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
HEATH CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1936 4,200
ARROYO COLORADO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 4,190
LITTLE MINERAL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 4,189
FARBER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1964 4,184
SINK CREEK Iowa Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 4,173
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1956 4,163
SCATTER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1975 4,162
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 4,162
RAYS CRK REL. Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 4,162
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 4,155
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1942 4,150
BULL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 4,145
LOW SMITH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1939 4,143
SABINE RIV REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 4,141
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1938 4,137
GREENS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1981 4,137
SABINE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 4,132
SABINE RIVER RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 4,132
SH 288 SB and H Slough Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 4,127
SNAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1967 4,123
BRASHEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 4,117
SAND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 4,110
SAN BENITO LOW LEVEL CAN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 4,109
POESTA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 4,100
DRY BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1955 4,100
Petit Jean River Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1993 4,100
RIO GRANDE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 4,090
FARMERS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2012 4,090
LOS INDIOS DRAINWAY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 4,090
IRRIGATION CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 4,084
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 4,074
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2010 4,074
RESACA DE LOS CUATES Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 4,066
San Pedro Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2020 4,064
POST OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1929 4,040
POST OAK SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1929 4,040
CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1975 4,035
BIG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 4,023
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 4,023
WOODSON GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 4,000
MONTGOMERY CO. CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 4,000
ANTELOPE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 4,000
PLEASANT GROVE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 4,000
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2016 4,000
MONTGOMERY CO. CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 4,000
ANTELOPE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1982 4,000
RIVERWALK N CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 4,000
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2016 4,000
RIVERWALK N CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 4,000
FLAT ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 3,999

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.