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
BARGE CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1,153
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 1,150
RIGHT HIGH LEVEL CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 1,136
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1950 1,132
CLOVER FK CUMBERLAND RVR Kentucky Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1925 1,130
TRIB TO DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1972 1,130
Jones Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 1,124
COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 1,120
RICKETTS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 1,109
HOG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 1,106
RED OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2003 1,103
SHARPSTOWN DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 1,100
HCFCD Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 1,100
HCFCD Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 1,100
DRY CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1,100
DRY CREEK TRIBUTARY California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1,100
PORTER FORK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 1,100
VILLAGE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 1,097
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1931 1,097
S BANK OF BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 1,096
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1973 1,093
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1973 1,093
DUNBAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1980 1,092
HURRICANE BAYOU RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1969 1,091
SEYMOUR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 1,091
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1930 1,084
H & W CO. MASTER DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 1,077
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 1,076
HEAD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 1,068
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,068
DRAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 1,068
RAY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 1,068
HARRIS CREEK REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 1,064
DELTA LAKE DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 1,058
WILLACY MAIN CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 1,058
Taber Branch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 1,058
LEGG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 1,056
SALT BRANCH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 1,052
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 1,050
CHOCTAW CRK REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 1,042
NORTH CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 1,038
NORTH CANEY CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 1,038
BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1969 1,038
WATER MILLHAM BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 1,034
BRANCH BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 1,032
LITTLE WHITE OAK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 1,030
SHARPSTOWN DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 1,030
HOLLIDAY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 1,028
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 1,024
SOUTH SULPHUR RIV RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1977 1,023

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.