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
Woman Hollering Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1,679
RESACA DEL RANCHO VIEJO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 1,670
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 1,670
SCOTT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 1,669
HOCKLEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 1,669
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 1,666
WHITE OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1973 1,666
MC GRATH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 1,651
TR SPRING CK/PRINGLE CK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 1,648
GOUCHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 1,648
BOIS DARC CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 1,646
BRICKHOUSE GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 1,640
EAST BR DEER CRK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,640
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2018 1,628
NUECES RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 1,624
BOGGY CREEK BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 1,623
Coon Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 1,622
Coon Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 1,622
Cottonwood Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 1,622
CROOKED CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1925 1,617
OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 1,617
PARADISE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1931 1,616
CHOCTAW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 1,616
WEBB CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 1,615
OSO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 1,614
FIRST CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1975 1,614
CALDWELL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 1,610
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 1,610
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1947 1,610
GRASSHOPPER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 1,608
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 1,600
KINGS RIVER Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 1,600
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 1,600
MINERAL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 1,596
WHITE OAK CRK REL #2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 1,587
WHITE OAK CRK REL #1 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 1,587
EAST LANGFORD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1936 1,582
BIG FOSSIL CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1961 1,577
HOLLIDAY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,560
Dry Comal Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2020 1,552
WILLIAMSON BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1938 1,550
BOGGY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 1,546
Buffalo Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 1,541
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 1,541
ARROYO COLORADO Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 1,525
CIBOLO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 1,518
FESSENDEN BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,515
PONDS CREEK DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1999 1,512
DOCTORS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 1,511
MCCOY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1949 1,510

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.