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
PORT WASHINGTON NARROWS Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1958 21,462
TROUT RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1939 21,433
GRAND RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 21,410
QUARTZ DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
JEFFRIES CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1977 21,400
MANOA PALOLO STRM Hawaii Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 21,400
ROLLIE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
ROLLIE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
COXCOMB DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 21,400
COXCOMB DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
GHOST DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
GHOST DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
QUARTZ DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 21,400
TUNNEL MILL RACE Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 21,354
NOOKSACK RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 21,350
BARKERS CREEK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1929 21,322
DAWSON CREEK/BLUEBONNET Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1978 21,296
DAWSON CREEK/BLUEBONNET Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1978 21,296
ABSEC. INL.&RAMPJ&N.VE New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1972 21,290
CONNECTICUT RIVER NECRR New Hampshire Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1966 21,268
BEAR CR Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 21,265
BEAR CR Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 21,265
PIEDRAS RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 21,250
NORTH FORK SPRING CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 21,224
NORTH FORK SPRING CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 21,224
Big Thompson River Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1978 21,217
TEN MILE RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1939 21,197
PIGEON CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1948 21,192
ANTELOPE CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1999 21,174
CAMAS SWALE Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 21,171
Columbia River Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1929 21,169
WOLF RIVER Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1965 21,144
COLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 21,125
COLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 21,125
MONUMENT CREEK Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1988 21,121
GRAND RIV & BILLWOOD HWY Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 21,057
PONCHATOULA CREEK C Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 21,045
TACONY CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1941 21,032
US 12;SNAKE RIVER Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1939 21,000
CLEARWATER RIVER;BNRR Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1951 21,000
SNAKE RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1939 21,000
MIRY RUN New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1936 20,985
BEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1974 20,964
CHACON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1996 20,937
PEQUANNOCK RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1952 20,930
MISSION CHANNEL OVERFLOW California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1966 20,910
FLAGON BAYOU RELIEF Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1984 20,902
ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1982 20,874
Canal C-103 Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 20,850
INDIAN CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 20,850

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.