County profile · official public datasets

Madison County, AL

710 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 41.8% rated Good, 56.9% Fair, 1.3% Poor.

710
Public bridges
41.8%
Good condition
1.3%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Madison County posts a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.

Top 22%
lowest Poor share in state
1.3%
Poor-condition share
710
public highway bridges
1972
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.

Madison County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Madison County ranks #15 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 1.3%). Madison County, Alabama contains 710 public highway bridges. Roughly 41.8% are rated “Good,” 56.9% “Fair,” and 1.3% “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

710

Public highway bridges in Madison County

Good condition

41.8%

297 of 710 rated 7-9

Fair condition

56.9%

404 of 710 rated 5-6

Poor condition

1.3%

9 of 710 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#15 of 67

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

Condition distribution

Share of 710 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
41.8% (297)
Fair
56.9% (404)
Poor
1.3% (9)

Madison County's Poor-condition bridges carry 35,312 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.5% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 1.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 3,924 crossings a day against 10,801 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 709 of 710 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

55.5% of Madison County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

394 of the 710 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 41.8% 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 54.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

SPARKMAN DR over PINHOOK CREEK, built 1968, carries 19,100 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 9-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 35,312 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Madison County's bridges were built

710 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 99 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 13.9% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1972) matches the Alabama average (1974).

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

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

The 5 Alabama counties nearest Madison County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 1.3% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1972 against a peer-group mean of 1979 is 7 years older.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Madison County and the 5 Alabama counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Madison County (this page) 710 1.3%
Mobile County 612 2.8%
Montgomery County 596 2.2%
Tuscaloosa County 482 0.6%
Calhoun County 386 3.9%
Baldwin County 381 1.3%

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 Madison 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 Madison County, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AL (710 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1972 here).

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

All 710 Good 297 Fair 404 Poor 9

All bridges (710)

TONEY DRIVE

Good

Over: TRIB ALDRIDGE CRK

1306 Toney Drive, Madison, AL

Built 1962 Load: 55.2 t ADT: 700

US 72; SR 2

Good

Over: SPARKMAN DRIVE

1 MI W JCT US72 * SR 53, Madison, AL

Built 1970 Load: 55.4 t ADT: 23,831

EXPLORER BLVD

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

1 MI NORTH I-565, Madison, AL

Built 2009 Load: 55.9 t ADT: 13,465

US 231/SR 53

Good

Over: WHITESBURG DRIVE

US231 OVER WHITESBURG DR, Madison, AL

Built 2009 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 40,203

ST ALBAN@GRN COVE

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

1 M WEST OF 231 INT REDST, Madison, AL

Built 1990 Load: 56.8 t ADT: 500

SR 53

Good

Over: CREEK

.2 MI S JCT AL 255, Madison, AL

Built 1957 Load: 57.2 t ADT: 25,986

_Goose Ridge

Good

Over: _Unnamed Creek

_1 mi E Old 431, Madison, AL

Built 2020 Load: 57.2 t ADT: 800

SCOTT BRANCH RD

Good

Over: SCOTT BRANCH

2.0 MI SW JCT US HWY 431, Madison, AL

Built 1983 Load: 57.4 t ADT: 80

CHURCH STREET

Good

Over: PINHOOK CREEK

0.3 mile east us 231, Madison, AL

Built 2019 Load: 57.9 t ADT: 17,797

HEART OF HUNTSVILL

Good

Over: HUNTSVILLE SPRING BRANCH

0.5 MILE NORTH U.S. 431, Madison, AL

Built 2007 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 5,800

MASTIN LAKE RD

Good

Over: TRIB TO PINHOOK CREEK

803 MASTIN LAKE ROAD, Madison, AL

Built 2004 Load: 59.1 t ADT: 6,700

US 431

Good

Over: BRANCH

4 MI S FLINT RIVER, Madison, AL

Built 1957 Load: 59.2 t ADT: 17,851

BLAKE BOTTOM ROAD

Good

Over: S.R. 255

3 MILES NORTH OF U.S. 72, Madison, AL

Built 2019 Load: 59.8 t ADT: 5,293

MARTIN ROAD

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

6 MI W OF RIDEOUT RD, Madison, AL

Built 2013 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 7,800

POPLAR RIDGE RD

Good

Over: OWL CREEK

1.0 MILE NO FAS RT 01, Madison, AL

Built 1984 Load: 60.0 t ADT: 400

MINT SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: SWAMP BRANCH

3.0 MI W OF PLEVNA, Madison, AL

Built 1989 Load: 61.0 t ADT: 420

LOW GAP ROAD

Good

Over: HILL CREEK

1/4 MI.W.OF OLD GURLEY PK, Madison, AL

Built 2005 Load: 61.0 t ADT: 400

Old Hwy US-431

Good

Over: Flint River (Relief 2)

_1.2MI E JCT US 231 HWY, Madison, AL

Built 2021 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 1,949

Old Hwy US-431

Good

Over: Flint River (Relief 1)

2.6 MI E JCT US HWY 431_, Madison, AL

Built 2021 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 1,949

Old Hwy US-431

Good

Over: Flint River (Relief 3)

_, Madison, AL

Built 2021 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 520

Mill Rd._

Good

Over: Bradford Creek_

1.5 Mi. W. Sullivan St._, Madison, AL

Built 2017 Load: 62.4 t ADT: 2,500

OLD R R BED RD

Good

Over: FORK OF LIMESTONE CREEK

0.8 MI S JCT CO RD 282, Madison, AL

Built 1966 Load: 63.8 t ADT: 700

BOEING ROAD

Good

Over: STREAM

1.9 MI W OF CO LINE RD, Madison, AL

Built 1986 Load: 64.2 t ADT: 9,600

US 72 SR 2

Good

Over: STREAM

4.2 MI E FLINT RIVER, Madison, AL

Built 1973 Load: 65.0 t ADT: 19,441

ELKWOOD SECTION R

Good

Over: LIMESTONE CREEK (TRIB)

0.6 MI E JCT CO RD 011, Madison, AL

Built 1986 Load: 65.2 t ADT: 820

SR 255

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.1 MI N JCT I-565, Madison, AL

Built 1968 Load: 65.8 t ADT: 59,697

DAN TIBBS RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

_1.2 Mi W Jct Ala Hwy53, Madison, AL

Built 2020 Load: 66.0 t ADT: 1,430

MADISON

Good

Over: FAGAN CREEK

MADISON * LOWE, Madison, AL

Built 1974 Load: 67.0 t ADT: 8,200

MEADOW BROOK DRIVE

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

0.5 MI. WEST OF US 231, Madison, AL

Built 2005 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 300

SR 255

Good

Over: STREAM

1.4MILES N JCT US 72, Madison, AL

Built 1992 Load: 68.3 t ADT: 45,856

MEDARIS RD

Good

Over: BLUE SPRING BRANCH

2502 MEDARIS RD, Madison, AL

Built 1975 Load: 68.8 t ADT: 4,235

US 431

Good

Over: PAINT ROCK RIVER RELIEF

0.2 MI N PAINT ROCK RIVER, Madison, AL

Built 1996 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 9,519

GOVERNORS WEST

Good

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN R.R.

0.3 MI WEST SR 255, Madison, AL

Built 1990 Load: 70.7 t ADT: 9,000

BROOKS CHURCH RD

Good

Over: W BRIAR FORK CREEK

0.4 MI N JCT CO RD 109, Madison, AL

Built 1984 Load: 71.1 t ADT: 110

US 72 SR 2

Good

Over: BRANCH

1 MI E JCT US72 * SR 255, Madison, AL

Built 1990 Load: 71.4 t ADT: 44,024

_Haysland Road

Good

Over: _Draninage Ditch

.10 Mile North Hobbs Road, Madison, AL

Built 2018 Load: 73.4 t ADT: 14,580

OLD GURLEY ROAD

Good

Over: CHASE CREEK

1 MILE S.E. OF U.S. 72, Madison, AL

Built 1994 Load: 75.3 t ADT: 4,200

MT ZION ROAD

Good

Over: DOUGLASS BRANCH

?????????????????????????, Madison, AL

Built 2004 Load: 76.7 t ADT: 850

WINCHESTER RD

Good

Over: RICE BRANCH

0.4 MI S CO RD 1453, Madison, AL

Built 1968 Load: 77.7 t ADT: 3,900

PULASKI PIKE

Good

Over: PINHOOK CREEK

N OF CEDAR POINT SUB DIV, Madison, AL

Built 1970 Load: 80.1 t ADT: 8,800

SR 53

Good

Over: HAM CREEK

9 MI N JCT US 72, Madison, AL

Built 2012 Load: 84.5 t ADT: 16,931

BRADFORD DRIVE

Good

Over: SHERWOOD BRANCH TRIB

.5 MI WEST OF RIDEOUT RD, Madison, AL

Built 1987 Load: 85.5 t ADT: 19,200

DANESE LANE

Good

Over: ALDRIDGE TRIB.

DANESE LN AT ALDRIDGE TRI, Madison, AL

Built 1987 Load: 85.8 t ADT: 290

_bridgham dr

Good

Over: _Indian Creek Relief

_0.3 mi north of US 72, Madison, AL

Built 2016 Load: 87.7 t ADT: 30

US 431

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.2 MI N PAINT ROCK RIVER, Madison, AL

Built 1957 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 9,519

SR 53

Good

Over: CREEK

8 MI N JCT US 72, Madison, AL

Built 1957 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 23,567

OLD MADISON PIKE

Good

Over: CREEK

.5 MI WEST RIDEOUT RD, Madison, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 17,400

OLD 431 HWY

Good

Over: RICH CREEK

OWEN X ROADS, Madison, AL

Built 1945 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,500

TAYLOR ROAD

Good

Over: CREEK

2 MILE SOUTH U.S. 431, Madison, AL

Built 2009 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 5,500

Martin Road

Good

Over: Betts Spring Branch

1 MI W OF ZIERDT RD., Madison, AL

Built 2021 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 9,005

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.