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.
| 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.