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
DOBBS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 30
BEAR CREEK TRIB Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 30
BRANCH OF CAMP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 30
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1990 30
BIG HARTS CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1984 30
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1999 30
MUD FORK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2002 30
SOUTH FISH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2017 30
BRANCH SOUTH FISH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1988 30
N. BR. WHITEFACE RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1967 30
CORNER CREEK Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1954 29
BRANCH DRY VALLEY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 29
WILLAWALLA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2008 29
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1925 28
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1928 28
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 28
RUSH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 28
BIG STREAM New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 27
ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1995 27
BUCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 27
CHINA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2003 26
SULFUR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 26
LITTLE BRAZOS RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 26
ALLIGATOR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2014 26
WHITE ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 26
BRADEN BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 26
LONG KING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 2004 26
PLUM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 26
GROVE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 25
W HARGILL DRAIN DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1974 25
NORTH ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 25
WILLIAMS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 25
BARREL SPRING CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1999 25
Flat Creek Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 25
Rocky Branch Illinois Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 25
SPRING BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2011 25
SALLY BRANCH Georgia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 25
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 25
BRANCH BROOKEEN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 25
BACHELOR CREEK REL Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 25
BRIAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 25
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 25
MAYFIELD BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 25
SWAN RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1917 25
BRANCH OF DELTA RIVER Alaska Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 25
Stream Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 25
CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 25
BRANCH DELTA RIVER Alaska Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 25
MOUNTAIN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 24
RED BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2007 24

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.