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
HORSEPEN BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 2,000
VINCE BAYOU TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 2,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 2,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 2,000
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2004 2,000
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 2,000
Pittman Wash Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 2,000
WATER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 2,000
BUFFALO CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1976 2,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 2,000
SPRING GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 2,000
WATER UNNAMED BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 2,000
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2001 2,000
Pittman Wash Ped Trail Nevada Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 2,000
DETENTION BASIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 2,000
HORSEPEN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 2,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2008 2,000
CHAMPAGNOLLE CREEK Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1952 2,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 2,000
LIVE OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 2,000
WOODSONS GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 2,000
PANTHER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 2,000
TRIB OF S MAYDE CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 2,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 2,000
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 2,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 2,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 2,000
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2009 2,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1983 2,000
SPRING GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 2,000
ROCK STREAM New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,991
FOX CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 1,988
TRIB OF GILBERT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1918 1,987
White Rock Crk & Samuell Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 1,982
BERRY BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 1,980
Mill Cr Lake Dardanelle Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1983 1,975
PLUM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 1,973
HACKBERRY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 1,971
E VERDE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 1,970
LAKE FORK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1978 1,969
CONNOR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1982 1,965
FILIBUSTER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1935 1,965
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 1,952
BULLOCKS BRANCH South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1,950
TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1934 1,929
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 1,926
BEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2001 1,924
HORSE CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1953 1,919
SHORT CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1953 1,919
WHITE ROCK CREEK TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1983 1,908

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.