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
COLLIER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1963 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 100
NORTH FORK CEDAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2004 100
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1964 100
AYTES BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1957 100
LITTLE CAHABA RIVER Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1904 100
TOWNSEND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 100
RACE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 100
HOGFORK BRANCH South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 100
PECAN BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1958 100
WHITE ROCK CREEK TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 100
FLAT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 100
DOCTORS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 100
PINTAS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 100
BOGGY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1959 100
Gov. Hammock Canal Florida Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 100
NORTH MAIN DRAIN Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1930 100
PIN OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2024 100
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1954 100
PICKERING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1955 100
SO. BR. GALE RIVER New Hampshire Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 99
COLD BROOK New Hampshire Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 99
Menger Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 99
JOHNSON CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 99
SCARFACE BROOK New Hampshire Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 99
BINGHAM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 96
MCCALLS CREEK Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 96
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 95
BRIER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 95
PARADISE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1962 94
RITCHIE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 94
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 91
BROOKS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1999 90
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1970 90
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 90
WOLF CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 90
DRAINAGE DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 90
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 90
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1979 90
WHITES CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 90
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 90
TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 90
Tucker Creek Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1976 90
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 89
POORMAN CREEK Montana Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 89
TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 89
MC CLURE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 88

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.