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
ATTOYAC BAYOU RELIEF Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 38
ELIZABETH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1943 38
LA NANA BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 38
BEAVER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1978 38
HICKORY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2012 37
BOND CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 37
HERRING BR OF BIG SANDY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 37
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1918 37
DOZIER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1999 36
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 36
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 36
TIMBER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 36
LITTLE SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 36
BOGGY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1961 36
PILOT GROVE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1998 36
COLD BROOK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 35
EAST BELKNAP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2004 35
EAST BELKNAP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1982 35
AQUILLA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2013 35
CHAMBER CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 35
WHITE OAK BAYOU Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1972 35
BRANCH MALLARD CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 35
BRANCH BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 35
Clear Creek Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 2013 35
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 35
ALLIGATOR CREEK TRIB Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2013 34
CHINA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 34
CREEK North Dakota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 33
BARREL SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1921 32
S FK LITTLE WICHITA RI Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 32
DAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 32
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 32
BELKNAP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 31
SYCAMORE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 31
MILL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 31
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2006 31
S FK LITTLE WICHITA RI Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 31
BRAZOS RIVER TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2003 30
VILLAGE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 30
WEST FORK OF POND FORK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 2024 30
DRY VALLEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 30
INDIAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 30
Gauley River West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1980 30
MIddle Run West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1994 30
BRANCH BRUSHY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1997 30
MUD FORK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 30
BEAR CREEK TRIB Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 30
DOBBS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 30
BRANCH OF CAMP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 30
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 30

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.