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
FARWELL SOUTH CANAL	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1963	30
SILVER CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1971	30
SILVER CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	30
LITTLE NEMAHA RIV SO FK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	30
NORTH TABLE CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	30
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	30
CLEAR CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1920	30
WILLOW CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1915	30
N BR BIG BLUE RIVER	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1950	30
DOG CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	30
NEWBERRY CREEK	North Carolina	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1953	30
TRIBUTARY OF DEER CREEK	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2005	27
BR CROW CREEK	Illinois	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1930	25
ELKHORN RIVER OVERFLOW	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1993	25
AINSWORTH IRRIG CANAL	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1963	25
CAMBRIDGE-OXFORD-ORLEANS	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1950	25
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
PRAIRIE CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1950	25
SCOTCH BRANCH	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
WOLF CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
RUSSELL CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
WILSON CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1911	25
SANDY CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
TURKEY CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
TURKEY CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
N BR BIG BLUE RIVER	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
N BR BIG BLUE RIVER	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
CLEAR CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
DRINKER CREEK	Pennsylvania	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1920	25
SILVER CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
COW CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1975	25
SOUTH BLACKBIRD CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	25
SOUTH OMAHA CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1910	25
NEALS CR.	North Carolina	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1954	25
SOUTH TOE RIVER	North Carolina	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1962	25
SHEYENNE RIVER	North Dakota	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1979	25
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1991	25
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1940	25
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1992	25
HERMAN CREEK	Oregon	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1966	25
TRIB DRY SALT CREEK	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	2010	24
COAL CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1946	24
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1996	24
Little Shenango Branch	Pennsylvania	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1965	24
E BR ST JOSEPH OF MAUMEE	Michigan	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1910	22
Palo Duro Creek	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1950	22
BIG COTTONWOOD RIVER	Minnesota	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1974	21
NORTH LOGAN CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	20

Scour Critical Bridges by State

States ranked by number of scour critical bridges.

State	Scour Critical	Unaddressed	Countermeasures	Ineffective
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 — Unaddressed	Bridge is scour critical with no countermeasures installed. The foundation is vulnerable and no protective action has been taken.
Code 3 — Countermeasures Installed	Protective measures (riprap, sheet piling, etc.) have been installed to reduce scour risk, but the bridge remains classified as scour critical.
Code 6 — Countermeasures Ineffective	Protective 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.

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