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
VALLEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 197
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 196
ECLETO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 196
BRUSHY CREEK REL. Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 195
GHOST CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 192
SNOW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 192
WAFER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 192
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1958 191
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 191
CANEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1962 190
CANEY CREEK BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 190
COTTONWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 189
EAST BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 187
N. FORK LITTLE WICHITA Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1953 187
LAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1976 186
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 186
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 185
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1949 185
WEST CEDAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 185
EAST CEDAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 185
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 185
BEAVER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1960 185
MOUNTAIN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 185
GRASSE RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 184
NORTH FISH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1985 184
Walnut Branch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 184
TUB INK BNCH FISH CK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 184
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1951 184
Onion Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 184
DEER RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 183
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 183
HOLLIDAY CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 182
HOLLIDAY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 182
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1986 180
BROKENSTRAW CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 180
WOLF CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 180
Draw Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 179
ADAMS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1956 178
PANTHER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1983 178
KICKAPOO CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 177
LITTLE DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2005 176
MAPLE SWAMP South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 175
LITTLE ROCKY CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 175
VILLAGE CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 175
WILLOW MARSH BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 175
LISBON CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 175
TRIB FIVEMILE CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 175
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1968 174
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1968 174
PARKER CREEK NO 3 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1968 174

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.