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
MUSTANG CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 14,523
LAKE HARRISON Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1974 14,460
SULPHUR BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1942 14,439
LONG BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 14,419
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 14,273
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 14,272
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 14,250
CANE BR BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1936 14,181
US 181 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 14,175
BURROWS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1970 14,100
CANE BR BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1967 14,026
SALT CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 14,000
HCFCD CHANNEL A-119-05 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 14,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 13,965
BIG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 13,931
TRINITY RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2001 13,830
CCWID #1 MAIN N DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 13,770
POST OAK CRK TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1981 13,766
POST OAK CRK TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1943 13,766
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 13,755
GOOSE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 13,747
MEMORIAL & BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 13,719
POST OAK CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 13,710
SNAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1967 13,685
CEDAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 13,640
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 13,629
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1979 13,605
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1994 13,600
HARDY TOLL RD & UP RR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 13,573
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 13,555
LITTLE CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1936 13,511
SIMS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 13,499
SIMS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 13,499
W FK SAN JACINTO RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 13,433
W FK SAN JAC RI N REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 13,433
W FK SAN JACINTO S REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 13,433
TRIB N BR SYCAMORE CREEK Ohio Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1982 13,431
Bens Branch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1948 13,414
BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 13,403
BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 13,402
MAGNOLIA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 13,400
FAIRCHILDS CRK TRIB 2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 13,400
BIG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 13,400
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 13,389
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 13,389
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 13,370
Fairchilds Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 13,365
Foss Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 13,365
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1947 13,312
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1949 13,312

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.