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
ROSS DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 10,720
PALEN DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
BUCARABONES RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 10,700
META DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
META DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
OBAN DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
OBAN DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
MATON RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1886 10,700
COPA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
COPA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
PALEN DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
CHESTER CREEK Alaska Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1985 10,700
AZTEC DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
AZTEC DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
TARANTULA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
TARANTULA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
SUTRO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
SUTRO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1966 10,700
ALTA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
ESSO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
WOLF CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1980 10,700
ESSO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
BEEHIVE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
ARCO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
BEEHIVE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
ACARI DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
ACARI DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
RUBBLE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
CUBUY RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 10,700
RUBBLE DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
ALTA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
DUNCAN CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1957 10,700
CUBUY RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1970 10,700
ARCO DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
MUD DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
MUD DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
WALLA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
WALLA DITCH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 10,700
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1987 10,697
FLAT CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1978 10,683
KALAMAZOO RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 10,679
KALAMAZOO RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 10,679
MONOCACY CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1923 10,672
CROOKED CREEK Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1928 10,669
RIVER RAISIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 10,655
HAYNES CREEK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1915 10,640
MILL CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1979 10,635
ELK LAKE CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2024 10,633
CREEK Oklahoma Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1993 10,625
KREUTZ CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 10,619

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.