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
MARYS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 3,600
COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 3,572
WATER DAM LOT BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1981 3,571
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 3,570
COMMERCIAL TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2013 3,560
No Name Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 3,549
ARROYO COLORADO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 3,528
JORDAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 3,526
CEDAR CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 3,516
N MAIN DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 3,513
COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 3,500
WATER WESTERN CANAL Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1910 3,500
VOGEL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1979 3,500
Mill Creek Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 3,500
COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 3,500
CCDD NO. 5 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 3,488
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 3,488
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 3,486
CHOCTAW CRK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 3,479
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 3,479
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 3,464
BLACK BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 3,464
MERCEDES MAIN CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 3,462
GOOSE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 3,460
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 3,449
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 3,449
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 3,449
FRIO RIVER OVERFLOW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 3,449
HUNT CROSSING Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 3,440
Ditch M Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 3,424
LITTLE MILL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 3,421
Pecan Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 3,420
MORNING CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2021 3,420
BEAR PEN CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 3,419
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 3,419
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 3,403
WHITE ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 3,398
WHEELER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1952 3,395
Duck Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 3,391
HIDALGO W MAIN DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 3,389
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 3,372
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1927 3,372
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1970 3,370
BIG CYPRESS CREEK SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 3,366
LITTLE CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 3,366
BIG CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 3,366
ROSILLO CRK W TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 3,362
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1955 3,357
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 3,357
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1955 3,357

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.