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
REYNOLDS CHANNEL New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 5,026
L NATALBANY RIVER Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 5,026
REYNOLDS CHANNEL New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 5,026
NAT. RIVER RELIEF Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 5,026
MUNCIE CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1973 5,026
OVER MORGAN RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 5,026
HOLDER CR Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 5,021
YELLOWSTONE RIVER Montana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1957 5,017
MILL CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1973 5,013
CAYUGA CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 5,008
CICERO CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1986 5,008
LOST RIVER Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1941 5,002
RED ROCK WASH Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1985 5,000
CHANNEL Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1910 5,000
ROARING BR WALLOOMSAC BK Vermont Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1939 5,000
SONOMA CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 5,000
MILE BRANCH Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1965 5,000
FURNACE BROOK Vermont Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 5,000
BARRANQUITAS RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1911 5,000
DIRTY CAMP RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1900 5,000
CREEK Oklahoma Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1941 5,000
CHIPPEWA RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 5,000
WILDCAT CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1960 5,000
SOUTH FORK EEL RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 5,000
SYCAMORE RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 5,000
GRANDE DE LOIZA RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1950 5,000
NORTH BRANCH ROUGE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1943 5,000
BEAR CREEK Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 5,000
SANTA MARIA RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1955 5,000
BEAR CREEK Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 5,000
S FK WILLIS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1941 5,000
E FORK LICK CREEK Illinois Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1962 5,000
PERKINS CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1971 5,000
TRIB TO 18 MILE CR South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1958 5,000
ST JOSEPH RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1984 5,000
KINGS CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1927 5,000
EAST ZAYANTE ROAD California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 5,000
WHITEWATER RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1951 5,000
SCOTT CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1973 5,000
HUNTSVILLE SPRING BRANCH Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1996 5,000
DRY CREEK CANAL California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1941 5,000
HYALITE CREEK Montana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2022 4,997
POMPONAUGH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 4,992
DEVILS FORD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 4,992
CHEYENNE CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 4,986
MOUNTAIN CREEK Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 4,984
BEAVER BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1967 4,983
EAST BRANCH SAUCON CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 4,977
W. BR. BRANDYWINE CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1935 4,970
YELLOWSTONE RIVER Montana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 4,964

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.