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
JOHNSON DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1930 16,972
CHEMUNG RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1938 16,935
SOUTH BRUSH BAYOU Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1986 16,911
CROSS BAYOU Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1960 16,911
BRUSH BAYOU Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1984 16,911
Thompson Run Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1924 16,904
ROCK RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1957 16,902
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER Rhode Island Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1920 16,893
SEEGAR DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1984 16,871
LEAFS RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 16,823
EMORY RIVER Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1957 16,817
TUOLUMNE RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1916 16,815
BIG FLAT BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1929 16,806
BOUND BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1945 16,801
S.BRANCH OF FORKED RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 16,800
SARASOTA BAY Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1972 16,800
CARSON RIVER Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1980 16,800
Shangri La Creek Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 16,793
WATER NEPONSET RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1875 16,785
BACK BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 16,780
Willamette River Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1925 16,759
CARSON RVR Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 16,750
CARSON RVR Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1987 16,750
CRADLEBAUGH SLOUGH Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 16,750
CRADLEBAUGH SLOUGH Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1987 16,750
CACOOSING CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1934 16,737
MIDDLE BR MACON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 16,735
MIDDLE BR MACON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 16,735
N BR MACON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 16,735
N BR MACON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 16,735
FRANKLIN POND CREEK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1992 16,729
B-90 OVER JOHNSON CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 16,718
LAS VEGAS WASH Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1978 16,700
GRANDE DE LOIZA RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1980 16,700
GTW RR & GRAND RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1979 16,689
ALDER CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 2005 16,683
WATER MILLERS RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 16,680
MANOR CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1947 16,678
MUSQUAPSINK BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1973 16,673
YAKIMA RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1959 16,667
YAKIMA RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1959 16,667
WATERWAY Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 16,650
WATER CHARLES RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1877 16,601
CEDAR RIVER Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1975 16,600
MARK WEST CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 16,600
STEAMBOAT SLOUGH Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1927 16,592
STEAMBOAT SLOUGH Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 16,592
CARENCRO BAYOU Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1948 16,573
ROBINSON BRANCH RAH RIV New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1900 16,566
BR INDIAN CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1993 16,548

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.