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
BRUSHY CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 640
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 640
COHOCTON RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 635
RAYMONDVILLE DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 635
GULF STREAM New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 633
BOUGE HASTY Mississippi Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 630
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 629
BARNETT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 628
DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 628
WILDCAT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 626
ARNOLD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 624
MIDDLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 624
LITTLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 624
St. Francis River Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 620
VADEN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 620
BOIS DARC CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 620
BOIS DARC CREEK REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 620
CHEHALIS RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 620
WHETSTONE CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 619
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 617
LITTLE CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 615
NORTH DITCH Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 610
EAST FORK POST OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 610
FANNIN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1969 610
TRIB NORTH BOSQUE RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1920 609
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 609
REDDING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 608
SCHOOLEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 608
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1949 606
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1942 602
COFFEE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 601
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 601
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 600
SHOOK BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 600
RUM CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1979 600
BIG GULCH GULLY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1993 600
SAWNEYS CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 600
CANEY CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 600
Hondo Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 600
WOUNDED KNEE CREEK South Dakota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 600
CLENDINING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 598
MOORE CR RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1921 598
MIDDLE CADDO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 598
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1978 598
KIRKPATRICK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 598
MINNAS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1931 597
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 595
DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 592
LAKE ARROWHEAD SPWY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 592
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1986 592

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.