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
LITTLE BULL CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 11,736
CARICABOA RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1937 11,700
N BRANCH RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1972 11,686
WHITE OAK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 11,680
WHITE OAK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1965 11,680
QUASSAIC CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1929 11,671
NORTH BR PENNSAUKEN CK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1912 11,669
CEDAR RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1958 11,649
MIDDLE BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1936 11,646
MILL CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 11,636
WAFER CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 11,636
CYPRESS CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1961 11,636
YUBA RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1957 11,630
TOWAMENCIN CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1855 11,616
HOLDER CR HOBART RD Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1961 11,615
BOECKMAN CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1986 11,613
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 11,605
CASS RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1943 11,600
BIG SYCAMORE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1938 11,600
WAIALUA TWN A (HELEMANO) Hawaii Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1928 11,600
OPAELUA WAIALUA TWN B Hawaii Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1928 11,600
WISSAHICKON CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1964 11,591
Johnson CK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 11,588
Santa Cruz River Arizona Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 11,577
WATER LEESVILLE PD OTLT Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1935 11,567
JOHNSON CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1949 11,561
MISSISSIPPI RIVER Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 11,561
ST. JONES RIVER Delaware Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1885 11,547
S FK SNOQUALMIE R Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1936 11,531
S BR RAISIN RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1932 11,522
FISH COVE New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 11,515
RED CEDAR RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2024 11,510
THREE STAR DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
W. Relief Indian River Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1987 11,500
WIDE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
TETON CREEK Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1979 11,500
ADAIR DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
IROLO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
IRELAND CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1938 11,500
ADAIR DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
THREE STAR DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
HILLOCK DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
HILLOCK DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
WIDE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1967 11,500
SINKUM DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1969 11,498
Pima Lateral Canal Arizona Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1920 11,494
WEST COLYELL CR. Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1932 11,488
EAGLE CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1972 11,487
ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 11,478
PERKIOMEN CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1798 11,474

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.