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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intracoastal Waterway | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1971 | 9,150 |
| Intracoastal Waterway | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1971 | 9,150 |
| PEQUANNOCK RIVER | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1943 | 9,147 |
| LAKE CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1938 | 9,132 |
| WOODBURY CREEK | New York | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1937 | 9,130 |
| FLINT RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1926 | 9,126 |
| FACTORY CREEK | Alabama | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1974 | 9,125 |
| FACTORY CREEK (-) | Alabama | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1974 | 9,125 |
| BLACK RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1972 | 9,123 |
| BLACK RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1972 | 9,123 |
| BRANCH OF FRENCH CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1961 | 9,113 |
| PLUM CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1912 | 9,112 |
| BAYOU DORCHEAT | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1954 | 9,109 |
| HUBS BAYOU | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1972 | 9,104 |
| ROCKY SLOUGH | Nevada | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1987 | 9,100 |
| KAUKONAHUA STRM | Hawaii | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1940 | 9,100 |
| EAST FORK CARSON RIVER | Nevada | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1981 | 9,100 |
| CONNECTICUT RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1913 | 9,100 |
| PELICAN ISLAND CHAN | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1960 | 9,100 |
| LITTLE RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1933 | 9,100 |
| LITTLE RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1933 | 9,100 |
| CROCKERY CREEK | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1953 | 9,100 |
| CROCKERY CREEK | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1961 | 9,100 |
| QUINEBAUG RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1957 | 9,100 |
| VACA RIVER | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1958 | 9,100 |
| HILLSBOROUGH RIVER | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1959 | 9,100 |
| 10TH ST. @ BEAR CR. | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1960 | 9,097 |
| SOUTH CREEK | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1947 | 9,080 |
| COLUMBIA RIVER VANTAGE | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1962 | 9,077 |
| AUSTIN RUN | Virginia | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1933 | 9,070 |
| WATER FORT POND BROOK | Massachusetts | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1900 | 9,069 |
| SCOTLAND RUN | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1970 | 9,068 |
| DRAIN | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1954 | 9,053 |
| STONY BROOK | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1924 | 9,052 |
| Rockaway River | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1967 | 9,052 |
| BUFFALO RIVER | New York | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1952 | 9,043 |
| NODAWAY RVR | Missouri | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1966 | 9,040 |
| ROCK RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1920 | 9,029 |
| MOREAU RVR | Missouri | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1978 | 9,027 |
| WILLOW RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 9,021 |
| CHESTER CREEK / 3694-J10 | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1898 | 9,019 |
| WATER WEWEANTIC RIVER | Massachusetts | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1929 | 9,017 |
| LACAMAS CREEK | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1957 | 9,017 |
| CROOKED OAK CREEK | Oklahoma | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 2000 | 9,000 |
| TANGIPAHOA RIVER | Mississippi | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1960 | 9,000 |
| PUGET SOUND @ EAGLE HRBR | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1972 | 9,000 |
| TANGIPAHOA RIVER | Mississippi | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1960 | 9,000 |
| ARENAS CREEK | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1939 | 9,000 |
| GRANDE DE MANATI RIVER | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1955 | 9,000 |
| BIG MEADOW DRAIN | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1899 | 9,000 |
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.