County profile · official public datasets

Shelby County, AL

344 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 41% rated Good, 58.1% Fair, 0.9% Poor.

344
Public bridges
41%
Good condition
0.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Shelby County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

Top 15%
lowest Poor share in state
0.9%
Poor-condition share
344
public highway bridges
1981
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.

Shelby County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Shelby County ranks #10 of 67 Alabama counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 0.9%). Shelby County, Alabama contains 344 public highway bridges. Roughly 41% are rated “Good,” 58.1% “Fair,” and 0.9% “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

344

Public highway bridges in Shelby County

Good condition

41%

141 of 344 rated 7-9

Fair condition

58.1%

200 of 344 rated 5-6

Poor condition

0.9%

3 of 344 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#10 of 67

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

Condition distribution

Share of 344 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
41% (141)
Fair
58.1% (200)
Poor
0.9% (3)

Shelby County's Poor-condition bridges carry 29,411 vehicle crossings a day

That is 1.2% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 0.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 9,804 crossings a day against 2,663 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 344 of 344 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

32.3% of Shelby County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

111 of the 344 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% 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 96.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

AL - 3 NORTH over PEAVINE CK * ACL RR, built 1924, carries 28,511 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 3-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 29,411 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Shelby County's bridges were built

344 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 2000s, when 82 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 15 to 24 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1981, 7 years newer than the Alabama average of 1974.

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

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

The 5 Alabama counties nearest Shelby County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 0.9% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1981 against a peer-group mean of 1973 is 8 years newer.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Shelby County and the 5 Alabama counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Calhoun County 386 3.9%
Baldwin County 381 1.3%
Shelby County (this page) 344 0.9%
Covington County 332 5.1%
Limestone County 324 2.2%
Jackson County 314 3.8%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AL (344 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AL (1981 here).

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

All 344 Good 141 Fair 200 Poor 3

Good-condition bridges (141)

BRIDLEWOOD DR

Good

Over: Prairie Brook

0.4 MI FROM CR 95, Shelby, AL

Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 500

Carr. creek pky

Good

Over: Carriage Creek

0.1 mi. from CR 69, Shelby, AL

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 83

Good

Over: BLUE SPRING BRANCH

.81 MI FROM CR 62, Shelby, AL

Built 2003 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 750

Dead Hollow Road

Good

Over: Tanyard Branch

0.1 MI. West JCT AL 25, Shelby, AL

Built 2016 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 150

GOLDEN MEADOWS DR.

Good

Over: UT TO SPRING CK

SUBDIVISION, Shelby, AL

Built 2006 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 200

Beaver CK. road

Good

Over: Mud Creek

0.5 mi.E. egg butter road, Shelby, AL

Built 2018 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 75

AL - 76

Good

Over: LOGAN BRANCH

AL 76 * LOGAN BRANCH, Shelby, AL

Built 1992 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 3,170

COUNTY ROAD 107

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

1.1 MI. SO. CR 12, Shelby, AL

Built 2004 Load: 33.8 t ADT: 600

CO. HWY. 42

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

1.2 MI W. CO. 47, Shelby, AL

Built 1973 Load: 33.9 t ADT: 692

CR 446

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

CR 446 0.4 mi. East CR 47, Shelby, AL

Built 2001 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 50

9TH STREET

Good

Over: BUXAHATCHEE CREEK

NEAR RR DEPOT., Shelby, AL

Built 1984 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 100

MCCAIN PARKWAY

Good

Over: HOGPEN CREEK

0.15 MI SE EXIT 242 I-65, Shelby, AL

Built 1986 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 7,500

STONEHAVEN TRAIL

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

0.25 MI. W OF JCT US 31, Shelby, AL

Built 2003 Load: 34.6 t ADT: 6,010

CR 32

Good

Over: N. FORK YELLOWLEAK CK

2.6 MI EAST CR 49, Shelby, AL

Built 2007 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 500

DEAD HOLLOW ROAD

Good

Over: MORGAN CREEK

0.6 MI FROM AL 25, Shelby, AL

Built 2009 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 100

Quail Ridge road

Good

Over: Hurricane Creek

_INT of Quail creek road, Shelby, AL

Built 2000 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 100

CO. RD. 30

Good

Over: BEESWAX CREEK

02 MI. WEST JCT.CO. RD. 5, Shelby, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 1,161

BROOKSHIRE LANE

Good

Over: HOGPEN CREEK

0.25 MI E OF JCT CR35, Shelby, AL

Built 1992 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 175

CR 85

Good

Over: UT TO LOCUST CREEK

.3 MI FROM CR 62/CR 85, Shelby, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 500

Alexander Road

Good

Over: Shoal Creek

.3mi E Jct Co41 * Co474, Shelby, AL

Built 2017 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 35

CR 22

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

CR22 OVER SPRING CREEK, Shelby, AL

Built 2005 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 5,560

HIDDEN CREEK PKWY.

Good

Over: COALES BRANCH

0.1 MI. E OF CR 33, Shelby, AL

Built 1999 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 1,210

GREYSTONE WAY

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

0.3 MILE FROM AL 119, Shelby, AL

Built 1995 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 1,800

CO. HWY. 23

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.6 MI. JCT. CO. 16, Shelby, AL

Built 2000 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 421

CR 101

Good

Over: CAUSEWAY OF PRIVATE LAKE

0.86 MI FROM AL 25, Shelby, AL

Built 2011 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 100

CO HY 47

Good

Over: YELLOWLEAF CREEK

.5 KM S ST 280, Shelby, AL

Built 1997 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 6,500

WHITE OAK DRIVE

Good

Over: HT N FORK YELLOWLEAF CK

YELLOWLEAF RIDGE ESTATES, Shelby, AL

Built 1996 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 178

CR 83

Good

Over: BLUE SPRINGS CREEK

0.5 MI E. CR 81, Shelby, AL

Built 2008 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 300

CR 39

Good

Over: UT TO BOLIVER CREEK

.5 MI. SO. CR 69, Shelby, AL

Built 2001 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,600

CR 47

Good

Over: UT TO MILL CREEK

.25 MI SOUTH AL 145, Shelby, AL

Built 2006 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 800

CR 61

Good

Over: TRIB. OF FOUR MILE CREEK

0.1 MI FROM CR 56, Shelby, AL

Built 2006 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 316

COUNTY ROAD 26

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

@ intersection of CR 17, Shelby, AL

Built 2000 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 5,470

AL - 3 (US 31)

Good

Over: I - 65

AL - 3 / I - 65 CALERA, Shelby, AL

Built 2020 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 20,566

CR 363 PALOMINO TR

Good

Over: UT TO BISHOP CREEK

0.1 MILE FROM CR 14, Shelby, AL

Built 2011 Load: 38.4 t ADT: 125

CHELSEA PARK DR.

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

CHELSEA PARK SUBDIVISION, Shelby, AL

Built 2006 Load: 38.8 t ADT: 750

I-65

Good

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR

I-65 NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR, Shelby, AL

Built 2013 Load: 38.8 t ADT: 20,220

CO RD 109

Good

Over: SFORK PAGE SPRING BRANCH

.4 MI S JCT CO RD 55, Shelby, AL

Built 2001 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 189

COMMERCE CIRCLE

Good

Over: COALES BRANCH

@ JCT W/ COMMERCE DRIVE, Shelby, AL

Built 1988 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 800

STADIUM TRACE PKWY

Good

Over: CSX RR

_Stadium Trace / CSX RR, Shelby, AL

Built 2017 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,000

CO HWY 10

Good

Over: KING CREEK

0.15 MI WEST CR 204, Shelby, AL

Built 1996 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,545

COUNTY ROAD 11

Good

Over: PEAVINE CREEK

0.3 MI. NORTH CR 68, Shelby, AL

Built 2013 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 12,213

CO. HWY. 13

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

0.66 mi. south CR 93, Shelby, AL

Built 1985 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,125

AL - 119

Good

Over: SHOAL CREEK

MONTEVALLO, Shelby, AL

Built 2005 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 7,440

AL - 70

Good

Over: WAXAHATCHEE CREEK

AL 70 @ WAXAHATCHEE CK, Shelby, AL

Built 2007 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 5,420

CO. HWY. 26

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

0.7 MI E ST 119, Shelby, AL

Built 1984 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 1,000

AL - 25

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

STERRETT, Shelby, AL

Built 1995 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 1,080

TIMBERLINE DRIVE

Good

Over: DIXIE RAILROAD

TIMBERLINE SUBDIVISION, Shelby, AL

Built 2007 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 350

CO HWY 410

Good

Over: BULLY CREEK

180 EAST CR 9, Shelby, AL

Built 1995 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 279

AL-25

Good

Over: Waxahatchee Creek

AL-25 * Waxahatchee Creek, Shelby, AL

Built 2023 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 3,202

COUNTY RD 264

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

.35 MI W. JCT. ST. 119, Shelby, AL

Built 2016 Load: 43.9 t ADT: 8,714

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.