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
WAPPINGER CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 897
WILLOW BROOK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 897
CALF CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 895
BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 895
CHOCTAW CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1949 895
TAYLOR BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 892
N FLOODWAY PILOT CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 891
RATTLESNAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 888
MCNATT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 886
LONE STAR CROSSING Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 882
ALLEN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1936 881
BERRY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 880
HORSE CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 870
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 869
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 864
ELM FORK TRINITY RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 861
MOORE HOLLOW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1941 860
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 860
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1964 858
SMITH BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 855
COUCHER CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 850
RT FK OF BUFFALO CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 850
Big Two Mile Creek West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2013 850
SABINE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 847
BEE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 844
DRY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 843
BERGER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 843
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1976 842
SHOOTER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1966 838
CCID #1 DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2010 838
HAMMOND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 837
EAST CADDO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1982 830
BRUSHY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 826
BRANCH OF CUTHAND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 826
TONKAWA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 824
SOUTH PARK LAKE New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 822
CHOCTAW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 820
BOIS DARC CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 819
BRADEN BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 817
DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 817
LOW LINE CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 816
BRUSHY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 815
SANDY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 811
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 811
TRIB FRENCH CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 805
WILLACY MAIN CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 805
AUDS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 804
DITCH NO 31 Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 803
GUYANDOTTE RIVER West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 800
BEAR BRANCH TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 800

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.