County profile · official public datasets

Blount County, AL

180 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 12.8% rated Good, 79.4% Fair, 7.8% Poor.

180
Public bridges
12.8%
Good condition
7.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Blount County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

60th
of 67 on Poor share
7.8%
Poor-condition share
180
public highway bridges
1968
avg year built

Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.

Blount County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Blount County ranks #60 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.8%). Blount County, Alabama contains 180 public highway bridges. Roughly 12.8% are rated “Good,” 79.4% “Fair,” and 7.8% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.

Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.

Total bridges

180

Public highway bridges in Blount County

Good condition

12.8%

23 of 180 rated 7-9

Fair condition

79.4%

143 of 180 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.8%

14 of 180 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#60 of 67

Among Alabama counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 180 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
12.8% (23)
Fair
79.4% (143)
Poor
7.8% (14)

Blount County's Poor-condition bridges carry 16,276 vehicle crossings a day

That is 2.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,163 crossings a day against 1,667 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.

Computed over the 180 of 180 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

62.8% of Blount County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

113 of the 180 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 12.8% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.

Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

One structure carries 35.7% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

AL - 74 (US 278) over BIG SPRING CREEK, built 1953, carries 5,810 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 14-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 16,276 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Blount County's bridges were built

180 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1950s, when 49 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 27.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 65 to 74 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1968, 6 years older than the Alabama average of 1974.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Blount County compares with Alabama's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Alabama counties nearest Blount County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.8% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1968 against a peer-group mean of 1972 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 66 Alabama counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Blount County and the 5 Alabama counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
St. Clair County 183 1.6%
Lamar County 181 2.2%
Blount County (this page) 180 7.8%
Hale County 177 5.1%
Macon County 177 10.7%
Washington County 177 10.7%

Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Blount County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year

Two NBI-derived peer sets for Blount County, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AL (180 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1968 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 180 Good 23 Fair 143 Poor 14

All bridges (180)

REMLAP DRIVE

Good

Over: LITTLE WARRIOR (RELIEF)

1 MI S OF INLAND, Blount, AL

Built 2005 Load: 37.1 t ADT: 805

Covered Bridge Cir

Good

Over: Little Warrior

3 Mi NE of Oneonta, Blount, AL

Built 2023 Load: 37.4 t ADT: 149

ELVESTER ROAD

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

2 MI S OF HAYDEN, Blount, AL

Built 1995 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 374

NESMITH ROAD

Good

Over: BROWNS CREEK

1/2 MILE EAST OF SUMMIT, Blount, AL

Built 2022 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 237

AL - 53 (US 231)

Good

Over: CALVERT PRONG

US 231 @ CALVERT PRONG, Blount, AL

Built 2006 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 6,460

WAID ROAD

Good

Over: VALLEY CREEK

ARMSTEAD, Blount, AL

Built 1989 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 146

_Deans Ferry Road

Good

Over: _CSX Railroad

_1.5 Mile S of Hayden, Blount, AL

Built 2021 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 404

Miller Road

Good

Over: Big Mud Creek

3 MI NE of Snead Crossing, Blount, AL

Built 2019 Load: 48.3 t ADT: 174

AL 75

Good

Over: LOCUST FK WARRIOR RVR

1.2 MI NO US 278, Blount, AL

Built 1989 Load: 48.8 t ADT: 5,530

AL - 67

Good

Over: MULBERRY FORK WARRIOR RI

BLOUNT/CULLMAN CO.LN., Blount, AL

Built 2014 Load: 58.5 t ADT: 1,960

Hayes Cemetery RD

Good

Over: Neeley Creek

1 Mile East of Hayden, Blount, AL

Built 2023 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 126

COVERD BRIDGE RD

Good

Over: LOCUST FORK RIVER

1.6KM EAST OF NECTAR, Blount, AL

Built 1999 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 489

LAKESHORE DRIVE

Good

Over: RENO BRASHER CREEK

HIGHLAND LAKE, Blount, AL

Built 1989 Load: 60.9 t ADT: 362

JONES CHAPEL ROAD

Good

Over: BLACKBURN FORK

6 MI S OF ONEONTA, Blount, AL

Built 2019 Load: 83.8 t ADT: 254

VAUGHN ROAD

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

4 MI NE OF BRROKSVILLE, Blount, AL

Built 2009 Load: 87.4 t ADT: 184

HAMILTON MTN ROAD

Good

Over: GRAVES CREEK

2 MI SW OF BLOUNTSVILLE, Blount, AL

Built 1990 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 203

DUMAS BRIDGE ROAD

Poor

Over: BLACKBURN FORK

6 MI S OF ONEONTA, Blount, AL

Built 1942 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 106

CHAMBLEE MILL RD

Poor

Over: COPELAND CREEK

1 1/2 MI N OF GUM SPRINGS, Blount, AL

Built 1946 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 186

SWANN BRIDGE ROAD

Poor

Over: UNK CREEK TO LOCUST FORK

1/2 MI W OF CLEVELAND, Blount, AL

Built 1948 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 324

DEANS FERRY ROAD

Poor

Over: LONGS BRANCH

2 MI N OF COUNTY LINE, Blount, AL

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 129

BANGOR CAVE ROAD

Poor

Over: BANGOR CAVE

2 MI N OF BANGOR, Blount, AL

Built 1956 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 95

MOORE ROAD

Poor

Over: WHIPPOORWILL CREEK

2 MI SW OF SNEAD, Blount, AL

Built 1958 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 184

HOUSE ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE WARRIOR RIVER

2 MI NE OF INLAND, Blount, AL

Built 1950 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 100

PHILLIPS ROAD

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

1 1/2 MI SW OF CLEVELAND, Blount, AL

Built 1977 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 66

ROGERS ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE WARRIOR RIVER

6 MI E OF ONEONTA, Blount, AL

Built 2013 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 78

RIDGEWAY ROAD

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

1 MI N OF SUSAN MOORE, Blount, AL

Built 1958 Load: 14.2 t ADT: 225

MTN GAP ROAD

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

1/2 MI NE OF FIVE PTS, Blount, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 162

AL - 53 (US 231)

Poor

Over: STRAWBERRY CREEK

BLOUNT/CULLMAN CO LN, Blount, AL

Built 1931 Load: 31.6 t ADT: 4,370

AL - 74 (US 278)

Poor

Over: BIG SPRING CREEK

.7 MI.E.AL 79, Blount, AL

Built 1953 Load: 51.6 t ADT: 5,810

AL 160

Poor

Over: PANNEL CREEK

AL 160 * PANNEL CK, Blount, AL

Built 1950 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 4,441

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.