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
ELKHART RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1931 6,944
TRIB LACKAWAXEN RIVER Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 6,936
BUCK RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1914 6,935
GAP RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1918 6,934
FALL CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1957 6,928
MINNESOTA RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1978 6,924
ABBOTT RUN Rhode Island Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 6,921
Snake Creek Canal C-9 Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1962 6,916
N BRANCH RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1922 6,913
San Simon River Arizona Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1923 6,912
DEWEY BRANCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1940 6,907
TAMARACK CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 6,904
Spring Creek Tributary Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 6,900
COROZAL RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1918 6,900
TRUCKEE RVR Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1937 6,900
SAN ANTONIO CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1966 6,900
COXS CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1976 6,900
SAN ANTONIO CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1966 6,900
BEAR CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 6,900
Escambia River Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1957 6,900
ST.JOHNS RIVER-W.CHANNEL Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 6,900
WATER ST SP&UPRR&HMBLT R Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1980 6,900
BLACK RIVER Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 6,899
TOOKANY CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1899 6,890
STREAM Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1978 6,889
S FORK SABINE RIVER REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 6,880
DRY CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1958 6,877
BRENT RUN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1929 6,864
RED RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1947 6,862
HOLLY DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1988 6,858
WEST EMMA CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1988 6,854
ROCK CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1969 6,854
WILLIAMSON RIVER Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 6,854
BIG BLUE RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 6,849
BIG BIRCH CREEK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1941 6,845
KALAMAZOO RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 6,843
SIX MILE RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1924 6,838
OVERFLOW Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1983 6,835
OVERFLOW Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1983 6,835
TURKEY CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1971 6,834
TURKEY CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1971 6,834
FLINT RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1948 6,830
YELLOW BREECHES CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1932 6,826
Gnat Creek Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1929 6,811
BONITA CREEK Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1983 6,800
CREEK Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1950 6,800
Cobbs Creek Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1932 6,800
TRUCKEE RIVER Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 6,800
WALNUT CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1940 6,793
STAGE GULCH Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 6,790

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.