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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVER MILL CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1952 | 7,782 |
| WEST RIVER | Rhode Island | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1894 | 7,777 |
| GUNN BRANCH | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1924 | 7,770 |
| E FK WHITE RIVER OVFL | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1984 | 7,762 |
| EAST FORK WHITE RIVER | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1941 | 7,762 |
| Ventana Wash | Arizona | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1987 | 7,758 |
| EAST EMMA CREEK | Kansas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1971 | 7,752 |
| EAST EMMA CREEK | Kansas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1971 | 7,752 |
| COPLAY CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1921 | 7,751 |
| LRD CROSS & 2ND ST -MISS | Wisconsin | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1940 | 7,750 |
| GOOSE CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1972 | 7,748 |
| ROCKAWAY RIVER | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1840 | 7,737 |
| AU GRES RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1930 | 7,728 |
| DENIOS CREEK | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1963 | 7,726 |
| CROWS RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 2002 | 7,719 |
| PONCHATOULA CR. | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1932 | 7,716 |
| THREAD RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1928 | 7,716 |
| S BR PINE RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1935 | 7,706 |
| SAGANING CREEK | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1937 | 7,706 |
| BLUE CREEK | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1964 | 7,703 |
| BROOKER CREEK | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1985 | 7,700 |
| BEACON HILL BROOK | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1966 | 7,700 |
| MUERTO CREEK | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1940 | 7,700 |
| HILLSBOROUGH RIVER | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1926 | 7,700 |
| DIXON CREEK | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1981 | 7,698 |
| Las Huertas Creek | New Mexico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1975 | 7,686 |
| DRY CREEK | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1940 | 7,681 |
| JOHNSON CREEK | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1938 | 7,673 |
| TACONY CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1959 | 7,668 |
| ST. JONES RIVER | Delaware | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 7,666 |
| PLUM CREEK UPPER BRANCH | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1982 | 7,662 |
| Darlenes Brook Darlene | New York | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1976 | 7,651 |
| TOUCHET RIVER | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1919 | 7,642 |
| WILSON CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 2007 | 7,637 |
| DESCHUTES RIVER | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 7,631 |
| PIKES CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1935 | 7,630 |
| HARVEYS CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1935 | 7,630 |
| BLACK RIVER | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1932 | 7,629 |
| TEN MILE CREEK TRIBUTARY | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1986 | 7,623 |
| WEST BEAVER CREEK | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1955 | 7,621 |
| BRANCH | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1959 | 7,620 |
| BRANCH | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1959 | 7,620 |
| SWAN CREEK | Alabama | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1926 | 7,620 |
| OHOP CREEK | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1900 | 7,615 |
| TRUCKEE RVR | Nevada | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1937 | 7,600 |
| SUTTER BYPASS | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1938 | 7,600 |
| CYPRESS STRAND | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1985 | 7,600 |
| GRAND RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1948 | 7,600 |
| RAVINES BRANCH OF ROUGE | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1930 | 7,595 |
| FARR HWY/HONOULIULI STRM | Hawaii | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1939 | 7,587 |
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.