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
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1963 400
LOWER CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1931 400
DERBY LAKE DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 400
LAUREL CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 400
Seabourne Crk Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 400
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2001 400
Little Owl Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 400
SLOUGH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 399
MUSTANG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 397
TRIB OF HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1955 396
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 396
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1943 395
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1943 395
PARADISE CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1956 395
MERRITTS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 394
EMBLEM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 394
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1927 392
BEAVER BROOK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 392
TIMBER CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1967 390
WATER WETLAND Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 390
W CANEY CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1967 390
LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1979 390
POND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 390
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 389
LINDSEY CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 389
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1969 389
RICHLAND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 388
JOHNS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 387
FREEMAN BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1966 384
FREEMAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 384
TWIN HOLLOW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1938 384
LITTLE WHITE RCK CRK REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 382
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 379
SANDY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 379
TIDWELL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 378
W FORK BRIAR BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1952 377
MCWRIGHT BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1952 377
EAST CADDO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1992 377
ELK CREEK Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 375
KINGS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 375
PLUM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 374
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 374
RATLIFF BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1985 373
MARTIN CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1948 370
FLINT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 369
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1964 369
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 368
NOBLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 368
BEAR HEAD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 367
HOLDEN BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 364

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.