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
MOORES CREEK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1912 11,227
NINNESCAH RIVER Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 11,227
NINNESCAH RIVER Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 11,227
ISAAC BRANCH-MOORES LAKE Delaware Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1919 11,225
PLUM BROOK DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1972 11,214
DESCHUTES RIVER Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 11,211
MISSISSINEWA RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 11,210
ALA RIVER RELIEF Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 11,205
GOLDEN GATE MAIN CANAL Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1965 11,205
Leon Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 11,202
DESCALABRADO RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1921 11,200
UNKNOWN WATERWAY Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1994 11,200
PIEDRAS RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1965 11,200
TRUCKEE RIVER Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1980 11,200
Lee Moore Wash Arizona Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1973 11,193
CROSS BAYOU Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1990 11,190
CLINTON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1928 11,186
POCOPSON CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1937 11,166
LONG RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 11,163
BEAVER CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1928 11,160
LACAMAS LAKE Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1930 11,155
CHESTER CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1966 11,154
WACCAMAW RIVER South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2000 11,150
WACCAMAW RIVER South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2000 11,150
PICKERING CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 11,149
EAST BR. RED CLAY CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 11,141
NANTICOKE RIVER Delaware Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1920 11,140
S BR OF GRAND RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 11,135
JORDAN CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1932 11,127
BAYOU JOE MORCEL Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1994 11,126
WYOMISSING CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1931 11,125
WHITE RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1950 11,120
HUNTER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 11,105
FOUR MILE BROOK Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 11,100
RABBIT RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1935 11,100
MAKAUA STRM Hawaii Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 11,100
FRENCH CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 11,100
N PUNALUU STRM Hawaii Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1926 11,100
CHISHOLM CREEK TRIB. Oklahoma Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 2007 11,043
BLAIR GAP RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 11,038
BLACKBIRD CREEK Delaware Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1933 11,021
BLACKBIRD CREEK Delaware Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1920 11,020
PAW PAW CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 11,016
HARPETH RIVER Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1962 11,007
SNAKE RIVER;HOMEDALE BR. Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1969 11,000
SAN BENITO RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1959 11,000
NOJOQUI CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1956 11,000
S.FORK CATAWBA RIVER North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 11,000
NOJOQUI CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1956 11,000
MYSTIC RIVER Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1922 11,000

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.