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
WEISER RIVER Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 3,200
MUD CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1962 3,200
ASPETUCK RIVER Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 3,200
ROCKY CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1971 3,200
NOTTAWA CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1931 3,200
MIDDLE CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1971 3,200
INDIAN CR Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 3,200
HORNBUCKLE CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1971 3,200
Canal 068 Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1952 3,200
S.FK.COEUR DALENE RIVER Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1978 3,200
TRIB TO MACHINE CK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1967 3,200
SALMON FALLS CRK Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1933 3,200
Canal 071 Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1953 3,200
EL CHORRO CREEK Puerto Rico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1925 3,200
Ile Des Cannes Coulee Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1992 3,200
Beaver Creek Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 3,196
CIWA CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1970 3,195
MILL CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1989 3,193
LITTLE ARKANSAS RIVER Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1956 3,191
LITTLE APPLEGATE RIVER Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 2006 3,191
CANAL Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 2017 3,191
SHOUPS RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1989 3,190
OLIVER CREEK Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 3,189
LITTLE COMITE RIVER Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1951 3,188
PIGEON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1939 3,188
ASHAWAY RIVER Rhode Island Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1950 3,184
WILSON RIVER Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 3,183
SOUTH BRANCH MIDDLE CRK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1927 3,182
FARMERS HIGHLINE CANAL Colorado Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1930 3,182
PORTAGE RIVER DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1939 3,180
US 36 LTL RACCOON CR R Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 3,177
Maxey Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 2003 3,175
PETERS CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1956 3,168
MIDDLE BRANCH RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1939 3,158
I.C.W.W Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1969 3,157
MC LAUGHLIN RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1935 3,155
GUADALUPE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 3,153
SANTA PAULA CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1969 3,150
INDIAN SPRINGS Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1911 3,150
DIXON DITCH Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1929 3,144
MACON RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1947 3,140
MCCLURE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1918 3,140
US 36 LTL RACCOON CR R Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 3,139
COUGAR CREEK Montana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 3,139
OVERFLOW Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1939 3,134
CREEK Oklahoma Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1960 3,132
LOOSAHATCHIE RIVER Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1960 3,132
PENDLETON CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1990 3,130
KANSAS RIVER Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1965 3,128
FLAT RIVER Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1978 3,124

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.