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
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 24
MOUNTAIN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 24
RED BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2007 24
MESQUITE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 23
FARNASH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 23
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 23
DUFFAU CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 23
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1988 23
S FK LITTLE WICHITA RI Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 23
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 23
BRANCH WILLAWALLA CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 23
BRANCH N BINGHAM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1997 23
BRANCH CLEAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 23
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 23
DRY FK LTL WICHITA RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2013 22
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2005 22
PARADISE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 22
MOSSY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1988 22
MESQUITE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 22
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2007 22
Dark Hollow Branch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1990 21
BAKER BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1996 21
BIG ONION CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 21
S.FORK LONG CREEK Oregon Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 21
BEAVER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 21
BRADEN BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 21
HCFCD Ditch Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 20
DUCK CREEK * STEVEN Ohio Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 20
BAKER BRANCH TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2010 20
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 20
BUFFALO CREEK West Virginia Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 20
CEDAR CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1983 20
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1976 20
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2012 20
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 20
INDIAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1983 20
PANTHER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2001 20
WIGGINS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 20
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1936 20
RABBIT RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1920 20
Cambridge Canal Nebraska Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 20
N FK ZUMBRO RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1920 20
NOKASIPPI RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1908 20
HCFCD DITCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 20
CANNON RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1921 20
LAWRENCE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 20
EAST JONES CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 20
SOUTH COW BAYOU Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2015 20
ALVEY WASH Utah Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1987 19
DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 19

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.