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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOWLER SWITCH CANAL | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1938 | 4,200 |
| DEPRESSION SMALL STREAM | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1925 | 4,200 |
| BIMINI CANAL | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1960 | 4,200 |
| ALAPAHA RIVER OVERFLOW | Florida | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1922 | 4,200 |
| MUD CREEK | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 4,193 |
| RICE CREEK | Minnesota | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1988 | 4,193 |
| JACOCKS CREEK | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 4,193 |
| OVERFLOW | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1934 | 4,193 |
| WOLF CR | Missouri | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1946 | 4,191 |
| BR WOLF CR | Missouri | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1946 | 4,191 |
| WEST BRANCH RIVER | Michigan | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1937 | 4,184 |
| OVER HATCH RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1953 | 4,181 |
| EVITTS CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1964 | 4,176 |
| CLEAR SHADE CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1929 | 4,173 |
| MCCOMMAS CREEK | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1964 | 4,172 |
| SECOND RIVER | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1930 | 4,170 |
| CREEK | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 2010 | 4,167 |
| STAMENS RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1939 | 4,157 |
| NACHES RIVER | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1964 | 4,150 |
| PEABODY RIVER | New Hampshire | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1950 | 4,148 |
| DUNGENESS RIVER | Washington | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1977 | 4,147 |
| OVER JOHNSTON RUN | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1935 | 4,143 |
| WHITEWATER RIVER | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1937 | 4,142 |
| Big Thompson River | Colorado | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1971 | 4,139 |
| OVER ALDER BROOK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1950 | 4,139 |
| REEDY CREEK | Tennessee | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1928 | 4,139 |
| ENGLAND CR | Arkansas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1954 | 4,137 |
| AMAZON CREEK | Oregon | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1980 | 4,132 |
| PINE CREEK | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1915 | 4,130 |
| STILLWATER CREEK | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1979 | 4,130 |
| HUMBOLDT RIVER | Nevada | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1964 | 4,125 |
| HUMBOLDT RVR | Nevada | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1964 | 4,125 |
| TURTLE CREEK BRANCH | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1988 | 4,122 |
| BAYOU PLAQUEMINE BRULE | Louisiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1949 | 4,120 |
| BR MUTTON CREEK DITCH | Indiana | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1923 | 4,119 |
| SALINAS RIVER | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1977 | 4,119 |
| BRICKHOUSE GULLY | Texas | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1967 | 4,110 |
| West Branch Rahway River | New Jersey | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1908 | 4,109 |
| TRIB.TO LITTLE FISHING C | Pennsylvania | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1955 | 4,104 |
| SPLIT ROCK CK | South Dakota | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1963 | 4,101 |
| OTTAUQUECHEE RIVER | Vermont | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1962 | 4,100 |
| CLARIBEL LATERAL | California | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1920 | 4,100 |
| MILL RIVER | Connecticut | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1908 | 4,100 |
| ARKANSAS RIVER | Colorado | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1955 | 4,100 |
| ONION RIVER | Wisconsin | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Good | 1977 | 4,100 |
| CULEBRINAS RIVER | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1928 | 4,100 |
| TRIB TO 6 MI.CREEK | South Carolina | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1973 | 4,100 |
| CHANNEL | Puerto Rico | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Poor | 1960 | 4,100 |
| ROUND VALLEY CREEK | Idaho | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1933 | 4,100 |
| MACHINE CREEK | South Carolina | Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed | Fair | 1967 | 4,100 |
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.