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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAIOLANI STRM | Hawaii | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1931 | 12,302 |
| CABIN JOHN CREEK | Maryland | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1863 | 12,300 |
| PETERS RIVER | Rhode Island | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1926 | 12,300 |
| COAST FK WILLAMETTE R | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1950 | 12,291 |
| WILLAMETTE R RELIEF OPNG | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1955 | 12,291 |
| CROSSWICKS CREEK | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1924 | 12,291 |
| RUSH CREEK | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1949 | 12,246 |
| PHILLIPPI CREEK | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1969 | 12,200 |
| FARM RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1935 | 12,200 |
| WATER BLACKSTONE RIVER | Massachusetts | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1924 | 12,200 |
| Wissahickon Creek | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1820 | 12,200 |
| JESTER CREEK | Kansas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1970 | 12,200 |
| JESTER CREEK | Kansas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1970 | 12,200 |
| SHAWS CREEK | South Carolina | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1954 | 12,200 |
| WATER MILL RIVER | Massachusetts | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1924 | 12,200 |
| GEORGES CREEK | South Carolina | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1948 | 12,200 |
| SHEEP CREEK | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 2005 | 12,199 |
| DRAINAGE CANAL | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 2011 | 12,186 |
| WALLKILL RIVER | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1929 | 12,175 |
| Marys River | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1954 | 12,164 |
| JEANS CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1989 | 12,158 |
| DRAINAGE OVERFLOW | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1954 | 12,132 |
| VALLEY CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1929 | 12,126 |
| LA NANA CRK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1975 | 12,115 |
| POCONO CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1956 | 12,104 |
| PAUMALU STRM | Hawaii | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1930 | 12,100 |
| HOCKANUM RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1983 | 12,100 |
| KALAMAZOO RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1943 | 12,100 |
| SCHNABLE RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1988 | 12,100 |
| BURNT CORN CREEK | Alabama | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1959 | 12,100 |
| BURNT CORN CREEK | Alabama | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1959 | 12,100 |
| ST JOSEPH RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1968 | 12,063 |
| ST JOSEPH RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1968 | 12,063 |
| BUTTE CREEK | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1949 | 12,054 |
| FANNO CREEK | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1971 | 12,041 |
| BUSHKILL CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1894 | 12,031 |
| MCKENZIE OFLOW | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1966 | 12,026 |
| MCKENZIE OFLOW | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1966 | 12,026 |
| BRUSHY CREEK | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1953 | 12,023 |
| BOGUE CHITTO RIVER | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1997 | 12,018 |
| BOGUE CHITTO RELIEF | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1996 | 12,018 |
| SALMON RIVER | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1972 | 12,006 |
| BUFFALO CREEK RELIEF | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1930 | 12,005 |
| CULEBRINAS RIVER | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1979 | 12,000 |
| GARNETT CREEK | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1902 | 12,000 |
| HATCHET CREEK | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1959 | 12,000 |
| Intracoastal Waterway | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1989 | 12,000 |
| Intracoastal Waterway | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1987 | 12,000 |
| DUCK CRK | Nevada | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1974 | 12,000 |
| POSSESSION SOUND | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1987 | 12,000 |
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.