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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FARR HWY/HONOULIULI STRM | Hawaii | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1939 | 7,587 |
| E FORK GOOSE CRK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1975 | 7,582 |
| E FORK GOOSE CRK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1960 | 7,582 |
| LACKAWAXEN RIVER | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1943 | 7,579 |
| S BR RAISIN RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 7,560 |
| AQUILLA CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1939 | 7,556 |
| PERSIMMON CREEK | Alabama | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1927 | 7,550 |
| SOUTH UMPQUA OVERFLOW | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1963 | 7,548 |
| TITTABAWASEE RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1932 | 7,544 |
| Santiam River OFlow #4 | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1958 | 7,541 |
| BRANCH PICKERING CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1938 | 7,540 |
| MUSKEGON RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1996 | 7,526 |
| BRUSHY BAYOU | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1975 | 7,518 |
| ITHAN CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1922 | 7,516 |
| FIVE MILE CREEK TRIB | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1974 | 7,512 |
| FIVE MILE CREEK TRIB | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1974 | 7,512 |
| M FORK WILDCAT CREEK | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1990 | 7,510 |
| FINLEY CREEK | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1958 | 7,502 |
| NEWTON WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| EIGHT MILE CREEK | Wisconsin | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1938 | 7,500 |
| WHITTLESEY CREEK | Wisconsin | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1954 | 7,500 |
| ARDIS DITCH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1971 | 7,500 |
| WOODS WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| WOODS WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| MCGINLEY WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| MCGINLEY WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| NEWTON WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| BLACK CYN WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| BLACK CYN WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| HALFWAY HILLS WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1970 | 7,500 |
| CLEAR CREEK | Colorado | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1950 | 7,500 |
| BLIND HILLS WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| BLIND HILLS WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1970 | 7,500 |
| GUAYNABO RIVER | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1939 | 7,500 |
| ARDIS DITCH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1971 | 7,500 |
| NECK RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1914 | 7,500 |
| WOLF RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1938 | 7,498 |
| DRAINAGE DITCH | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1930 | 7,495 |
| BOGUE CHITTO RIVER | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1974 | 7,481 |
| BOGUE CHITTO RV RELIEF | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1975 | 7,481 |
| TRIB. TO KERSHNERS CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1930 | 7,473 |
| S BR TOBACCO RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1935 | 7,472 |
| RIPPOWAM RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1935 | 7,470 |
| WHITE ROCK CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1986 | 7,469 |
| MISSISSINEWA RIVER | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1910 | 7,460 |
| DARBY CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1905 | 7,453 |
| WHALE MTN WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1966 | 7,450 |
| WHALE MTN WASH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1966 | 7,450 |
| SUWANNEE RIVER | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1963 | 7,450 |
| TANK TOWER DITCH | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1971 | 7,450 |
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.