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
Lake Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 100
Cache Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 100
CREEK Oklahoma Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 100
LITTLE CAHABA RIVER Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1904 100
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1993 100
DRY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 100
COLLIER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 100
COTTONWOOD CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 100
MUHLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 100
LITTLE CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 100
EAST FORK PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1951 100
PANTHER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1964 100
LITTLE WOLF CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2018 100
East Caney Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 100
Cache Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 100
SHAWNEE CRK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1953 100
LITTLE LAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1990 100
DRAINAGE Montana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1953 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1965 100
BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 100
WATER WILDER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 100
WATER WETLAND Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 100
TRIB SWEETWATER CK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 100
PIN OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2024 100
ROCK CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2017 100
WILHITE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1950 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1959 100
WATER DEER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 100
TANTABOGUE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 100
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1994 100
SIX MILE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1979 100
LAKE CREEK TRIBUTARY 2 Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2009 100
BOARDTREE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 100
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2010 100
PEACH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2015 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 100
WATER MILL RIVER Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1983 100
AYTES BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 100
FOSS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 100
HALLS BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 100
WATER BROOK Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 100
LORING BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 100
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 100
CARRIZITOS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 100
PLUM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2008 100
LONG BRANCH OF ELM FORK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2010 100
PICKERING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 100
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 100

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.