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
SUKKWAN STRAIT Alaska Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1970 5
BRANCH DENTON CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1996 5
WHITE RIVER Utah Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 2000 5
WEST CANAL Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 1946 5
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2008 4
Canal # 2/Big Bayou Arkansas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1970 4
MUDDY CREEK Utah Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 3
BURGIS CREEK South Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2019 3
TRIB CHILDRESS CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1935 2
BEAVER CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1919 2
DRAW Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2006 2
PINE CREEK Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2007 1
SHOTLEY BROOK Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1917 1
ST AUGUSTA CREEK Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1925 1
TROUT CREEK Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2022 1
E BR BEAVER RIVER Minnesota Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2023 1
PARADISE CREEK Texas Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2005 1
SERRANO CREEK California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024 1
FISHROCK CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
BONES CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
ROCKFISH CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
JUMIPER CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
ROCKFISH CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
HOURSE CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 1
MCPHERSON CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 1
CALF BRANCH North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
SILVER RUN North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
BONES CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1960 1
FLAT CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
ROCKFISH CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1960 1
ROCKFISH CREEK North Carolina Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2015 1
STREAM - HAMILTON 50R36 Alaska Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1983
TRENTON CHANNEL Michigan Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1913
WATER NORTHERN CANAL Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1848
WATER DRAINAGE Massachusetts Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2004
BLACK RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
SLOUGH California Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1945
SKAGIT RIVER Washington Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1940
ENGLISH BROOK 9 9 1710 New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
Plattekill Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
Mud Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
PUTNAM CREEK New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
Stephens Brook New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1931
Mud Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 2024
UNKNOWN STREAM New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Fair 1990
East Branch Sandy Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Poor 1958
SHELDRAKE RIVER New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
Randalls Island New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2024
Sulphur Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2018
Sulphur Creek New York Scour Critical — Countermeasures Ineffective Good 2018

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.