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
TRINITY RIVER REL #1 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 5,066
LAKE ROBBINS Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 5,061
WATER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 5,045
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1967 5,038
FREDERICK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 5,028
RED FISH SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 5,018
HUNTING BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 5,010
HUNTING BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 5,010
SABINE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 5,005
OATS CREEK Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1984 5,003
OATS CREEK Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1984 5,003
PANTHER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 5,000
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 5,000
HCFCD DITCH M Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1992 5,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1950 5,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1981 5,000
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 5,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1969 5,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 5,000
PANTHER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 5,000
WOODLANDS WATERWAY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 5,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1981 5,000
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1978 5,000
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 5,000
HORSEPEN BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1993 5,000
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2007 5,000
HCFCD DITCH M Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 5,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 5,000
PLEASANT GROVE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 5,000
HORSEPEN BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 5,000
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 5,000
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 5,000
PEACH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1970 4,980
WHEELER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1976 4,971
WOLF CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1934 4,969
LITTLE TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1934 4,969
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 4,962
WILLOW WATERHOLE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 4,960
WILLOW WATERHOLE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 4,960
HOLLIDAY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 4,939
SPRING CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 4,922
Drainage Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1950 4,913
Drainage Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1958 4,913
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 4,901
DITCH A Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 4,900
PANTHER CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 4,900
FOUR HOLE SWAMP South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 4,900
Taylor Slough Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 4,885
HOOKER CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 4,884
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 4,874

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.