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
SHAWANGUNK KILL New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 1,253
BR OF MONTAGUE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 1,251
HALE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1974 1,251
STEWART CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 1,250
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1950 1,250
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 1,240
BRUSHY CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 1,239
SHUTTLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 1,239
REEDER CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 1,239
Skaneateles Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,238
RANGE CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,234
SUGAR CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,232
SEALS GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1993 1,230
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2003 1,229
NICIPER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1936 1,225
MUSTANG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1985 1,224
OUTFALL CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 1,220
TOBLER CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1,220
TICKY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,213
TWIN LAKES CREEK Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 1,213
TICKY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,213
KENNEDY GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1999 1,210
EAST CADDO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 1,209
DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1971 1,209
BUFFALO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 1,206
RITCHIE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 1,203
NUECES RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 1,202
WATER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 1,200
SABINE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,200
WATER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,200
CANE ISLAND BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 1,200
HOG WALLOW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1948 1,200
COMB SDDLE HLL TL & BRK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 1,200
GILBERT CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1930 1,200
Brooks Branch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 1,193
WOLF CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 1,192
Magnolia Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1982 1,190
CIBOLO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 1,190
CHOCTAW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,186
DESERT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1949 1,183
REDMOND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 1,182
Drainage Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1930 1,178
PLUM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 1,165
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 1,163
BLACK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1963 1,161
Francisco Perez Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,161
CYPRESS DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1964 1,160
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 1,158
WEIRS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 1,157
WATER PARKER RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,154

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.