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 CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 5,896
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1941 5,874
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1982 5,860
DRY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 5,848
BEAR PEN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 5,827
BELL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 5,810
LIVE BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 5,810
SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 5,810
18 Mile Coleto Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 5,800
MERCEDES MAIN CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 5,779
AUSTIN BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 5,772
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 5,767
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 5,753
RED GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 5,745
RED GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 5,745
WEIRS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1928 5,726
LAKE COLEMAN DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 5,722
Blue Girth Swamp East Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 5,720
Blue Girth Creek West Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 5,720
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 5,720
S TEXAS WATER CO CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 5,712
Big Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1968 5,710
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 5,709
Corpus Christi Ship Chan Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 5,703
Corpus Christi Ship Chan Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 5,703
Corpus Christi Ship Chan Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 5,703
Corpus Christi Ship Chan Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2007 5,703
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 5,687
SABINE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 5,680
WILDCAT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 5,679
SMACKOVER CREEK Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 5,679
SANDY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 5,676
HCFCD #0107-00-00 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 5,676
TWO MILE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1937 5,654
PRAIRIE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1937 5,654
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1937 5,639
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 5,639
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 5,639
CHANDLER CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1966 5,636
LITTLE WHITE OAK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 5,630
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 5,600
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1975 5,585
SAN GERONIMO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1980 5,543
Drainage Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 5,542
DUVAL DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 5,542
Drainage Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 5,542
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1975 5,539
DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 5,520
LORENCE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 5,515
LITTLE SHAWNEE CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1930 5,508

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.