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
CAMBRIDGE-OXFORD-ORLEANS	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1970	100
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1920	100
GARLAND CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1972	100
Big Sandy Creek	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1996	100
Wissahickon Creek	Pennsylvania	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1915	100
CAMP RUN	Pennsylvania	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1921	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1992	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1962	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1919	100
CHESTUEE CREEK	Tennessee	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1965	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1920	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1928	100
EAST FORK SANDY CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2011	100
GARLAND CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1938	100
KINGS CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1938	100
CHICKEN CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1980	100
CREEK	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1939	100
MILL CREEK	Michigan	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1962	97
BRUSHY FORK	Ohio	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1940	96
STEARNS BROOK	New Hampshire	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1950	96
WILSON CREEK	New York	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1937	95
COLUMBUS GENOA CANAL	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	95
No Name Creek	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1960	95
Birch Creek	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2015	94
CHERRY VALLEY CK	New York	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1960	94
BEAR CREEK	Oregon	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2000	91
ROAD CREEK	Idaho	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2022	90
S FK GROUNDHOUSE RIVER	Minnesota	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1968	90
SAWMILL BRANCH	Tennessee	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1975	90
DEER CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	90
BIG SLOUGH CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1965	90
BUTSON CREEK	New York	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Good	2015	86
KEZAR RIVER	Maine	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1980	83
MILL CREEK	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1983	81
JIM FORD CREEK	Idaho	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1965	80
Click Creek	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1990	80
Stout Cr	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1990	79
E FK DES MOINES RIVER	Minnesota	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1977	77
MCCABE RUN	Pennsylvania	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1977	75
SANDY CREEK	Texas	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1990	75
SAPPA CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1916	75
TURKEY CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1974	75
LAKE CREEK TRIB.	Oklahoma	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	2009	75
NORTH OAK CREEK	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	75
STREAM	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Fair	1935	75
STINKING CREEK	Kentucky	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1982	74
W BR KENDUSKEAG	Maine	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1935	71
ST ANTHONY CANAL	Idaho	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1971	70
NPPID CANAL	Nebraska	Scour Critical — Unaddressed	Poor	1976	70

Scour Critical Bridges by State

States ranked by number of scour critical bridges.

State	Scour Critical	Unaddressed	Countermeasures	Ineffective
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 — Unaddressed	Bridge is scour critical with no countermeasures installed. The foundation is vulnerable and no protective action has been taken.
Code 3 — Countermeasures Installed	Protective measures (riprap, sheet piling, etc.) have been installed to reduce scour risk, but the bridge remains classified as scour critical.
Code 6 — Countermeasures Ineffective	Protective 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.

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