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
CYPRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 50
DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2004 50
BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 50
BLUE CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1981 50
CASTLEMAN CREEK BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 49
DRY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 49
BRANCH DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1977 49
NACONICHE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 48
DRY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1992 48
BUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 48
SYCAMORE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 47
BARREL SPRINGS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1990 47
CANE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1955 46
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 45
BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 45
BRANCH DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 45
WALNUT BAYOU Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1987 45
BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1961 44
BRUSHY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1991 44
BARREL SPRINGS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 44
WEST BELKNAP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 44
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 43
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 42
BULL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 42
BRUSHY ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 42
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 42
BULL CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 42
STEELE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 41
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1970 41
DUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1952 41
TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2001 41
ONION CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1961 41
SCOTT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1981 40
BUFFALO CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1978 40
SCOTT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2005 40
JOHNS BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 40
CORDUROY CREEK Arizona Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1973 40
DRY ELM CREEK RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2003 40
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 40
FLAT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 40
WILLOW CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2005 40
Ecleto Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 40
ROBINSON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 40
SANDY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2004 39
JONES CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 39
VALLEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 39
PRAIRIE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 38
Prairie Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 38
ATTOYAC BAYOU RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 38
BEAVER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1978 38

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.