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
TRIB TO SHANNON CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 125
ROCKY CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 125
RUSH BRANCH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 124
LITTLE SALMON RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 124
PECAN CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 123
BARNETT BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 123
BOGGY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 122
COWHOUSE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2012 122
BOX CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1990 121
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 120
DOGWOOD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 120
SMITH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2005 120
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1975 120
Little Mulberry Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1965 120
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 120
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 120
GIN CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 120
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 120
Cottonwood Slough Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1965 120
BAKER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1950 117
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 116
BULLHIDE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 115
PLUM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1938 114
GROVE CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 114
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 114
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 114
EAST MAIN DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1969 113
LINNVILLE BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 113
ADAMS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1989 112
Bear Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 112
DRY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1984 112
N FLOODWAY PILOT CHANNEL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 111
WILLOW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 111
HERRING BR OF BIG SANDY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2019 110
INDIAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2006 110
HAGGINS BRANCH CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 110
BIG CYPRESS CREEK Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 110
CRYSTAL CREEK DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 110
WALNUT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2009 110
WILLOW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 110
HAGGINS BRANCH South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 110
TOWNSEND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 110
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 110
UPPER CROOKED RIVER Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 110
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 110
CANEY CREEK NO 2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 110
CUMMINS CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2025 110
LAKE RAY HUBBARD TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 109
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1955 109
SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 109

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.