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
SMALL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1976 12,235
BOGGY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1976 12,235
Brooks Branch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1977 12,186
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 12,134
N FLOODWAY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 12,122
N FLOODWAY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 12,122
S MAIN DRAINAGE D Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1979 12,121
E FORK LA NANA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 12,115
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1966 12,030
BUFFALO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 12,005
OTO BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 12,004
Frio River Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1973 12,003
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 11,926
LUCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1987 11,906
WATERLOO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 11,904
LOY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 11,904
OYSTER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 11,900
OYSTER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 11,900
MCKAMY BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 11,865
LITTLE CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 11,798
LAWRENCE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1943 11,775
SAN FRANCISCO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1947 11,772
W BR FRANCISCO PEREZ Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1947 11,772
BENS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 11,759
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 11,759
GOOSE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 11,743
Ditch Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 11,700
GARNERS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 11,673
SAND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 11,550
CRYSTAL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1926 11,507
FILBIN CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1992 11,500
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 11,490
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 11,490
HUNTING BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1987 11,490
HORSEPEN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 11,472
GUM BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 11,441
BUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 11,426
LOG GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 11,419
EAST FORK CRYSTAL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1971 11,405
KUHLMAN GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 11,400
DRAINAGE Iowa Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1948 11,400
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1934 11,381
WHITE OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 11,381
Bessies Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1981 11,317
ROWLETT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 11,255
Flat Bank Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 11,224
SMITH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 11,215
HCWID # 1 MAIN CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2013 11,204
HCWID # 1 MAIN CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2013 11,204
CHOLAME CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 11,200

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.