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
DRY FK LITTLE WICHITA RV Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 19
DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 19
DYE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1999 19
SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1985 19
LITTLE SALT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 18
GROVE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2003 18
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990 18
WAGON BR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 17
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2002 16
BARREL SPRINGS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1992 16
BRADEN BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1998 16
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2000 16
GILBERT CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940 16
PECAN CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1994 15
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 15
POWDER MILL GULCH Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1993 15
WANDERERS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 15
HOG CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1992 15
BELL BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 14
MUHLE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 14
RED OAK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2000 14
PARADISE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2009 14
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 13
ELIZABETH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 12
LAKE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2016 12
COOL CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1949 12
ASA CREEK Illinois Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 12
GRIMES CREEK Idaho Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1982 12
N BR TWO RIVERS Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1907 12
Red Creek Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2021 12
Calebee Creek Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2021 12
Calebee Creek Alabama Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2021 12
JONES CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2006 12
JONES CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2006 12
BEAVER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1991 12
ELM CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1946 12
RED CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1952 11
COCKERELL CR Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 11
VALLEY BRANCH Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2017 11
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 11
ROCK CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004 11
NORTH FISH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1987 11
BELKNAP CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1995 11
W FK OF TRINTY RIVER Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 10
FISH CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1989 10
Drain (H&P Dr. South) Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 10
RICHLAND CREEK TRIBUTARY Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2008 10
SANDY CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2001 10
CAMERON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2010 10
Drain (H&P Dr. North) Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 10

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.