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
CHOLAME CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 11,200
OCMUGLEE RIVER OVERFLOW Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 11,200
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2020 11,186
MARTIN RD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 11,160
PEACH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 11,160
COOKS SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1939 11,158
TRIB TO W FORK TRIN RIV Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 11,115
SPRING BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 11,105
SPRING BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 11,105
CORNELIASON CREEK BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1936 11,082
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 11,062
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1984 11,058
COLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 11,040
COLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 11,040
MUSTANG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 11,033
ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 11,033
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 11,011
PEACH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 11,005
WHITE OAK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 11,000
WHITE OAK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 11,000
NO NAME Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 10,953
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1976 10,953
MERCEDES MAIN CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 10,911
BUFFALO BYU / HOU AVE Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 10,857
SIMS BYU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1972 10,830
SIMS BYU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1972 10,830
Drainage Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1971 10,818
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 10,807
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 10,801
DRY CREEK JORDAN BRANCH Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 10,759
JONES CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1968 10,750
EAST LIVE OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1951 10,717
HURRICANE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 10,714
BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1947 10,647
POST OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 10,630
BIG COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1937 10,609
TURKEY CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 10,598
N PRONG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1980 10,574
ARROYO COLORADO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 10,551
SANDY BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1946 10,548
Martins Creek South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 10,500
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 10,461
China Ditch Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2009 10,460
Jones Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1994 10,445
SOUTH BRANCH PINE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1946 10,333
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1966 10,332
SPRING BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 10,284
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 10,282
TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 10,266
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1968 10,253

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.