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
TRIBUTARY TO TAYLOR BRAN	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	15
N FK ELKHORN RIVER	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1935	15
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	15
COURTLAND CANAL	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	15
WALNUT CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	15
Wright Creek	Pennsylvania	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1963	15
DRAW	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1936	14
STREAM	Iowa	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1925	11
LIMESTONE CREEK	Kansas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Good	1989	10
BRANCH OF OWL CREEK	Kansas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1930	10
SALINE CREEK	Kentucky	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1980	10
WATER ELIZABETH BROOK	Massachusetts	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1900	10
SAWMILL CREEK	Michigan	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1985	10
LAKE CR	Missouri	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2009	10
SPAR CR	Montana	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1955	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
VERDIGRIS CREEK SO BR	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1955	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
N BR WEEPING WATER CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
STOVE CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
AMES CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
DRY CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
CHADRON CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
SOUTH CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1970	10
ELDER CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
CORSON BRANCH	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
DRY CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1990	10
WOLF CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
OWL CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
JORDAN CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
BIG SLOUGH	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
ARKEKETA CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
CLEAR CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
SHELL CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1935	10
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
ROCK CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
Potholes East Canal	Washington	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1952	10
SPRING CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
KANE CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
OAK CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
WILLOW CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	10
SPRING CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1955	10
COURTHOUSE CREEK	North Carolina	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1939	10
DRY HOLLOW CREEK	Tennessee	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1984	10
SPIVEY CREEK	Tennessee	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1974	10
ELM FORK TRINITY RIVER	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1986	10

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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