State profile · Below median Poor share

Alabama bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Alabama.

16,205
Public bridges
37.0%
Good condition
3.4%
Poor condition

Alabama holds 16,205 public highway bridges (#15 of 52 by inventory) with a 3.35% Poor share (#43 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 3.4% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 10 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

16,205

Public highway bridges in Alabama

Good Condition

37.0%

5,993 bridges rated 7-9

-13.0pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

3.4%

543 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-4.2pp vs national avg 7.5%

Alabama vs national bridge condition

Alabama - Good condition share 37.0%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Alabama - Poor-condition share 11.2%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Alabama in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Alabama has 16,205 bridges and a 3.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #10 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Alabama has 16,205 bridges and a 3.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #10 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Alabama vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

16,205 15th of 54 higher than 39 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Alabama

The highlighted point is Alabama: 16,205 bridges and 3.35% in Poor condition, rank #10 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Alabama on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Vermont: 2,862 bridges · 2.90% Poor
  • Utah: 3,125 bridges · 2.91% Poor
  • Alabama: 16,205 bridges · 3.35% Poor
  • Virginia: 14,120 bridges · 3.39% Poor
  • Tennessee: 20,379 bridges · 4.41% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Alabama

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 16,205 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Alabama’s inventory

State agency holds 36.0% of the 16,205 public highway bridges filed under Alabama in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Alabama’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 15.3% of the 16,205 bridges with a recorded original year in Alabama. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Alabama37%59.7%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Alabama (FHWA NBI)

Counties (67)

Autauga 118 Baldwin 381 Barbour 192 Bibb 126 Blount 180 Bullock 136 Butler 189 Calhoun 386 Chambers 185 Cherokee 167 Chilton 189 Choctaw 154 Clarke 155 Clay 129 Cleburne 165 Coffee 216 Colbert 172 Conecuh 224 Coosa 126 Covington 332 Crenshaw 171 Cullman 246 Dale 206 Dallas 225 DeKalb 300 Elmore 202 Escambia 200 Etowah 236 Fayette 186 Franklin 194 Geneva 205 Greene 204 Hale 177 Henry 133 Houston 247 Jackson 314 Jefferson 1068 Lamar 181 Lauderdale 266 Lawrence 215 Lee 214 Limestone 324 Lowndes 157 Macon 177 Madison 710 Marengo 203 Marion 255 Marshall 172 Mobile 612 Monroe 142 Montgomery 596 Morgan 271 Perry 162 Pickens 233 Pike 169 Randolph 165 Russell 205 Shelby 344 St. Clair 183 Sumter 241 Talladega 243 Tallapoosa 149 Tuscaloosa 482 Walker 275 Washington 177 Wilcox 168 Winston 78

Alabama vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Alabama on the same metric.

VT

Vermont

2.90% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,862

UT

Utah

2.91% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,125
Selected

AL

Alabama

3.35% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,205

VA

Virginia

3.39% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,120

TN

Tennessee

4.41% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$20,379

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Alabama

Six lowest-condition bridges in Alabama, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

COUNTRY CLUB ROAD

Poor

Over: BLACKWATER CREEK

1 MILE EAST HWY 195, Walker, AL

Built 1898 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 400

KINGS MILL ROAD

Poor

Over: LOST CREEK

1 MILE N OAKMAN HWY, Walker, AL

Built 1900 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 150

CAHABA BEACH ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE CAHABA RIVER

1.8 MILES NORTH OF US 280, Shelby, AL

Built 1904 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

19TH AVE

Poor

Over: MOORES CREEK

VALLEY, Chambers, AL

Built 1910 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 350

ROADWAY

Poor

Over: CO RT 1065 SUCARNOCHEE R

4.0 MI N CO RT 1064, Sumter, AL

Built 1912 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 40

SMITH CHAPEL RD

Poor

Over: MILL CREEK

1 MILE N HWY 78, Walker, AL

Built 1915 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 125

All Bridges in Alabama

AL. 94

Fair

Over: GREENBRIAR CREEK

4.9 MI. W. OF US 231 JCT, Montgomery, AL

Built 1993 Load: 31.6 t ADT: 640

COUNTY HWY 303

Fair

Over: CSX RAIL ROAD

.6 MI. EAST JCT. ALA 77, Talladega, AL

Built 1955 Load: 31.6 t ADT: 465

HIDDEN RIDGE DRIVE

Fair

Over: THOMAS BRANCH

HIDDEN RIDGE SUBDIVISION, Shelby, AL

Built 1999 Load: 31.6 t ADT: 75

2ND AVENUE WEST

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

.2 MI NO OF SO CTY LM, Blount, AL

Built 1928 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 563

US 411

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.2 MI W GA STATE LINE, Cherokee, AL

Built 1928 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 3,733

OLD 280 RD

Fair

Over: S FORK SANDY CREEK

OLD 280, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1928 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 9,270

CO. HWY. 280

Fair

Over: YELLOWLEAF CREEK

AT RR TRUSSELS CO HWY280, Shelby, AL

Built 1931 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 8,739

CO RD 54

Fair

Over: NE BRANCH OF PAIN CREEK

.8 MI E US 43 CO 54 JCT, Franklin, AL

Built 1938 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,840

AL 77

Fair

Over: COOSA RIVER

AL 77 * COOSA RIVER, Etowah, AL

Built 1939 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 12,342

SR 5

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK RELIEF

0.6 MI.S.OF KIMBROUGH, Wilcox, AL

Built 1940 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 2,700

CO RD 46

Fair

Over: SCARHAM CREEK

.75 MI N SKIRUM T8SR6E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1954 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 364

WEST 4TH STREET

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

ANNISTON W 4th Street, Calhoun, AL

Built 1955 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 875

CO RD 562

Fair

Over: SOUTH SAUTY CREEK

INTER. CR 562 * CR 194, DeKalb, AL

Built 1957 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 131

OLD PROVIDENCE RD

Fair

Over: TANYARD CREEK

2.1 M N ALA 63, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1960 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 285

I-20

Fair

Over: EASTABOGA CREEK

0.3 MI W JCT EXIT 173, Talladega, AL

Built 1965 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 44,364

163 NB TO I-10 EB

Fair

Over: CSX RR

I-10 @ SR 163 INTERCHANGE, Mobile, AL

Built 1966 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 3,666

SR 163

Fair

Over: I-10/CSX RR

SR 163 @ I-10 INTERCHANGE, Mobile, AL

Built 1966 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 27,557

DRAKE AVE

Fair

Over: HUNTSVILLE SPRING BRANCH

DRAKE AVE * HUNTS SPG BR, Madison, AL

Built 1968 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 20,000

BENT CREEK RD

Fair

Over: MOORES MILL CREEK

0.2 MI SE I-85, Lee, AL

Built 1976 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 14,538

SCOTT DRIVE WEST

Fair

Over: NORTON CREEK

SHELTON BEACH ESTATES, Mobile, AL

Built 1976 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 575

SCOTT DRIVE EAST

Fair

Over: NORTON CREEK

SHELTON BEACH ESTATES, Mobile, AL

Built 1976 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 460

CR-52

Fair

Over: Baker Creek

0.31 Mi W of SR-9, Coosa, AL

Built 1979 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 610

I - 459 SOUTH

Fair

Over: PRESERVE PARKWAY

I459* SULPHUR SPRINGS RD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1980 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 34,985

CO.DIRT RD NO1027

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

RCDG BRIDGE CO. RD.2, Henry, AL

Built 1982 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 30

US 98

Fair

Over: TURKEY BRANCH

254 S COUNTY ROAD 24, Baldwin, AL

Built 1982 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 5,131

AL-18

Fair

Over: North River

0.2 MI E JCT SR 13, Fayette, AL

Built 1984 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,893

CR-29

Fair

Over: Ditch Branch

0.41 MI. N. CR-41, Coosa, AL

Built 1983 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 746

US 84

Fair

Over: SATILPA CREEK

4 MI. E. OF COFFEEVILLE, Clarke, AL

Built 1988 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,330

US 29

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6.0 MI. N. OF US 82 JCT., Bullock, AL

Built 1988 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,990

US 29

Fair

Over: MOORES CREEK

0.1 MI.S.OF MACON CO LINE, Bullock, AL

Built 1988 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,950

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: LAMBETH CREEK

1MI N MCCALL SCHOOL, Escambia, AL

Built 1937 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 320

NAUGHER RD

Fair

Over: VOEGEL CREEK

1.3 MI S CO RD 1305, Madison, AL

Built 1989 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 650

I-10 WB * EB

Fair

Over: VIRGINIA STREET

3.3 MI E SR 163, Mobile, AL

Built 1966 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 70,156

CO RT 615

Fair

Over: LITTLE DOUBLE BRIDGES CR

1 MI W OF NEW HOME CHURCH, Coffee, AL

Built 1989 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 40

AL 69

Fair

Over: MILLIANS CREEK

3.5 MI S TUSCALOOSA CO LI, Hale, AL

Built 1989 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 7,960

US 45

Fair

Over: SEABERRY CREEK

0.7 MI S SR 158, Mobile, AL

Built 1992 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 6,146

ROAD # 6208

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

TANNEHILL STATE PARK, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1995 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 40

SR 273

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK

7MI N JCT SR 68 * 273, Cherokee, AL

Built 2000 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 1,175

SR 24

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.6 M E JCT SR24 & SR101, Lawrence, AL

Built 1995 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 5,420

MONROE STREET

Fair

Over: FAGAN CREEK

1.0 MILES NORTH U.S. 431, Madison, AL

Built 2004 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 4,700

CR 51

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

1.8 MI. E OF KIRKLAND, Fayette, AL

Built 1957 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 151

FOX RUN AVE.

Fair

Over: GRANDBERRY CK TRIB.

FOX RUN, Lee, AL

Built 1990 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 3,000

FOX RUN AVE.

Fair

Over: GRANDBERRY CK. TRIB.

FOX RUN, Lee, AL

Built 1987 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 3,000

FOWL RIVER RD

Fair

Over: FOWL RIVER

0.8 MI E BELLINGRATH RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1928 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,901

US 11

Fair

Over: WILLS CREEK

4.9 MI N JCT US11*SR68, DeKalb, AL

Built 1936 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 2,403

CO. HWY. 280

Fair

Over: CLEAR PRONG CREEK

HARPERSVILLE END-OLD 280, Shelby, AL

Built 1940 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 725

AL-159

Fair

Over: Clear Creek

3.0 MI N Gordo, Pickens, AL

Built 1947 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,493

CO RD 54

Fair

Over: YANCE BRANCH

ALA 52 TO CO RD 48, Houston, AL

Built 1953 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 655

AL-118

Fair

Over: Branch

0.2 MI W JCT SR 44, Marion, AL

Built 1953 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 6,070

SR 22

Fair

Over: HILLABEE ST/NORFOLK R/R

CITY OF ALEX CITY, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1958 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 5,871

Showing 4,951-5,000 of 16,205 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

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

What to do with this

Use Alabama's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Alabama and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Alabama Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.