Total bridges
1,068
Public highway bridges in Jefferson County
County profile · official public datasets
Jefferson County, AL
1,068 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 19.7% rated Good, 78.1% Fair, 2.2% Poor.
- 1,068
- Public bridges
- 19.7%
- Good condition
- 2.2%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Jefferson County posts a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.
- Top 43%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 2.2%
- Poor-condition share
- 1,068
- public highway bridges
- 1973
- 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.
Jefferson County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Jefferson County ranks #29 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2.2%). Jefferson County, Alabama contains 1,068 public highway bridges. Roughly 19.7% are rated “Good,” 78.1% “Fair,” and 2.2% “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.
Good condition
19.7%
210 of 1,068 rated 7-9
Fair condition
78.1%
834 of 1,068 rated 5-6
Poor condition
2.2%
24 of 1,068 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#29 of 67
Among Alabama counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 1,068 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 19.7% (210)
Fair 78.1% (834)
Poor 2.2% (24)
Jefferson County's Poor-condition bridges carry 268,111 vehicle crossings a day
That is 1.3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 11,171 crossings a day against 8,372 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 1,053 of 1,068 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
51.5% of Jefferson County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
550 of the 1,068 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 19.7% 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 37% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
I - 459 SOUTH over CAHABA RIVER, built 1981, carries 99,312 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 24-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 268,111 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Jefferson County's bridges were built
1,068 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1900s 1
1900–1909
1 bridges
- 1910s 14
1910–1919
14 bridges
- 1920s 20
1920–1929
20 bridges
- 1930s 70
1930–1939
70 bridges
- 1940s 31
1940–1949
31 bridges
- 1950s 100
1950–1959
100 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
178 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
254 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
211 bridges
- 1990s 57
1990–1999
57 bridges
- 2000s 61
2000–2009
61 bridges
- 2010s 62
2010–2019
62 bridges
- 2020s 9
2020–2029
9 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 254 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 23.8% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1973) matches the Alabama average (1974).
How Jefferson County compares with Alabama's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Alabama counties nearest Jefferson County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2.2% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1973 against a peer-group mean of 1975 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 66 Alabama counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County (this page) | 1,068 | 19.7% | 78.1% | 2.2% | 1973 |
| Madison County | 710 | 41.8% | 56.9% | 1.3% | 1972 |
| Mobile County | 612 | 21.1% | 76.1% | 2.8% | 1980 |
| Montgomery County | 596 | 37.9% | 59.9% | 2.2% | 1975 |
| Tuscaloosa County | 482 | 44.6% | 54.8% | 0.6% | 1981 |
| Calhoun County | 386 | 32.9% | 63.2% | 3.9% | 1969 |
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside AL (1,068 bridges here).
- Shelby County, TN · 1,077 bridges
- Miami-Dade County, FL · 1,057 bridges
- Wayne County, MI · 1,026 bridges
- Riverside County, CA · 1,117 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1973 here).
- Erie County, NY · avg 1973 · 906 bridges
- Davidson County, TN · avg 1973 · 832 bridges
- Lancaster County, PA · avg 1973 · 801 bridges
- Sacramento County, CA · avg 1973 · 740 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Fair-condition bridges (834)
I - 20/59
FairOver: FIVE MILE CREEK
FIVE MILE CK * I-59, Jefferson, AL
Built 1955 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 43,380
RAMP 3
FairOver: STREAM
RAMP 3 TO I459, Jefferson, AL
Built 1977 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 4,700
I - 459 SOUTH RAMP
FairOver: STREAM
RAMP TO I - 59 NO, Jefferson, AL
Built 1978 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 4,700
I - 459
FairOver: STREAM
0.1 MI S OLD US 11, Jefferson, AL
Built 1978 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 47,000
I - 459
FairOver: STREAM
.5 MI SO AMBER HILLS RD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1979 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 58,910
I459
FairOver: STREAM
AT DERBY PRKWY, Jefferson, AL
Built 1979 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 57,350
I 459
FairOver: BRANCH
0.2 MI. S. ACTON RD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1980 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 103,640
WOOD DRIVE
FairOver: DRY CREEK
100 W SWEENY HOLLOW RD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1980 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,735
I 20
FairOver: SHADES CREEK
I20 * SHADES CREEK, Jefferson, AL
Built 1981 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 55,750
BLUFF CREEK ROAD
FairOver: PRESCOTT CREEK
2.5 MILES W. ALLIANCE RD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1981 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 76
JACKSON ROAD
FairOver: NORTH CREEK
1500 E NEW CASTLE ROAD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1982 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 880
BRASHER ROAD
FairOver: SELF CREEK
2.25 MILES NE OF MAJESTIC, Jefferson, AL
Built 1983 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 276
I 65
FairOver: BLACK CK
.3 MI. NO.WALKERS CHAPEL, Jefferson, AL
Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 66,750
COLUMBIANA ROAD
FairOver: PATTON CREEK
.3 MI N JCT US 31, Jefferson, AL
Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 20,885
I 65
FairOver: PATTONS CK
.1 MI. NO. HOOVER INTER, Jefferson, AL
Built 1972 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 117,910
PALOS CIRCLE
FairOver: FALLS CREEK
1 MI E PORTER ROAD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 58
LAKESHORE DRIVE
FairOver: CREEK
LAKESHORE DR. * W.OXMOOR, Jefferson, AL
Built 1990 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 8,000
WELLER ROAD
FairOver: MUD CREEK TRIBUTARY
.25 MI N JOHNS ROAD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1970 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 103
VALLEY CREST DR
FairOver: TARRANT SPRING BRANCH
Valley Crest Dr - Branch, Jefferson, AL
Built 1970 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,551
OLD WARRIOR-KIMBER
FairOver: LICK CREEK
1/2 MI NE HWY 31 N, Jefferson, AL
Built 1970 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,625
NEW MULGA LOOP RD
FairOver: CAMP BRANCH
2MI SE OF AL HWY 269, Jefferson, AL
Built 1970 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,586
PLEASANT GROVE RD
FairOver: LOST CREEK
1.5 MI SE AL HWY 269, Jefferson, AL
Built 1967 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,600
FAUCETT ROAD
FairOver: DRY CREEK
1 MI E AL HWY 79, Jefferson, AL
Built 1975 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 835
ADVENT CIRCLE
FairOver: CLEAR BRANCH
1/8 MI E I-59, Jefferson, AL
Built 1969 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 330
SHORT CREEK ROAD
FairOver: BLACK CREEK
1 MI SW AL 269, Jefferson, AL
Built 1960 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 5,405
CARSON ROAD
FairOver: BLACK CREEK
1 MI NE PINEHILL RD, Jefferson, AL
Built 1965 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 6,825
CANE CREEK ROAD
FairOver: CANE CREEK
0.125 MI W I-65 WARRIOR, Jefferson, AL
Built 1955 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 11,050
I22
FairOver: PRUDES CREEK
.7 MI.WEST CO. RD. 112, Jefferson, AL
Built 2001 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 12,470
I - 22
FairOver: PRUDES CREEK
400EAST OF C. R. 112, Jefferson, AL
Built 2001 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 14,630
I22
FairOver: PRUDES CREEK
1 M.EAST OF CR 12, Jefferson, AL
Built 2001 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 34,716
I - 22
FairOver: UNNAMED CREEK
LOWER COALBURG, Jefferson, AL
Built 2006 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 11,910
I22
FairOver: UNNAMED CREEK
NORTH OF COALBURG RD, Jefferson, AL
Built 2007 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 11,910
FLYOVER B
FairOver: PATTON CK
CULVERT @ FLYOVER, Jefferson, AL
Built 2001 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 6,997
Camp Horner RD
FairOver: _Cahaba River Trib.
.25 Mi. So. of Acton Rd., Jefferson, AL
Built 1966 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 16,152
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
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.