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
YORK CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 592
CHUPADORA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 591
TRIB OF TEN MILE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1985 590
CREEK Ohio Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 588
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1951 586
CLICK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 586
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1951 586
CROSS TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 586
WEST BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 585
WOLF CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 585
MILL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 580
SANDERS CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 580
DOZIER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1943 578
PARADISE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1939 577
KICKAPOO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1987 577
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 575
LITTLE VINCE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 575
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 574
GILBERT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 570
WILLIAM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2010 570
RICH CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 565
MIDGET CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1951 565
VADEN CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 564
POST OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1961 560
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 560
Mays Branch Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 560
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1964 558
NOLAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1969 552
NOLAN CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1969 552
CANEY CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 551
LITTLE ROCKY CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 550
BIG CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 550
EAST ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 550
E. CADDO CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 550
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1980 549
N FLOODWAY PILOT CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1979 547
WILLACY MAIN CANAL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1979 547
AUDS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1980 546
AUDS CRK RELIEF NO 1 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1980 546
AUDS CREEK RELIEF 2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1980 546
BRIER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 543
STOUTS CREEK SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1925 543
STOUTS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 543
STOUTS CREEK SLOUGH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1925 543
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 540
Side drain Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 540
Side drain Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 540
San Pedro Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 540
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 538
RIO BR ELM FORK TRIN RVR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1957 538

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.