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.

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.