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
LITTLE SANDY CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1955 3,092
SANDY CREEK Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1979 3,092
SASCO BROOK Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1935 3,090
DUGDEMONA RIVER Louisiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1976 3,086
PEQUEST RIVER BRANCH New Jersey Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1933 3,081
BUFFALO CANAL Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1984 3,078
MYER CREEK Kentucky Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1956 3,076
WOLF CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1940 3,071
RICE CREEK Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 3,070
LITTLE WALNUT RIVER Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1949 3,068
NAUGATUCK RIVER Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1956 3,067
WHITE RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 3,067
MONTOYA DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1984 3,065
PRAIRIE CREEK TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1974 3,065
BIG SUGAR CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1979 3,063
WILLOW CREEK Utah Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1962 3,058
LIME CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1946 3,056
BLANCHARD DRAIN Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1948 3,056
BRAIR FORK FLINT RIVER Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1949 3,052
PUGET SOUND @ EAGLE HRBR Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 2006 3,052
BEAVER RIVER Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1905 3,051
BROWARD RIVER Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1968 3,051
LITTLE McPHERSON BAYOU Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1954 3,046
N F BLK VERMILLION R DRN Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1958 3,045
ALGER CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1928 3,044
NINE MILE CK South Dakota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 3,042
BEAVER CK South Dakota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1963 3,042
ELM RV South Dakota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1959 3,041
PISCATAQUA ESTUARY New Hampshire Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1955 3,041
BEAVER CREEK Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 3,040
PAINT RIVER Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 3,039
LAUREL CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1934 3,032
SWAN CREEK Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1926 3,030
TROUT CREEK Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1933 3,029
WEST SANDY CREEK Tennessee Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1942 3,025
MILL CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1939 3,022
COAST FK WILLAMETTE R Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1965 3,020
LONG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1964 3,017
LABETTE CREEK DRAINAGE Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 3,016
BACHELOR CREEK Kansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1959 3,016
BUTTE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1970 3,013
EBENEEZER CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1963 3,010
IRISH RUN CREEK Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1984 3,009
YELLOW RIVER Indiana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1994 3,008
UNAMI CREEK / 2806-E4 Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Poor 1890 3,005
RIO PUERCO OF THE WEST New Mexico Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1980 3,004
SHOVELSBURG RUN Pennsylvania Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1938 3,004
Big Creek Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1931 3,003
RICKREALL CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Good 1965 3,001
S. EDISTO RIVER South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Installed Fair 1953 3,000

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.