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
FALL BRANCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1991 3,935
MAIDEN CREEK TRIBUTARY Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1929 3,933
MAIDEN CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 3,933
BUSHNECK BAYOU Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1948 3,931
GUTHRIE CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1979 3,929
INDIAN CREEK Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1927 3,925
PRAIRIE CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1980 3,924
COSUMNES RIVER California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1964 3,921
BIRD HOLLOW CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 3,910
BAY CITY CREEK Wisconsin Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 3,909
MAUMEE RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 3,904
SWAN CREEK Wisconsin Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 3,900
FOUR HOLE SWAMP South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 3,900
HUTCHINSON CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1952 3,900
SALIENTE RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 3,900
LOOKING GLASS RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1993 3,900
CREEK Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1976 3,900
LAKESIDE CREEK Wisconsin Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 3,900
LAKESIDE CREEK Wisconsin Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1927 3,900
COONEWAH CREEK Mississippi Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1958 3,900
SECOND HILL BROOK Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1958 3,900
RICHLAND CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 3,900
W BR FOND DU LAC RIVER Wisconsin Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1965 3,900
LAPA RIVER Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1926 3,900
TRUCKEE RIVER Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 3,900
TRUCKEE RIVER Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 3,900
DRAW CATTLE UNDERPASS Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 3,900
TYGART VALLEY RIVER West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1972 3,900
WOLF RIVER Mississippi Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1996 3,900
BAYAMON CREEK Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1929 3,900
BOISE RIVER Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1961 3,900
CONTENTNEA CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1975 3,900
MULA CREEK Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1926 3,900
TRIB MILLER RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1951 3,897
SHOOKS RUN Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 3,894
TARVER CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1950 3,888
MIDDLETONS CREEK Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1958 3,887
OVER SHENANGO RIVER N BR Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1916 3,887
CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1973 3,881
ARKANSAS RIVER Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 3,878
CHESTER CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1933 3,875
SOUTH BR CHIPPEWA RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1958 3,870
APPLE TREE COVE Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1952 3,866
N BRANCH BLACK RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1981 3,862
NILE DITCH Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 3,862
GRAND RVR Missouri Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1965 3,860
BURNETT BROOK New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1910 3,855
GRASSY FORK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1985 3,852
M FORK WILDCAT CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1933 3,852
APPLE CREEK North Dakota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1965 3,850

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.