WA

Built 1985 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 572

COTTONWOOD CANYON

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

00.01 SW BARBER RD, Yakima, WA

Built 1976 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 680

KOCH RD

Good

Over: FARRIER COULEE

00.30 MI W DEAL RD, Adams, WA

Built 1973 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 4

7TH AVENUE

Good

Over: GOLDSBROUGH CREEK

00.1 S RAILROAD AVE, Mason, WA

Built 1976 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 6,000

EAST 43RD STREET

Good

Over: CMSTP&P RR C TO D ST

1.7 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1981 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,453

9TH AVENUE

Good

Over: BEN GARNETT WAY

00.38 SOUTH I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1963 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 6,039

GUY FINE RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

00.19N LOWER DRY CR, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1992 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 98

THREE LAKES RD

Good

Over: PILCHUCK RIVER

1.9 N JCT SR 2, Snohomish, WA

Built 1992 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 4,922

SO LK STEVENS RD

Good

Over: SO END LAKE STEVENS

1.6 MI NE JCT SR 9, Snohomish, WA

Built 1995 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 3,700

HANEN ROAD

Good

Over: WILLAPA RIVER

11.2 SE JCT 6 & 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1989 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 17

WEST 10TH AVENUE

Good

Over: ZINTEL CANYON

.1 EAST SR395, Benton, WA

Built 1995 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 13,740

GRDN HAMILTON/4510

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

0.07 MI S SR 23, Whitman, WA

Built 2000 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 50

BEEVILLE LOOP

Good

Over: RABBIT CREEK

BEEVILLE LOOP, Mason, WA

Built 2010 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 32

VIOLA/ 5190

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

2.09 MI NE SR 27, Whitman, WA

Built 2011 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 102

WHELAN/5515

Good

Over: MISSOURI FLAT CREEK

3.33 MI NE SR 27, Whitman, WA

Built 2018 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 180

SR 203

Good

Over: DEER CREEK

12.8 N JCT SR 202, King, WA

Built 1946 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 13,128

SCHOOL BUS ROUTE

Good

Over: SR 512

1.3 E JCT SR 7, Pierce, WA

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 50

COUNTY ROAD 1075

Good

Over: TWISP RIVER

4.1 W.SR20 @ TWISP, Okanogan, WA

Built 1974 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 21

COUNTY ROAD 1000

Good

Over: WENATCHEE CREEK

9.73 MILES WEST OF SR129, Asotin, WA

Built 1955 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 48

FLESHMAN WAY

Good

Over: STATE ROUTE 129

JCT SR 129, Asotin, WA

Built 1982 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 17,789

N ROAD NE

Good

Over: LAT. BLK 41

N NE .5 North of I-90, Grant, WA

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 910

11 ROAD SW

Good

Over: ROYAL BRANCH CANAL BLK82

11 SW 0.7 E of K SW, Grant, WA

Built 1987 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 600

SUNSET/3360

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

10.30 MI SE PNE CTY-MALDN, Whitman, WA

Built 1980 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 70

GREENVILLE RD

Good

Over: WINNETT CANYON

01.16N SR 124, Walla Walla, WA

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 40

TACOMA AVENUE SO

Good

Over: NPRR &SO TACOMA WAY

0.1 N I-5 UNDERCROSSING, Pierce, WA

Built 1930 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 10,550

ROARING CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: ENTIAT RIVER

05.8W ENTIAT, Chelan, WA

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 148

R NE

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

R NE .2 South of 39 NE, Grant, WA

Built 1994 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 250

PARVIN/5000

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

10.02 MI W SR 195, Whitman, WA

Built 1997 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 52

BROWN RD

Good

Over: TOUCHET RIVER

0.49 SOUTH OF SR 124, Walla Walla, WA

Built 2000 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 80

OIL CITY ROAD

Good

Over: CASSEL CREEK

3.59 SW JCT SR101, Jefferson, WA

Built 2000 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 109

14/16TH AVE SE

Good

Over: DUWAMISH RIVER

0.8 MI N OF SR-99, King, WA

Built 2014 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 16,000

CHEWUCK ROAD

Good

Over: FALLS CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Okanogan, WA

Built 1949 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 196

SR 6

Good

Over: TRAP CREEK

11.3 E JCT US 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1918 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,780

SR 18

Good

Over: W VALLEY HWY(OLD SR 181)

2.3 E JCT I-5, King, WA

Built 1957 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 101,558

SR 522

Good

Over: LYON CREEK

1.5 E JCT SR 523, King, WA

Built 2015 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 34,545

T RD SE

Good

Over: EAST LOW CANAL

T SE .2 North of 7 SE, Grant, WA

Built 1984 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 49

MISSION CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: MISSION CREEK

00.0S CASHMERE C.L., Chelan, WA

Built 1986 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,168

L ROAD NE

Good

Over: ROCKY COULEE WW BLK 41

L NE .05 North of 5.6 NE, Grant, WA

Built 1983 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,271

ELBERTON/2400

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

4.96 MI NE DRYCREEK, Whitman, WA

Built 1975 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 160

CASCADE RIVER ROAD

Good

Over: LOOKOUT CREEK

7 MI E JCT SR 20, Skagit, WA

Built 1981 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 188

Showing 4,851-4,900 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.