Total bridges
710
Public highway bridges in Madison County
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.
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
- 1900s 1
1900–1909
1 bridges
- 1910s 4
1910–1919
4 bridges
- 1920s 12
1920–1929
12 bridges
- 1930s
1930–1939
97 bridges
- 1940s
1940–1949
63 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
73 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
93 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
64 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
79 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
99 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
66 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
46 bridges
- 2020s 13
2020–2029
13 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).
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.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County (this page) | 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 |
| Baldwin County | 381 | 48.3% | 50.4% | 1.3% | 1991 |
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).
- Montgomery County, TX · 710 bridges
- McLennan County, TX · 714 bridges
- Pinal County, AZ · 716 bridges
- Pulaski County, AR · 721 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1972 here).
- Santa Clara County, CA · avg 1972 · 964 bridges
- Kern County, CA · avg 1972 · 668 bridges
- York County, PA · avg 1972 · 569 bridges
- Middlesex County, NJ · avg 1972 · 563 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (710)
CLOUDS COVE RD
FairOver: CLOUDS CREEK
2.0 MI SO FAS RT 01, Madison, AL
Built 1938 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 270
COUNTESS RD
FairOver: VALLEY VIEW BRANCH
1.5 MI SE JCT US HWY 431, Madison, AL
Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 750
OLD GURLEY PIKE
FairOver: DRAKE COVE BRANCH
0.1 MI N NEW HOPE, Madison, AL
Built 1937 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 525
PULASKI PIKE
FairOver: LIMESTONE CREEK
4.0 MILE LIMESTONE CO, Madison, AL
Built 1938 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,696
WILLIE LEMLEY RD
FairOver: WILLIE LEMLEY BRANCH
0.1 MI SOUTH CO.RD.1376, Madison, AL
Built 1938 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 90
HAMER RD
FairOver: PINEY WOODS BRANCH
0.4 MI E JCT US HWY 431, Madison, AL
Built 1940 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 300
STEEL LA
FairOver: JENNY RIVER
0.3 MI W CO RD 480, Madison, AL
Built 1940 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 195
MOORES MILL RD
FairOver: BRAIR FORK FLINT RIVER
0.2 MI SO CO RD 1269, Madison, AL
Built 1949 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 3,052
BRIAR FORK RD
FairOver: BRIAR FORK CREEK
0.5 S JCT CO RD 153, Madison, AL
Built 1964 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 1,586
BIG COVE RD
FairOver: FLINT RIVER
1 MI W JCT OLD US 431, Madison, AL
Built 1964 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 550
OLD BIG COVE RD
FairOver: FLINT RIVER
1.1 MI W JCT OLD 431 HWY, Madison, AL
Built 1964 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 495
BIG COVE RD
FairOver: FLINT RIVER
1.2 MI W OLD US 431 HWY, Madison, AL
Built 1964 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 525
HALE ROAD
FairOver: INDIAN CREEK
TA-3 1.5 MI W RIDEOUT RD, Madison, AL
Built 1949 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 100
LITTLE COVE RD
FairOver: FLINT RIVER
2.3 MI W JCT US HWY 72, Madison, AL
Built 1953 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 2,297
US72
FairOver: STREAM
0.1 MILE W JCT 72 SR255, Madison, AL
Built 1994 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 58,807
PULASKI PIKE
FairOver: BEAVER DAM CREEK
0.25 MI E CO RD 1110, Madison, AL
Built 1935 Load: 24.2 t ADT: 3,218
US 72; SR 2
FairOver: INDIAN CREEK
1.7 MI W JCT US72 * SR255, Madison, AL
Built 1929 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 20,385
GRIMWOOD RD
FairOver: GRIMWOOD BRANCH
1.5 MI E CO RD 1116, Madison, AL
Built 1937 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 750
ED SPEARS RD
FairOver: TARKLIN BRANCH
0.8 MI N JCT US HWY 431, Madison, AL
Built 1938 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 275
US231; US431; SR1
FairOver: BEAVER DAM CREEK
11 MI S ALA-TENN ST LINE, Madison, AL
Built 1959 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 19,312
TOFTOY THRUWAY
FairOver: MARTIN ROAD
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Madison, AL
Built 1968 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 6,600
US 431
FairOver: BRANCH
3.3 MI S FLINT RIVER, Madison, AL
Built 1957 Load: 24.7 t ADT: 15,934
WEBSTER DR
FairOver: PINHOOK CREEK
500 A WEBSTER DR, Madison, AL
Built 1968 Load: 24.7 t ADT: 520
OWENS DR SE
FairOver: FAGAN CREEK
1218 OWENS DRIVE, Madison, AL
Built 1973 Load: 24.8 t ADT: 1,000
COUNTY LAKE RD
FairOver: HURRICANE CREEK
0.5 MI EAST CO RD 1468, Madison, AL
Built 1960 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 250
HEGIA BURROW RD
FairOver: LEE HOLLOW BRANCH
1.5 MI E JCT CO RD 155, Madison, AL
Built 1963 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 250
US231; US431; SR1
FairOver: NORFOLK SOUTHERN
0.6 MI N JCT US231 *431, Madison, AL
Built 1991 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 63,677
UPPER CREEK RD
FairOver: UPPER CREEK
0.1 MI JCT CO RD 324, Madison, AL
Built 1938 Load: 25.0 t ADT: 500
SLAUGHTER RD
FairOver: INDIAN CREEK
0.1 MI N ALA HWY 20, Madison, AL
Built 1940 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 11,100
WEST LIMESTONE RD
FairOver: BRIER FORK CREEK
0.3MILE WEST JCT CORD 152, Madison, AL
Built 1948 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 1,620
OLD R R BED RD
FairOver: LIMESTONE CREEK
1.1 MI N TONEY, Madison, AL
Built 1951 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 1,020
OLD R R BED RD
FairOver: LIMESTONE CREEK
1.3 MI S TENN STATE LINE, Madison, AL
Built 1951 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 2,047
LITTLE COVE RD
FairOver: HURRICANE CREEK
2 MI W JCT US HWY 72, Madison, AL
Built 1953 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 2,297
MER. BOTTOM RD
FairOver: BRIER FORK FLINT RIVER
1.5 EAST 231 NORTH, Madison, AL
Built 1956 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 1,479
MER. BOTTOM RD
FairOver: BRIER FORK FLINT RIVER
1.6 MI EAST HWY 231NORTH, Madison, AL
Built 1956 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 1,774
MT LEBANON RD
FairOver: BEAVER DAM CREEK
0.5 MI CO RD 157, Madison, AL
Built 1960 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 903
ZIERDT RD
FairOver: BARREN FORK CREEK
0.2 MI N CO RD 008, Madison, AL
Built 1961 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 1,050
CEDAR POINT DR
FairOver: PINHOOK CREEK
6303 CEDAR POINT DR, Madison, AL
Built 1962 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 100
READY SECTION RD
FairOver: BRIER FORK CREEK
1.1 MI E JCT CO RD, Madison, AL
Built 1964 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 990
SCHOOL HOUSE RD
FairOver: JENNY RIVER
1.9 MI NW OF PLEVNA, Madison, AL
Built 1968 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 125
US 72; SR2
FairOver: FLINT RIVER
INT US72 * FLINT RIVER, Madison, AL
Built 1973 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 10,490
BROADMOR DRIVE
FairOver: BROGLAN BRANCH
1 MI EAST OF HWY 53, Madison, AL
Built 1965 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 250
BLUE SPRING ROAD
FairOver: TRIB. TO PINHOOK CREEK
0.5 MILE WEST U.S. 231, Madison, AL
Built 1964 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 15,800
SHARPES COVE RD
FairOver: MOLDER CREEK
2.0 MI N JCT CO RD 415, Madison, AL
Built 1939 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 35
BOB WADE LA
FairOver: DEVILS BRANCH
0.3 MI W JCT US HWY 231, Madison, AL
Built 1941 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 750
CHERRY TREE RD
FairOver: TREMBLE CREEK
1.2 MI W CO RD 537, Madison, AL
Built 1937 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 495
ELKWOOD SECTION R
FairOver: BRIER FORK FLINT RIVER
0.3 MI E JCT CO RD 106, Madison, AL
Built 1940 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 350
LITTLE COVE RD
FairOver: HURRICANE CREEK
2.1 MI W JCT US HWY 72, Madison, AL
Built 1953 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,297
US 72; SR 2
FairOver: MERIDIAN STREET
0.1 MI W JCT SO RR * US72, Madison, AL
Built 1957 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 9,176
US 72; SR 2
FairOver: MERIDIAN STREET
0.1 MI W JCT SOURR * US72, Madison, AL
Built 1959 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 9,176
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.