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
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 1,000
WEST CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1953 1,000
SEARS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1,000
FOURPOLE CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1940 1,000
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 1,000
BIG CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1942 996
DENTON CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1942 996
SABINAL RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 992
WILLAWALLA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 990
SABINE RIVER RELIEF NO 2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 986
STOVALL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1985 984
W. LITTLE POST OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1929 983
NEWTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 981
RESERVOIR BROOK Vermont Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 980
COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 973
FLAT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 973
HUNGARY BROOK Connecticut Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 970
LYNN CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 970
BIG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 968
SEYMOUR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 967
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 966
ELM CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 960
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1953 960
CANEY CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 950
ROCK CREEK RELIEF #3 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 950
ROCK CREEK RELIEF #2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 950
ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 944
LANDERS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 944
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 943
Frio River Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1922 940
LYNCH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 940
SHARPSTOWN DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 938
SABINE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 936
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 936
BIG BLACK RIVER Mississippi Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1939 930
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 929
CHOCTAW SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1949 923
DELTA LAKE DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1971 922
Cache River Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1948 920
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 909
Pepper Creek Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 908
WHISKEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1934 906
CUTHAND CREEK BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1951 906
Little Sandy Cree West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 904
LAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1970 903
MAXWELL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 902
SANDY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 902
FOURPOLE CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 900
TRACE CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 900
WATER MILL RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 900

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.