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
MYSTIC RIVER Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1922 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
BLACK WARRIOR BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1972 10,997
LITTLE WALLA WALLA RIVER Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1948 10,992
JORDAN RIVER Utah Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 10,981
S BR BAD RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1977 10,976
N BR BAD RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1929 10,976
LITTLE AQUASHICOLA CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1922 10,968
BEAVER RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1920 10,965
MORGAN CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1930 10,965
FAWN RIVER (RESERVOIR AR Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1961 10,962
Fossil Creek Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1985 10,956
RR * BEACHCREEK Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1976 10,950
PRAIRIE CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1941 10,947
HOG CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 10,926
HOG CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 10,926
SHIAWASSEE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1906 10,918
Beaver Creek Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 10,913
TRB CORNELL CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1974 10,908
CREEK Oklahoma Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1979 10,900
KINGSTON LAKE South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 10,900
SAINT HELENA CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1934 10,900
CA%AS RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1925 10,900
SECA CREEK Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 10,900
S BR OF GRAND RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 10,893
INDIAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1932 10,888
GRAND RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1966 10,885
ST JOHNS DTCH Missouri Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 10,882
KALAMAZOO RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 10,850
PINE CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 10,840
GOFFLE BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1983 10,839
HO-HO-KUS BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1899 10,838
MAPLE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1955 10,831
MAPLE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1988 10,831
CLINTON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 10,830
MASONICUS BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1902 10,822
TEBO DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1937 10,813
CADDELL DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1973 10,800
NEPAUG RIVER Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1923 10,800
MUDDY RIVER Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1947 10,800
SARVER RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1938 10,782
NORTH BRANCH SUSQ RIVER Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2000 10,761
TAR RIVER North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1977 10,750
SHERWOOD CREEK Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1952 10,739
MOORES RUN Maryland Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1930 10,737
HARBER DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 10,737
HARBER DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 10,737
ROSS DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 10,720

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.