Scour Critical Bridges

23,522 bridges across the US at risk from water erosion around foundations.

Scour Critical Bridges

Scour is the erosion of soil and rock around a bridge's foundation caused by moving water. When foundations are exposed or undermined, a bridge can collapse even if its deck and superstructure are in good condition. Scour is the leading cause of bridge failures in the US. These 23,522 bridges have been identified as vulnerable to scour damage.

Bridge State Scour Status Condition Year Built ADT
KRUME DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,100
ORRIS DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,100
SULTAN RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1940 23,022
TARO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
TARO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
Reed Canal Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1931 23,000
BULA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
BULA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
UNION DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 23,000
UNION DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
SHANTY DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
SHANTY DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 23,000
AJAX DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
AJAX DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
Dania Cut-Off Canal Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1984 23,000
ST MARYS RIVER & PARK TR Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1972 23,000
ORRIS DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
DETERMINATION DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 23,000
DETERMINATION DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 23,000
Rillito River Arizona Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1971 22,976
W.BR. RAHWAY RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1938 22,864
RTE 405 605 CONN RIV California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1966 22,800
SUGAR CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1963 22,769
HERRING RUN Maryland Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1925 22,752
WACCAMAW RIV SCLRR L-123 South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1937 22,700
JACAGUAS RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1970 22,700
SHIAWASSEE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 22,689
S BR SHIAWASSEE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 22,592
S BR SHIAWASSEE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 22,592
Yamhill River Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1957 22,538
INTRACOASTAL W/W North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 22,500
WATER CHARLES RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1860 22,500
NEW RIVER & NEW RVR DRS Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 22,500
SAN JACINTO RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1988 22,475
DAWSON CR.BRG.(ACADIAN) Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 22,447
MILL BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1969 22,365
Donkey Creek Wyoming Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 22,352
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1957 22,330
MILL CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 22,307
CONNECTICUT RIVER NECRR New Hampshire Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1966 22,288
MISSOURI RVR BNSF RR Missouri Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1979 22,278
PINE CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1912 22,269
SHINNECOCK CANAL New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 22,230
SOUTH BR RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1928 22,203
TRUCKEE RIVER Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1971 22,200
SIMONSONS CHANNEL New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 22,162
FIVE MILE RUN New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1928 22,136
BROWN DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1964 22,124
JESSE LITTLE DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 22,124
MAHONNEY CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1937 22,116

Scour Critical Bridges by State

States ranked by number of scour critical bridges.

StateScour CriticalUnaddressedCountermeasuresIneffective
Texas 3,912 75 516 3,321
Pennsylvania 2,233 45 2,187 1
Louisiana 1,302 13 1,288 1
South Carolina 1,263 0 1,217 46
Oregon 1,231 4 1,221 6
Michigan 1,081 14 1,062 5
Nebraska 962 224 732 6
New York 864 9 780 75
Indiana 756 7 749 0
Wisconsin 751 0 748 3
Kansas 638 9 626 3
California 623 27 562 34
Tennessee 581 12 569 0
Washington 516 14 487 15
Puerto Rico 496 9 487 0
Alabama 450 1 423 26
Iowa 392 3 385 4
New Jersey 362 2 360 0
Florida 357 4 339 14
Oklahoma 317 33 283 1
Missouri 312 4 307 1
Mississippi 301 6 286 9
Connecticut 279 0 276 3
Minnesota 257 38 202 17
Vermont 242 0 240 2
Colorado 241 3 238 0
Idaho 215 18 186 11
South Dakota 207 3 203 1
Arkansas 187 3 129 55
Massachusetts 166 15 106 45
Montana 166 13 140 13
Arizona 164 2 160 2
West Virginia 160 2 98 60
Alaska 159 1 146 12
Maine 140 13 126 1
North Carolina 130 9 105 16
New Mexico 127 4 114 9
North Dakota 102 14 87 1
Utah 100 6 82 12
Georgia 99 1 81 17
Illinois 99 3 85 11
Nevada 94 0 85 9
Rhode Island 94 0 93 1
New Hampshire 86 2 78 6
Hawaii 83 0 82 1
Kentucky 56 16 39 1
Maryland 54 1 51 2
Wyoming 51 1 48 2
Delaware 39 0 39 0
Ohio 12 2 4 6
Virginia 8 0 8 0
District of Columbia 5 0 4 1

Scour Critical Rating Codes

Code 2 — UnaddressedBridge is scour critical with no countermeasures installed. The foundation is vulnerable and no protective action has been taken.
Code 3 — Countermeasures InstalledProtective measures (riprap, sheet piling, etc.) have been installed to reduce scour risk, but the bridge remains classified as scour critical.
Code 6 — Countermeasures IneffectiveProtective measures were installed but have been assessed as ineffective. The bridge requires re-evaluation and additional action.

About Scour Critical Bridges

Scour critical bridges have been identified through underwater inspection or analysis as having foundations that are unstable or could become unstable during flood conditions. FHWA requires action plans for all scour critical bridges. Famous scour failures include the 1987 Schoharie Creek Bridge collapse in New York.