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
LITTLE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 2,197
VILLAGE CREEK Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1977 2,192
SALT BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 2,190
LITTLE PINE CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 2,180
LITTLE PINE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 2,180
PINE CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 2,180
US 181/DRAINAGE CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 2,179
Isle Dubois Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1987 2,177
MIDDLE SULPHUR REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 2,176
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 2,176
Wolf Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 2,173
Indian Creek Tributary Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 2,173
Indian Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 2,173
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 2,166
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 2,160
ARMAND BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2012 2,160
COLLINS CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 2,156
BEECHER CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 2,150
PECAN BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 2,148
PECAN BAYOU RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 2,148
W CADDO CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 2,139
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 2,139
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 2,139
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 2,139
WEST CADDO CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 2,139
BIRCH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 2,133
JASPER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1931 2,127
ARROYO COLORADO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 2,126
W CADDO CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1941 2,118
LITTLE PINE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1993 2,114
LOS NEGROS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2008 2,106
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 2,105
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 2,105
PIGEON CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 2,100
W CANEY CRK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1975 2,099
WILLOW WATERHOLE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 2,080
PAPER MILL BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 2,080
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1979 2,037
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 2,030
CLEAR CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 2,023
LITTLE PINE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 2,019
ARROYO COLORADO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1966 2,008
MIDDLE SULPHUR RIV Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 2,001
Pittman Wash Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 2,000
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2009 2,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2008 2,000
VINCE BAYOU TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 2,000
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 2,000
WATER UNNAMED BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 2,000
S MAYDE CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 2,000

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.